On the Rise at Eyeview: Anirudh Perugu, Software Engineering Intern
As internships have become more important for future job prospects, the role of interns within organizations has greatly evolved from just getting coffee and pushing papers.
Eyeview started its intern program small with two interns in the summer of 2015, and we had four interns this past summer. Although it has humble beginnings, our interns work on projects that go far beyond copying and filing. Our interns get to work alongside our professional staff while having fun in a fast-paced environment.
We sat down with a recent intern on our software engineering team, Anirudh Perugu, who shared why he came to Eyeview, what the most challenging parts of his role are, and why Friday is his favorite day at the office.
How did you get started in the software engineering field?
Anirudh Perugu: I completed my undergraduate degree at the Indian Institute of Information Technology in 2011. Since then, I have worked in the advertising technology and e-commerce industry in India. Presently, I am pursuing a master’s degree in computer science at Stony Brook University and will most likely be graduating in December 2016.
How did you first hear about and become interested in Eyeview?
AP: I started by Googling “top start-ups in NYC.” I found and applied for the real-time-bidding engineer intern position as I knew it would help me the most with my career goals, but also because I had previous experience with advertising technology.
What was the process like?
AP: The process was pretty straightforward. I had a call with HR first, and then they asked me to come in for a few more rounds of interviews. I had two technical programming rounds, which were a mix of programming and design-oriented questions and a round with the vice president of engineering.
How were you looking to grow your skill-set at Eyeview?
AP: My main goal has been to learn as much as possible from both the company as well as the valuable insights my coworkers have in developing quality software. I have been lucky to be surrounded by extremely smart people who have raised their hand whenever I needed help, not only on the technological side of things, but also on the personal front.
What projects are you currently working on?
AP: I have been working on a variety of things ranging from databases to frameworks developed internally that simplify and efficiently write applications. I have been given an option to work on the application/business front or the infrastructure improvements, which is an absolute bonus for me. I have yet to decide which path I will take, but I am glad to receive such freedom.
What have you learned during your time at Eyeview?
AP: This internship has helped me understand that a hammer cannot be used in all cases. The ability to use appropriate tools for the right situations is supremely important. Eyeview uses state-of-the-art tools, and I have been able to gain useful insights about using databases at scale.
Which aspects of your role were the most challenging and what did you learn from that adversity?
AP: The team I interned with — the decisioning team — has several components, and it is definitely a challenge to know all of them in great detail. Understanding a few of the components and how all of them come together to form the complete infrastructure was a learning experience. Taking a deep dive into the vast code base has also been challenging, but the team has been excellent at answering any kind of questions I had.
What advice would you give to anyone entering your role?
AP: “There are no stupid questions, there are only stupid people” is a quote I heard first here at Eyeview and definitely benefitted from. I am part of a wonderful team. Other positive parts have been discussions regarding coding, design, software practices, tech talks, as well as discovering new places to eat, organizing a wine tasting competition, and much more. The more I interacted with these guys, the more I learned every day, and that has been the driving force for me. So, my advice is don’t worry, ask questions, take notes, know it is okay to ask again, and always be sincere and not too serious.
In what ways has your internship impacted your college experience?
AP: I feel academics and working in an organization each has its own merits. Understanding concepts to making things work and not caring much about code quality is the college way of doing things, but giving high preference to writing quality code and ensuring its maintainability is what I have learned at Eyeview. It has definitely been a positive experience interning at Eyeview as it has instilled in me a new thought process, one that differs from the academic world.
What were some of your favorite non-work aspects about being at Eyeview?
AP: Eyeview as a company invests quite a bit into its culture, and it is reflected in its people. During my time here, we had a company outing at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, which had a lot of games and food and it turned out to be a nice day. There are games held in the office once in a while, organized by one of the departments, which were generally hilarious. There are also volleyball and softball games where Eyeview plays a different company team every week. The engineering team is going for a full day event to Six Flags. Then there is free lunch and cocktails on Fridays with beer later on. Obviously, my productivity tends to be almost negligible on such days.
Where do you hope to go in your career and how has this internship influenced your aspirations?
AP: My career aspiration is to be a top-rated software architect, and this internship has been beneficial as I feel I have taken the right step in achieving my ultimate goal.
Have questions about interning (or working) at Eyeview? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and make sure to check out our careers page!
