This is Why Internships at Shopify Rivals The Bay Area’s

Talk to any of your university advisors about internships and they’ll tell you that they are one of the best investments you could be making for your future. They give you a taste of the workforce, cushion your resume with some pretty awesome experience, and lead to future opportunities through networking. That alone might not sway you to give up at least 4 months of your life to the unknown, but some internships offer a bit more than just a few perks.

Get treated like an adult

I know some companies that do not treat their interns like full-time employees. And I don’t blame them. It’s hard to trust someone that is currently still in school with a project that could potentially sink the company if it fails — it’s a lot of responsibility after all. As a result, these companies often give their interns smaller bug fixes and projects. This works out for the company because they can get some issues out of the icebox for a relatively cheaper price, seems like a win for them. But this doesn’t benefit any interns at all and it’s these types of companies that you want to avoid.

This IS NOT how Shopify works. At Shopify, you get the same responsibilities as many of the full-time employees. In fact, because there are so many young people working at Shopify, 70% of them might not even realize you are an intern until you tell them. We believe that everyone at Shopify really needs to act like an owner, and we understand that it is okay to fail. We’ve all failed at some point in our lives, but it’s not a failure if you’ve learnt from it. We provide you with the resources to truly create something great, but it’s up to you on how these resources are used.

It’s a Bay Area company relocated to the north

Living in the age of technology, we all know the story. The Bay Area is where all the eccentric, innovative, and revolutionary tech companies live. It’s the home of giants of the internet like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. It’s also the cultivation centre for the rising stars that have changed the way we live — AirBnB, Uber, and Dropbox to name a few. It’s no surprise why so many people think that this is the place to be.

I’ve worked at a startup located in San Francisco. It’s really was a congenial company — one with insanely smart individuals that are passionate about their work. Up until then, it was something that I have yet to see from my previous career previews in Toronto. That is… until I came to Shopify. This isn’t an exaggeration, it does seem like the company belongs in SF. What makes the company such an enjoyable place to work breaks down into 5 main factors.

1. I am working on projects that are impacting the lives of over 325,000 merchants all over the world. We are essential to their daily business operations
2. The people here are all insanely good at what they do, and are all super friendly. Our interview process is nothing to sneeze at, we have a high standard for candidates.
3. The office space and flexible work hours you get with most tech startups. Each office has a unique look and feel, as well as cultures.
4. They value personal development. I can go to work in the morning knowing that if I want to try something new or learn something, Shopify’s got my back and will offer the resources to do so.
5. The perks are pretty damn good.

Also, we’ve actually opened up an office in SF recently, so yeah.

Perks? What perks?

There are so many perks at Shopify for interns, it’s so damn crazy. I can’t really list all of them, but here are some of the ones that I think you will really like.

We get free lunches everyday. And trust me, it’s good. I’m not talking about free McDonald’s or A&W, I’m talking about legit meals that change everyday. We have catering from some of the yummiest restaurants around the area. Working here, you will definitely gain some extra weight, especially since we have a snack wall as well. Some of my favourite meals includes sushi, Korean BBQ, steak, and DIY shawarma.

The compensation is probably in the top 10% of internship salaries. Just know that you will be making enough to have a good term, even if you have to pay for rent.

Every term, there is also an intern retreat. Basically, every intern from every office is flown into a resort for a fun, all-expensed paid weekend. This term, we went to Muskoka and stayed at the Deerhurst resort.

We’ll pay you to learn. Personal development is a big thing here and if there is something that you believe will strongly help you improve, we will sponsor it. Let it be books, attending conferences, or online courses in areas you want to improve!

Conclusion

Yeah, that’s basically all I wanted to say. Please feel free to contact me at kennykitchan@gmail.com if you want to chat more about my experience, or if you want to connect! I am more than happy to talk to each and every one of you!

Join me at Shopify (Full-time or Interns)!

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact me through any medium!

Best regards,
Kenny Chan