A day in my life as a Software Engineer Intern in New York City

Summary

In this vlog, Sujin, a software engineer intern in New York City, shares the highs and lows of her fast-paced life in the city. From apartment hunting to navigating office life and cultural activities, she offers a glimpse into her daily routine. Between enjoying a Broadway show, exploring the city, and balancing work tasks related to distributed systems, Sujin also reflects on her excitement to learn and grow in her field. Despite the hustle, she remains motivated, seeking a balance between work, fitness, and personal connections, especially with her family back in Korea.

Takeaways

• 😀 Sujin is currently a software engineering intern in New York City, experiencing the city's fast-paced and energetic lifestyle.
• 😀 She is living in temporary housing and actively searching for a longer-term apartment, highlighting the competitive NYC housing market.
• 😀 Walking to the office is preferred over the subway, making her daily commute a more pleasant experience.
• 😀 Her internship work focuses on distributed systems at a platform level, aligning with her academic interests in computer science.
• 😀 Sujin is in a learning phase, understanding the codebase, CI/CD pipelines, and team collaboration while working closely with co-interns.
• 😀 She enjoys the internship environment, finding it supportive, humorous, and collaborative, which enhances her learning experience.
• 😀 NYC’s time difference with Korea allows her to easily stay in touch with her family, making communication convenient.
• 😀 Sujin participates in extracurricular activities like Broadway shows, Barry’s Bootcamp, and Pilates classes, balancing work and personal life.
• 😀 She appreciates exploring food options in the city, including leftovers, home cooking, and trying seasonal specials like Korean barbecue-style salads.
• 😀 Overall, she is excited about her summer internship, looking forward to gaining knowledge, professional experience, and making the most of living in NYC.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Sujin's current work as an intern?

Sujin is working as a software engineer intern in New York City, focusing on distributed systems and platform-level development, particularly related to big data analysis. While her work isn't directly tied to user-facing products, it involves backend systems and understanding CI/CD pipelines.

How does Sujin feel about living and working in New York City?

Sujin feels that New York City can make one feel hyper-busy, requiring conscious effort to find serenity and calmness. She enjoys working in the office and walking to work, but apartment hunting and settling in are stressful tasks given the fast-moving housing market.

What challenges did Sujin face while apartment hunting in NYC?

Sujin had to view multiple apartments daily after work, often needing to sign a lease within a day or two due to the fast-moving NYC housing market. She is also living in a temporary housing situation, making the search for a permanent home crucial.

How does Sujin stay connected with her family despite the time difference?

Sujin uses the 12-hour time difference between New York and Korea to her advantage, calling her parents after work when they are awake, and again before heading to work, when they are nearing bedtime.

What is Sujin's perspective on her internship and the work environment?

Sujin is excited about her internship, as it aligns with her interests in computer science. She appreciates the opportunity to work with co-interns on collaborative projects and enjoys the relaxed and humorous work environment.

How does Sujin describe her experience with group workouts in NYC?

Sujin is exploring fitness options like ClassPass and plans to attend group workout classes, including a berry workout class. She finds the idea of attending classes with coworkers motivating and is excited to try new activities.

What Broadway show did Sujin attend, and what was her opinion of it?

Sujin attended the Broadway show 'Juliet,' which she initially expected to be a classical musical but found to have a modern twist. She enjoyed the music, especially the live performances, although she felt the plot was a bit forced to accommodate popular songs.

What was Sujin’s reaction to the internship perks, specifically the Broadway show?

Sujin considers the opportunity to attend a Broadway show as one of the best internship perks. She was grateful for the experience and described it as a memorable part of her internship.

Why did Sujin cancel her Barry's class booking for the weekend?

Sujin canceled her Barry's class booking because she knew attending her Solid Core class would make it difficult to attend the Barry's class at 8 a.m. the next morning. She wanted to avoid paying a cancellation fee.

What are Sujin's plans regarding collaboration with Class 101?

Sujin plans to collaborate with Class 101 to create educational materials. She is open to suggestions for interesting topics and is keen on adding more classes if her first one goes well.