这个夏天, 我离开剑桥的友好束缚，远航了西 暴富 实习生作为一名软件工程师 汗学院. 而这并不完全这样做正义: 这是一个完全革命性的体验.
真棒项目
我用我的导师在这样凉爽的项目作为工作长大一吨的软件工程师:
– 创建SEO'd登陆页面我们的视频
– 建立向用户发送电子邮件通知功能，只要他们对我们的视频问题得到回答, 与设计师的紧密合作
– 追踪并固定在我们的新的视频播放器的bug
Wearing a lot of hats
I took on every side project I could so that I could try out a bunch of different roles:
– Data scientist: analyzing data from a donation drive using loads of SQL
– PM: proposing a massive new feature to add flashcards to the website
– Mobile developer: a mobile app to play Khan Academy CS programs
– Game designer: Pokemon Leaf
A steep learning curve
Adjusting to work life after having just barely adapted to college life was a huge challenge. But I learned a ton from it and came away with a couple more key realizations:
– Stay out of rabbit holes. I spent a solid week on this one seemingly-minor feature that grew into a monster. Cut scope aggressively.
– Everyone has a really different background, so sit down and talk to all the stakeholders in a project and understand where they’re coming from.
– 8 hours a day to focus on one thing sounds like a lot, but you have to manage your time effectively, else you still won’t accomplish anything.
Back in Cambridge, I’ve been tackling problems so differently than I used to… and I’m profoundly thankful for that.
I swear I found time to code
This was easily one of the most fun summers of my life. I got a chance to:
– Skateboard to work and back every day
– Bike 50 miles to San Francisco
– Ride all the coasters in Great America
– Experience an SF Giants game (their garlic fries are sick)
– See fireworks with interns on the 4th of July
– Make friends at intern mixers at tech companies and VCs
Incredible people, incredible mission
What really set Khan Academy apart was the people and the mission. Everyone comes in day in, day out with big dreams to reinvent education and then actually gets to work on it. Sal Khan is nothing short of an inspiration, and a really chill guy to boot.
