I am from an ICSE schooling background where I studied Computer Science as a subject from 9th standard to 12th standard. In my plus 2, the combination was catered to engineer exams so I had chosen PCM. I was focused on getting into a good engineering college first then decided on computer science as my domain due to my good background and confidence in basic concepts and interest in the domain. In my college, I explored a lot of societies and I went to the coding society and some other societies related to the computer science department. I am a great fan of listening to good music and also enjoying playing outdoor sports.
How did you get your internship with Amazon?
After my first internship on the college campus, I secured PPO, so I wasn’t allowed to sit for campus placement at other companies. But I was looking for better opportunities and then I came across the Amazewow program which is only for females. After you apply to his program, you have a test link in which you have 2 coding questions and a few MCQs from computer science of easy level. After this, there was a second round similar to the first one but the level of questions was medium this time. Then after a month, I received an email about the interview which was scheduled for 2 months. Both interviews consisted of technical interviews of 1 hour including coding and DSA questions.
Tell us about your roles and responsibilities
I worked on two to three projects and was also provided with an opportunity to work on two tickets raised on bugs. My team remained the same throughout my tenure and I totally enjoyed working around them and learned a lot from each and every one.
How was the overall experience of working with Amazon?
Starting from my joining I was blown away by the work culture and infrastructure of amazon for its employees. For example, everything related to amazon has been documented and preserved so well that any employee can look at the required things with a search only. I didn’t have to look for my seniors for very small tiny problems, I was able to search and come up with solutions instantly. Overall it was some of the best learning days and I really enjoyed the vibe of working at Amazon.
What were the most important skills that landed you an internship at amazon?
The most important skill for domains like mine, I believe DSA is the most important thing to practice to crack questions and technical rounds. I would suggest starting with a standard list of questions and then moving to other forms like competitive programming. Practice and enhance your DSA knowledge as much as possible. The way it can help get internships and jobs is exceptional.
How did internships help you in your career?
For the first-year and second-year students' if an internship isn't that rewarding it's understandable but the aim should be to make it rewarding for yourself in terms of experience and learning. But in the 3rd and 4th years, you should aggressively work on your skills and expect a good stipend if you work in big companies like Amazon. Pay should be there for interns as a form of motivation. Your stipend is proof of your skills and qualification for good packages of jobs.
What are your views on how an internship plays an important role in getting jobs and career development?
The internship at Amazon added value to my CV which increased my shortlisting and also it creates the required first impression. As a part of this, everything that I learned at Amazon helped me understand where I need to work and how to adapt to work culture, which was a very good add-on to my personality to quickly articulate the questions asked in the interviews when I sat for a few jobs.
What would you suggest to someone looking for an internship like yours at companies like Amazon?
I had a lot of rejection during my college days for many things but I kept my attitude positive and kept myself involved with DSA which is a great factor in your Computer Science career. Keep taking short breaks and don’t put too much pressure on yourself while in college. One more thing is don’t skip theory subjects in college because you might get a question from those subjects.