My Internship Experience at Chime
I recently completed my 12-week summer internship at Chime. It was a journey full of learning, fun, and connecting with some great professionals. Let’s rewind a little: I am a master’s student at Arizona State University (Go Sun Devils!) and originally from India. As an international student, it can be a tiresome process to bag that “perfect” internship. After applying to many positions at different companies and still coming up short on an internship that matched my interests, I found what I was looking for in a Software Engineering internship at Chime. I worked on the Machine Learning Platform team, which is responsible for building a scalable platform and processes for interactions between Machine Learning or Data Science with Software Development at Chime.
My Internship Progression — Beginning to End
My internship kicked off in May with a number of onboarding sessions scheduled for the first day (and some scattered over the next 2 weeks). I got introduced to different teams at Chime, as well as how Chime’s processes and products work. I was also acquainted with my project mentor (also known as my internship buddy) and my manager. My mentor did a great job creating a single internship reference document for me while also giving me an overview of my project. I was excited to start working as my project would be valued and make a significant impact on the company.
For the first 2 weeks, I got familiar with the tech stack, set up my laptop, got all the required accesses, did some exploratory work on my project, and interacted with several members of my team and the Data Science team. Everyone was incredibly supportive and welcoming, which I felt throughout my internship. Chimers definitely live up to one of the core values of Chime — Be Human!
Henceforth, several weeks of my project work continued. And while I did face some challenges in my work, they were always resolved with my team’s help. My mentor was especially helpful, giving me regular feedback on my work and helping me with any blockers during my internship. Towards the end of my time at Chime, I wrapped up all of the tasks for my project and even picked up a few things outside my project scope (after all, internships are about learning, right?).
Finally, I gave a presentation to the whole Data Org, which went really well and after which I felt very appreciated by everyone. It was an emotional yet empowering time for me when the internship ended, as it was the end of a great life experience.
Getting Comfortable Amidst Work Jitters
Initially, I was afraid of asking too many questions, as I felt that they were stupid. I spent a complete hour trying to figure out how to submit my first simple Pull Request on GitHub (what if I broke production lol!). But over time, my team encouraged me to ask questions, which helped me gradually get comfortable, and assured me that guiderails were in place so my code couldn’t break production.
I also used to overthink before I had any meetings but soon felt very welcome, thanks to everyone I talked to. Since the pandemic, most Chimers work remotely part or full-time due to the pandemic. My team organized 3 on-site work days. While the prospect of a 3-day in-person working session overwhelmed me at first (because of the pandemic, working in an office was new to me), it was a very memorable experience. I got the opportunity to network closely with everyone from my team, indulge in fun team-building activities, and participate in several team discussions.
Because I had never been in a physical office environment before, I loved being able to go into the office for work. Being in the office helped me be more productive and get focused. (Also, who doesn’t love tons of free snacks, drinks, and lunch?) I had the privilege of being a part of the grand opening of Chime’s new office at 101 Cal in San Francisco — an impressive and modern work environment with plenty of amenities for Chimers throughout. I also received a lot of internship swag and goodies for various Chime events.
Learning with — and from — fellow interns
A highlight of my internship was spending time with other fellow interns. I met some awesome people with different backgrounds and definitely made some lifelong friends. We would work in a shared area of the office and also went on several outings, including a 2-day trip to Santa Cruz, Point Lobos, and Carmel-by-the-Sea. I will always cherish the memories and photos from that trip.
Chime’s wonderful University Recruiting (UR) team also organized a bunch of events for interns to mingle at together and just have fun. The UR team had regular check-ins with all interns, which gave us informal time when we could discuss and give feedback about our internship experience. I was also assigned a non-technical mentor with whom I could talk about anything and everything — during our time together, I got tons of precious advice about how to get the most out of my internship and grow as an individual.
My internship: An incredible experience
People sometimes say that an internship can’t give a person adequate work experience due to its short duration, but I believe otherwise. An internship is the best opportunity for students to translate their academic knowledge and skills into practical use cases and applications. It also gives us a holistic understanding of industry and professional life.
Chime certainly did a great job of providing me with an excellent internship experience. It not only helped me improve my technical expertise but also helped me refine my soft skills and gave me a chance to establish meaningful connections.
While I learn a ton every year at university and through my academic career, the learnings I’m taking away from this summer at Chime are things that I’d struggle to find in a course catalog or classroom. If you’re considering applying for a role at Chime, I say to go for it!
