As the second week of my internship experience at Flashstarts draws to a conclusion, I can only wonder what my skill set will be by the end of this summer.
I’ve experienced growth in all respects as this is an atmosphere that demands a strong work ethic. As interns, we get assigned to a team (or teams) and are heavily relied on for our particular skill set. It is invigorating to be responsible for the mobile application of a future product and know that my day-to-day productivity significantly impacts the chances this product will launch by the time it’s scheduled to.
I get to witness the birth and early life of a startup. There is a level of uncertainty and urgency at work, but at the same time Flashstarts provides a safety net through its guidance and mentors. I have been working with a team whose product is their life. They have put their education and their previous careers on hold to bring their vision to life. There is a passion that is contagious, which really motivates me to build a great product. It inspires me to avoid shortcuts that later arise as bugs and make it harder to proceed in development.
Charles Stack mentioned on our first day, “If the learning curve isn’t steep, something’s not right.” That is exactly what I’m experiencing. I am already coding in a programming language I had never seen before and have learned how to use GitHub efficiently with the hopes of building a project on an industrial level if the product takes off. I am getting a full-stack experience and I am included in conversations whether they’re about a database schema, setting up servers, setting up API routes, UI design or even user experience.
In addition to working with great teams, I’m also working with a bunch of great interns. My fellow interns have a vast range of skills. If I am ever struggling or need a two minute lecture in an area I’m not familiar with, there’s a very high chance that there’s an intern who can guide me through it.
Also, we gain skills not only tailored to our particular roles, but any skill that can be applied towards the growth of a startup. For instance, my official role is “developer”, but I have learned extensive sales strategies and how to approach prospective investors. I’ve also gotten the chance to hear the participating startups deliver their pitches, as well as give feedback on pitches.
Taken by: Ibrahim Urooj Saeed
Position: Developer Intern
School: Ohio Wesleyan University, Class of 2015
