LumaTax

Software Engineering Intern

May - August 2018 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

Working at LumaTax taught me so much about tech startups, product market fit, web development, competitive research, multi-system integrations, incubator operations, and of course, sales tax. I also loved the small team environment -- Robert Schulte and his team work together wonderfully and welcomed me with open arms. They challenged me to always ask questions and gave me difficult projects on the company's main path. I truly feel like I had an impact on the company, even after such a short internship, and I learned a lot in the process.

What I wish was different

As is true with all startups, there's minimal structure for interns to rely on. This can be frustrating at times because there's not always someone there to tell you how to prioritize your work or go about doing things that might be more intuitive for people with more experience. Why these challenges would not have necessarily existed in a larger, more defined intern program, I viewed them as opportunities to push myself and go out of my comfort zone to ask for help or try my own approach.

Advice

Take advantage of the opportunities to have real impact. Don't shy away from the business's direct path. If you're given an opportunity to work on a major project, take it, and do the best that you can do. Learn as much as you can about all parts of the business. Go with your boss to meet with the investors. Listen and contribute to important product discussions. The fun of working at a startup is the exposure you receive to all of the different angles of a business -- take full advantage of this.

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