Quote:
"A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience." -- Elbert Hubbard
Favorite Moment(s):
It had to be witnessing the spectacle that was Open Hack Day. It was exciting to see outside developers come to campus and work for 24 hours to produce some really interesting hacks. The buzz it created both on campus and off was amazing, and it was so neat to be able to see it first hand.
What have you done to be a better Yahoo?
Becoming a "better Yahoo" is almost unavoidable working here. The culture of this company is highly revolved around always improving your craft, whether it be from internally-taught classes, outside speakers, or simply from day-to-day interaction with co-workers. Taking advantage of the many opportunities to learn is what I consider to be a huge part of becoming not only a better Yahoo, but a better designer.
Are you able to think big at Yahoo? How?
Definitely. In a place that encourages learning as much as Yahoo! does, it's natural that innovation sparks from it. So "thinking big" and pursuing new ideas is always enthusiastically supported.
What specific Yahoo! project has made the biggest impact on you and why?
As a part of the Yahoo! Developer Network, I've been working on redesigning the process a developer goes through to register for API keys. While seemingly straight forward, this project has been both challenging and rewarding from the start. Working through these challenges, alone and with my colleagues, has allowed me to become a better designer.
What surprised you most about your internship at Yahoo and why?
I was surprised to be thrown into a project right away, and to see my work have a tangible effect on the team I worked with. I made a real contribution to my team, instead of simply observing like I thought I would. That feeling of accomplishment was extremely rewarding. Beyond that, I had no idea how much the company valued and appreciated their interns. We were given real work and were guided along the way, and the experience is ultimately the reason I came back as a full-time employee.
What made you choose Yahoo! as a place to work?
After spending a summer interning here, I couldn't imagine a better place to work. It was some combination of the atmosphere of fun, the understanding of work-life balance, the reputation within the industry, the diversity of classes offered, the brilliant people I worked with every day, and the challenging problems I got to solve that did it for me.
