I remember my dad asking me if I wanted to intern at People Pattern this summer. At first, I wasn’t quite sure. My high school does not have any Computer Science classes, nor are many people as interested in technology as I am. In fact, friends usually seek me out with their various computer issues whenever they encounter problems. However I knew that this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, so instead of tinkering through the summer, I signed on board.
Why not?
I’ve always been interested in Computer Science. As a kid, I put up a Minecraft server on my old laptop. My friends and I all connected to my home’s (then slow) Internet connection and explored around to find other servers. I had the opportunity to meet new people who were interested in the same kind of things that I was. Setting up servers challenged me and encouraged me to push my limits and explore different facets of the digital world.
When I arrived at the People Pattern HQ, I started working on a large web application. On my first day, I learned that the program was infamous for scaring people off. Something about old and dirty code made it finicky. Through lots of trial and error as well as many moments of utter frustration, I got it to- mostly- work. After my first project, I moved on to some more projects. I figured out exactly what data we could grab from VKontakte, a social network similar to Facebook that is popular in Russia and Ukraine, for a client project.
Now, work is not the only thing here; there is also quite a bit of fun to be had at People Pattern. From the “let’s cram everyone into one conference room” lunches to watching quite a few World Cup games (which I would not have watched otherwise), I think one of the most attractive qualities at People Pattern are the fun times to be had.
I’ve learned a lot here. Going into my sophomore year of high school, I am excited to take on new risks and challenges. Finding People Pattern has opened up a whole new world for me. I can’t wait to get started with this next school year- the word is that a new head of IT has been hired. I suppose that things are about to get interesting….
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