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Software Engineering Intern

May - August 2018 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

The culture was amazing - Facebook has a well-designed internship program.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had been more open to talking & engaging with the FTEs on my team early into my internship.

Advice

Everyone around you is happy to help. Make good connections!

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Content Strategy Intern

May - August 2018 • Menlo Park, CA

What I liked

Interns are treated like full-time employees, and that sense of autonomy was very rewarding. The work itself was absolutely incredible — working on developing a platform with two billion users means that even the smallest details make a huge impact. I also felt extremely lucky to be working on the Social Good team, as it dealt directly with leveraging Facebook's massive scale to do substantial good in the world.

What I wish was different

Nothing.

Advice

At Facebook, I was surrounded by arguably some of the most brilliant minds in the world on a daily basis. One might assume that meant that there were a lot of egos rubbing up against each other. However, that couldn't be further from the truth — everyone there was incredibly humble. My coworkers at Facebook taught me that modesty is the most effective value to combine with intelligence. It helps build an innately positive and collaborative environment where truly amazing ideas can be created.

2 people found this helpful

Software Engineer Intern

May - August 2018 • Menlo Park, CA

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

You have tons of resources available to help you so never hesitate to seek them out. Don't spend too much time trying to solve a blocker yourself - reach out! Literally everyone is willing to spend time out of their day to help you achieve your goals. "Nothing at Facebook is Somebody Else's Problem"

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Software Engineering Intern

May - August 2018 • Menlo Park, CA

What I liked

I liked the fact that I got to work on real projects that were exposed to so many users!

What I wish was different

I wish that my analytical skills were more developed before entering the job.

Advice

Non technical skills such as communication far outweigh the technical skills.

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Software Engineering Intern

May - August 2018 • Menlo Park, CA

What I liked

Mature company with great internal tooling. Work was fast paced, but helpful peers made it feasible and enjoyable.

What I wish was different

I wish that the work had played on my strengths and interests a little bit more, but with the number of interns that Facebook hires, I understand that it is not always possible. Furthermore, I also was able to learn new things as a result of this, so maybe it was for the best.

Advice

Be ready to work pretty hard. Hit the ground running, ask a lot of questions and really take ownership.

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Software Engineer Intern

May - August 2018 • Menlo Park, CA

What I liked

Great team, great benefits.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Software Research Intern

June - September 2018 • Redmond, WA

What I liked

Very smart people, nice climate, free snacks, housing taken care of

What I wish was different

Advice

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Product Design Intern

June - August 2018 • Menlo Park, CA

What I liked

Absolutely loved how open and relaxed the culture was - it almost felt like I wasn't even working, but at the same time was learning the most I have ever learned each and every day. I would be able to come in around 9 or 10, sit and have breakfast with other interns (they have great food on campus - which by the way is free!), and then head to my desk or my first meeting. The work itself I quickly found was fascinating, as an intern, I was still given real work that would be shipped to the public on the Facebook platform and had full autonomy over how I wanted to execute my project. While this could seem intimidating, Facebook made me feel as though I truly was there for a reason and my work really was valued. I also had an incredible support network. I was able to sit right next to my manager and my design mentor (a full-time employee just a couple years older than me), and right across from my manager's manager, so I was able to get constant feedback and mentorship throughout my entire time there. Aside from the work, the food, the campus, and the extravagant employee events and perks were definitely a plus, but the main thing that stuck with me was the person I became while I was there. I found the most creative, collaborative, passionate, overall best version of myself during my summer there, and I could not be more grateful to have had the opportunity to work there.

What I wish was different

I wish the internship had been longer - I didn't want to leave!

Advice

Don't ever doubt yourself and your ability to learn. For me, my internship was in something I had hardly any experience doing and I wasn't even studying in school. At first, I was a bit unsure of whether I should even be there and if I knew at all what I was doing. However, the longer I was there the more I realized not having confidence in my skills was only limiting my performance and my ability to make an impact. The less I cared about my past experience (or lack thereof) and the more confident I became in myself, the better I became at my job and the more at home I felt working there. Hardly anyone knows what their doing when they come to the job, regardless of any past experience, but the true test is having faith in yourself and being able to learn as you go.

12 people found this helpful

Software Engineering Intern

May - July 2018 • Menlo Park, CA

What I liked

Hand-on experience in real industrial project.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Software Engineer

June - August 2018 • Menlo Park, CA

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

Take advantage of the fact that you are surrounded by experts in your field. Everyone at Facebook was super friendly and open to sharing their experience and helping guide yours.

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Software Engineering Intern

May - August 2018 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

I loved that I was working on a project that had real impact and would be shipped to users.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Facebook university intern

June - August 2018 • Menlo Park, CA

What I liked

I loved the people and the inspiration I got there. I feel like I can do anything now and am very empowered with an attitude that if something is not how I want then I can change it and if I want to learn something I can ask for someone’s help and they will support me.

What I wish was different

I wish I hadn’t come in with all the reservation I did about who I would be meeting and what I would be learning and what I wanted to do. I wish I would’ve been more loose and seen the experiences come and decide then to jump on them.

Advice

I learned a lot about working on a team and how people at Facebook interact with each other. You are getting feedback all the time and that is something hard to get used to but once you embrace it you realize that it’s what makes the company so efficient.

1 person found this helpful

Software Engineering Intern

May - August 2018 • Menlo Park, CA

What I liked

I felt highly valued by my team, and they were very invested in my sucesss. The work was suited to my interests and challenged me to improve on a daily basis. The work environment itself was second to none.

What I wish was different

nothing much

Advice

It was very important to work with my manager to set goals for the week and for more long term, so that I could finish my project on time.

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Software Engineer Intern

June - September 2018 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

My project was very engaging and challenging, and I feel like I learned critical industry skills that aren't taught in university courses. Also, the perks and events were amazing.

What I wish was different

My team was very work-oriented and I wish they could have been a bit more social.

Advice

Don't be intimidated. Your manager is there to help you succeed. Realizing that the people on your team genuinely want to support you is key to having a positive, productive experience.

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Software Engineering Intern

May - August 2018 • Menlo Park, CA

What I liked

Facebook offered a fun and engaging internship program. They had a lot of support and pre-internship programs that helped me throughout the summer. My mentor and team were amazing and helpful, pushing me in different directions to develop various skills. I loved being able to interact with other departments easily, working cross-functionally almost every day. The food was my favorite, though.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more work-life balance. I think my team was in crunch time for most of my internship, so I ma have been unlucky, but I ended up staying a couple late nights to finish something on time.

Advice

I would advise people to ask a lot of questions, and not to hesitate asking, ever. It's unrealistic to think that an intern can perform at top performance without knowing where to do what or how to do something in a new platform. Everyone there is kind and helpful, and you won't receive shame for not knowing something that you couldn't have known on your own.

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Government and Politics Extern

June 2018 • Washington, DC

What I liked

I love that every day at my internship is different - I'm always working on new projects and getting to know new team members. I get to work on politics and elections at a local, state, federal and international level - an opportunity you can't get anywhere else.