Computer Science Internship Story: Amazon Web Services

Mathew Nagle

Computer Science

What company did you intern with and where are they located?

I interned at Amazon Web Services (AWS) in New York City.

How did you identify and apply for your internship? Are there any specific resources you used to find the opportunity (i.e. Handshake, career fairs, other recruitment events)?

Applying early is important with internships at large companies, so I mainly used the Pitt CSC summer internships repo on Github to stay up to date with applications for software engineering roles.

What was the application process like?

The application process for the Software Dev Engineer intern role at Amazon was straightforward with an initial application, a follow-up coding online assessment, and a 45-minute interview with behavioral and technical questions.

Tell us about your internship experience. What types of tasks and projects did you engage in? Was there a particular project or part of the experience you learned the most from?

At AWS, I worked on the Amazon Managed Blockchain service which provides customers access to low-latency actionable intelligence on multiple networks without having to manage their own compute resources to keep the data fresh. My internship project involved developing infrastructure for extracting internal blockchain data and representing the data in a graph database to explore new ways to deliver insights and demonstrate utility of the existing data. Despite the niche domain, I was able to practice designing and developing systems at scale and soft skills notably.

In what ways did this internship help you prepare for your next destination after Auburn?

An internship at AWS is a direct opportunity to return as a full-time employee. Since I am a sophomore, I can continue to intern at AWS and return for a full-time position once I have graduated. The experience is also valuable on a resume should I choose to pursue opportunities at other companies.

In what ways did your coursework or other experiences at Auburn prepare you for your internships? Are there specific topics or skills you learned from classes that you put into practice on the job?

I applied for the position at AWS before my first semester at Auburn; however, the close community and support for first-year students helped with soft skills and creating a balanced schedule to prepare for the technical interview.

Do you have any advice for other students looking for internships like yours?

My advice for students looking for software engineering internships at big tech companies (or any goal of large magnitude) is to take small steps and make marginal daily improvements. Plan your days and introduce the steps needed to apply - tailor your resume and get it peer reviewed; then introduce the habits needed to prepare for the online assessment/interview – watch a video on technical interview problems, practice for a few minutes a day on Leetcode, Hackerrank, etc.