Eduardo Torres Montano shares his experience as a summer intern at Dropbox
Intern season is here, and we’re excited to welcome our interns to our San Francisco, Seattle, and New York offices for a summer full of activities, learning, and development. As we welcome the 2018 interns, we’re taking a moment to highlight some of our past interns, many who are now working at Dropbox full time. Our intern program focuses on providing 1:1 mentorship with an emphasis on impact and learning. Dropbox interns have worked on Project Infinite, 2FA, and more!
Q: Where do you call home?
A: I call Portland, Oregon, home, but anywhere with lots of trees and rain feels like home.
Q: How did you first get interested in engineering?
A: My curiosity has always led me to tinker with anything I could get my hands on. I’m always asking the question, “Why does this work the way it does?” Taking apart small electronics and trying to put them back together was my version of Legos. That inspired me to look into learning more about science, and I later majored in physics in college. Eventually, I decided that instead of investigating why things work, I wanted to build them, and computer science became my tool of choice.
Q: What motivated you to apply to Dropbox?
A: I had always thought of Dropbox as a really cool company. Before I was a computer science major, a lot of what Dropbox did seemed like magic to me. Being able to see the company up close, I quickly realized the magic was with the people as much as the technology itself.
Q: How did your experience as a Code2040 fellow prepare you for your time at Dropbox?
A: One of the biggest takeaways from being a Code2040 fellow was a feeling of “Sí, se puede,” which translates to “Yes, it’s possible.” During the first Code2040 event, I was told to believe in myself and to know that I could make an impact. Seeing so many fellow Latinx and Black engineers working in tech made me feel like I had a family, although I was entering the world of tech for the first time. This translated well into my feeling of belonging at Dropbox, as everyone here was also very willing to help and see me succeed, both professionally and culturally.
Q: Could you tell us about your experience as an intern?
A: On my first day, after touring the office and getting our badge photos taken, all the interns were given Mac laptops. A Dropboxer walked us through how to set them up. I had never used a Mac before, so I tried my best to follow along as I learned how to use a new operating system. Learning new things every day and receiving support and help was a common theme throughout my internship at Dropbox.
Q: What has pleasantly surprised you the most about your team since joining Dropbox?
A: I really love the small office vibe in the Seattle office. Within a few days, almost everyone knew my name and was happy to give me advice on places to live or good food spots!
Q: Could you tell us about a time when you or a teammate embodied one of our company values?
A: During the summer, there was a volunteer event for Black Girls Who Code where Dropbox engineers helped the students walk through a coding exercise. We still needed extra volunteers, so I asked the intern Slack channel for help, and a rush of interns came down for the event to volunteer. It was nice to see how eager everyone was to help out. They really exemplified #wenoti and #cupcake.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you, both as an intern and a new grad engineer?
A: I usually start the day with a cup of coffee in the morning and a cheese stick for a quick breakfast. Afterward, I head to my desk and plan out the tasks and projects I am working on and start to implement them. As an intern, there were fun weekly in-office events, and my intern mentor and I had frequent check-ins. As a new grad engineer, I am in more planning meetings and have more time to organize my work strategically.
Q: How did your internship at Dropbox compare to experiences you’ve had at other companies or at university?
A: This summer was actually my first internship in the tech industry. Before this, I was a physics major and did physics research every summer! My Dropbox internship was very mentorship-oriented, which was not something I had experienced in-depth during my time doing research.
Q: Could you tell us about your mentor and team during your internship at Dropbox?
A: I had one of the most amazing mentors ever at Dropbox! She was very invested in my learning and focused on my technical and personal growth to improve my skills as an engineer by the end of the summer. My team was also very supportive, and I frequently relied on them to answer any questions I had.
Q: What was the biggest challenge you faced as an intern? How did you overcome it?
A: During my internship, I had to think about what a “team” meant in the context of the Dropbox product and incorporate that into code, minding permission models and user expectations. I wasn’t able to fully solve the problem in my time there, but it led to good discussions and eventually an actionable product by the start of the year!
Q: Do you have any advice for getting the most out of a summer internship?
A: Get as much feedback as you can from people you want to learn from! When you’re asking for advice as an intern, most people are more than happy to pass on their knowledge to help you become a better engineer.
Q: If you weren’t an engineer, what would you be?
A: I would probably be either a physicist or a trumpet player in a mariachi band!
Interested in our 2019 University roles? Feel free to apply for our Software Engineer Internship (Summer 2019) and our Software Engineer University Grad (2019) roles.
