Week 2 Shenanigans

My, my, time really does fly fast when you're having fun! This week has been full of new concepts, new code, and new business strategies that I can't wait to apply in the real world--where do I start?! I've been learning so much about strategies for a successful business this week, I feel like I could start my own company! So far, we have covered three of the main concepts of successful businesses, how to protect your software products, how to track your employees progress for their work, and how to predict what the "hot" fields will be 10 years from now. Its amazing--depending on the different types of products, different methods are used. For example Microsoft only uses simple licenses to sell their software, but the problem is with the license, anyone else can also use their software. The thing is, Microsoft sells its software for around $100 and has over a billion clients, so not only would it not be worth it to sue anyone, but it would be extremely time consuming to check up on each of the clients. On the other hand, there are companies like Oracle who sell their software for 15 million dollars, but have only 5,000 clients. Companies like Oracle have an encryption protecting their code, and constantly check to make sure the encryption isn't being broken/messed around with. If it is, they would take their client to court to protect their software and not go bankrupt. For monitoring employee progress, different websites are used for people to post on what they've been working on. This is much more efficient that checking on each employee individually. As for "hot" fields, cloud computing is the way to go, and lucky for me, thats what DataTorrent is all about! All these lessons will really help me grow as a businessman, and I can't wait to put my newfound skills to the test! Along with Python, I have also been focusing a lot on HTML and CSS (for website development of course)--along with some other projects, I have started building my own website! I really love website development, as there are so many different possibilities to create and so many different ways that you can achieve the aesthetics that you are going for--the flexibility of the code is really nice. Today is a very special day, and I am very, very excited! That's right, its Friday, which means we get take out food, compliments of the boss of course! We'll be having pizza from a new restaurant today, and I'm looking forward to pleasing my palate. But thats not the only reason today is a special day--TRANSFORMERS 4: AGE OF EXTINCTION IS COMING OUT, and I'm watching it tonight! I can't wait! 

Looking Back on Week 1

Week 1 of my internship accomplished, and I am glad to say, all of my body parts and organs are still intact! At the beginning of the week, I was afraid to even look up from my desk, but looking back now I think of my fear as silly. Every day, all the employees made their best efforts to talk to me and make me feel comfortable. The one part of my (old) impression of companies that was true was the employees--they're actually really cool! They make games, play foosball, and play ping pong! Most importantly, they are great friends with each other, something that makes me look forward to getting a job. While I had previously thought that nobody talked or joked with each other, I now realize that it was just the first day jitters talking. After each day, I felt that everybody started talking more and more, and the I could see the fun that everyone was having with each other. There were always stressful and frustrating times, as is the nature of  coding and debugging--but they always knew that there was a room of friends ready to help them with their work. The magic of success in the Silicon Valley is team work and close interaction with co-workers and customers.This was a great week for me--instead of just sitting around at home I was able to do something that I love and improve my skills! And of course, whenever I got tired or couldn't debug a piece of code, I could always take a quick snack break or foosball break! I feel that in just this week, I have improved as a programmer and learned a lot more techniques and efficient coding methods. I have also been sitting in at company meetings, teaching me a lot about company mechanics, hiring techniques, and how to get more business--its amazing! This is going to be a awesome experience, and as an extra perk, the company gets take out food every Friday! I cant wait for what the next two months will bring, and I cant wait to code some more!

My First Day on the Job

The first day of my internship was not quite as I had expected--now, I had seen my fair share of movies from which I had come to a "realization" of what start-up and company life was like--and DataTorrent was nothing like it. Thinking back now, I realize that my idea of company life was VERY far off from reality, as no company has swimming pools and 5 star gourmet meals (and large TV watching sessions). Although these things were lacking from my first day, I had a lot of fun--the entire environment of programmers coming together to work on a project was truly amazing. Everyone was working hand in hand and silently joking and laughing together. Now, I say silently because at the time, I expected eruptions of talking and laughter, but only heard one thing--silence; in fact, when I dropped my water bottle on the table, I heard echoes for what felt like hours and felt a few glares as well. It was when I was eating lunch that I realized the friendship and stories that everyone shared. Then I got a tour of the facility, and I got more and more excited by the second--kitchens full of tasty treats, tables full of different flavored tea, and the greatest of all, a foosball table, or as I first thought it was, the table of heavenly golden light. It was after 7 hours of being in the office that I realized that I was STILL adrenaline-high (which is a good thing for me), and that the internship was going to be one of the best experiences of my life. Albeit the foosball table and the kitchen had a small fact to play in this realization, I found that the environment itself--all the people working together with mutual respect for each other, the friendships being made, the experiences and feelings being shared-- that is what makes being a part of a something that you helped build with sweat and tears (luckily no blood!) so precious. And that is why my mother kept asking me why I had a stupid grin on my face the car ride home.