Technology Engineer Intern Review

As a technology intern for American Express, I work on development for the travel and lifestyle services team. In the morning, I have standup with my team where we discuss what we are working on. Then I write code (either individually or with team members) until lunch. After lunch I usually have a meeting or two where I get to learn about different areas of the business. I usually have some time to work on coding a bit more. Then my team regroups with another quick meeting. After that we usually wrap things up with our code and get help from each other and we sign off for the day.

I've developed many new and existing skills as part of this internship. Before the internship, I had experience with JavaScript and React, but I did't feel completely comfortable with React. I've developed my skills with React, and I've also learned about Jest testing. I had never run Jest tests on my code prior to this internship, so developing this skill has been a major asset to my experience. I've also become more comfortable with sharing my ideas and leading in meetings.

I have been given a fair amount of responsibility during my internship. I work on a team of four other interns, so we rely on ourselves and each other to ensure tasks get completed. In meetings with our manager, we often lead the meetings, so I feel that I have been able to grow in my confidence. I am responsible for completing tasks in the code and my team and I together are responsible for ensuring we assign appropriate tasks.

In my internship we had several recent graduate engineers who provided us with guidance and support whenever we requested help. I always felt comfortable to reach out to them, and they were always quick to respond. The interns were also given a tech training in the first week, so I started with a fair amount of support and guidance from the beginning. Furthermore, the graduate engineers held daily catch-ups with us, so we were able to get support every day during a set-aside time.

American Express has a culture of friendliness and respect. Engineers work hard, and a certain drive is expected. Everyone is happy to help others, and coworkers enjoy close relationships. I always feel comfortable asking for help, and I enjoy spending time with my coworkers both at work and outside of work. I feel like the work I'm given challenges me, but my colleagues don't expect me to know everything, and we celebrate one another's successes.

I've enjoyed my internship very much, and I would highly recommend it to others. I've enjoyed the work I've been doing, and I've really appreciated the company culture. I would go back to American Express if given the proper opportunity. My team was inclusive, and we had fun while working hard. The internship definitely met my expectations. I was never stressed, but I always felt challenged, and I learned valuable skills.

Yes

Understand what the company does before you apply. If you're interested in joining American Express, familiarise yourself with the company values and goals. Practice for the Codility test with Hacker Rank problems. Ensure you're familiar with common coding practices like CRUD functionality, one major backend language, and one major frontend framework. Don't stress about the interview; all the interviewers are really kind, and they just want to get to know you. I wanted to join American Express for the company culture, and you'll see how great the culture is throughout the interview process.