A Late Start, the Right Opportunity
When Oana Cristea, 27, began searching for an internship during her final year at university in Romania, she saw it as the perfect opportunity to kick‑start her career. That search led her to Wayfare, where a timely call and a friend’s guidance helped set the stage for success.
What started as an internship has grown into six years of hands‑on development experience with Progress OpenEdge. Oana credits the supportive community and team culture for making the difference: “I learned so much from amazing people—not just about development, but about building friendships, blending into a team and communicating effectively.”
Inside a Hands‑On Internship: Learn, Practice, Build
Oana didn’t know OpenEdge before her internship. “We came in knowing nothing about the actual development,” she recalls. The program started with daily theory sessions followed by practical exercises. After three weeks of foundations, interns were split into small teams to build an application together, integrating frontend elements with a focus on Progress OpenEdge.
How Oana Explains OpenEdge
Oana’s favorite shorthand when friends ask what OpenEdge is:
“I describe it as the child between SQL and an object‑oriented language—C# or Java. You can do procedural work and OOP and directly access the database.”
That duality is a big part of the appeal. Versatile. Fast. Great with data. And approachable—especially for anyone who has seen SQL or an OO language before.
Three things Oana likes about OpenEdge:
- Versatility: Procedural + OOP options let you pick the right approach.
- Performance with data: Strong fit for large, data‑heavy applications.
- Learnability: If you’ve touched SQL or OO before, ABL’s structure feels familiar and clear.
Advice to New Developers (and Those Curious About OpenEdge)
Oana’s message to newcomers is pragmatic: find an internship. Community matters, and hands‑on exposure accelerates learning.
For those weighing a programming career, personality fit counts. If you like problem‑solving, logic and are comfortable with stationary work, development can be a great match. And don’t forget balance—walks help when the desk feels endless.
Final Reflection
Oana’s journey underscores how structured internships, supportive teams and a capable, approachable language can turn curiosity into a durable career. Whether you’re just hearing about OpenEdge for the first time or looking to expand your skills, her story is an invitation to start, ask questions and keep learning.
Explore OpenEdge training & certification (free learning path for beginners): Become an OpenEdge Developer
Jessica (Malakian) Newton
Progress Software empowers organizations to achieve transformational success in the face of disruptive change. Our software enables our customers to develop, deploy and manage responsible AI-powered applications and digital experiences with agility and ease.
Bio Overview
With over five years of experience in product marketing, Jessica has developed a strong foundation in application development and database management software. Her entire career has been at Progress, where she began as an intern in 2020 and have since contributed to multiple products, including the Progress Corticon business rules management system and others.
Jessica specializes in Go-To-Market strategy, execution and management for the Progress OpenEdge platform—leading both campaigns and new product launches, as well as content development, market and persona research and other product marketing activities. She consistently delivers results that drive customer retention and foster innovation. Her public speaking skills have been recognized, notably when she placed first in the Pi Sigma Epsilon South/Atlantic Regional Speakers Competition.
Her goal is to empower customers and partners to fully realize the value of their OpenEdge technology—enabling them to modernize, innovate, and achieve greater business impact by maximizing existing investments and seamlessly embracing new capabilities. Whether it’s migrating to the latest version of the OpenEdge applications or leveraging the Progress Data Platform, she is dedicated to showing organizations how to transform their technology into a strategic advantage. Currently, she focuses on multiple initiatives for the OpenEdge platform, including modernization, expanding the developer base, AI integration, security and more, helping customers and partners succeed in a rapidly evolving landscape. Outside of work, Jessica enjoys writing and reading, which help her stay creative and balanced.
Areas of Expertise
- Product Marketing Strategy
- Go-To-Market Execution and Management
- Content Development
- Market and Persona Research
- Public Speaking
Credentials & Publications
- Pi Sigma Epsilon South/Atlantic Regional Speakers Competition – First Place
Connect with Me
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicamalakian/
- Contact Me / Request a Collaboration: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicamalakian/