Starting my #BUILTBYGIRLS internship
First of all, working at AOL is basically the coolest thing ever.
Remember when AIM was still relevant and everyone used an @aol email? Well, my parents had relegated me to the sad world of Yahoo and [super-creepy] Yahoo chat. So I don't really remember that...
But I know it was cool.
Take that coolness, stick it in your freezer, wait about 30 minutes--read some of that book, write a blog post, take a few selfies--and BAM, you have AOL now. That's essentially what it feels like to be an intern at Cambio.
I am currently an intern at Cambio in the #BUILTBYGIRLS (PLUGSPLUGSPLUGS) program, which was started last year. It's this amazing opportunity for five Girls Who Code summer program graduates to get real-life work experience in a real-life technology company working on a real-life product, which just so happens to be a website visited by millions of people a year.
A website which can be found...HERE
Nope, that plug was necessary. You're welcome--that site is basically MY LIFE (and no, that's not sad--it's called dedication :P).
A first day at any job is overwhelming, especially when you're thrown into a room with 15 other people for your orientation. However, we each got an AOL swag bag with an AOL notebook, pen, and mouse pad (lol who uses a mouse pad?), so it was off to a good start.
We were also given Macs to use for our entire internship (which we get to bring home *squeeeee*). Bonus points.
After taking our ID photos and talking nervously amongst each other for about 20 minutes, we actually got to see where we would be spending the next six weeks of our summer: the AOL office.
"#BUILTBYGIRLS day 1!"
The office is legitimately cool. I know, you wouldn't expect the AOL office to be something akin to Google, but it's almost as nice.
Yeah, it's sweet, but does it have a Lego-themed employee lounge? Nope.
What it does have, however, is a bunch of massage chairs, vending machines full of FREE DRINKS, game stations, fitness areas, NAP ROOMS (so excited to try those out), and cute little break nooks with sectional couches, appropriately-placed knick-knacks, and adorable throw pillows. Let's just say I'm going to enjoy my free time :)
Not that I won't love coding...
Our lunch hour was spent eating company pizza and meeting some of the Cambio team, as well as the other interns (from both #BUILTBYGIRLS and BBG Ventures). I can truthfully say I am looking forward to working with this group of women (and one singular man--HI SEKO) with all of my sticker-loving heart.
"Getting ready to spend the summer working with these lovelies 😄 #BuiltByGirls #aol #cambio"
