When I applied to Sentry, all I knew was that the company’s product looked cool and the people I had spoken to seemed like good mentors. I had no idea what the west-coast was like, what working at a small startup would was like or even what working in industry was like. I recall landing in Oakland airport feeling anxious about moving to a town where I knew no one and had never been to – until I checked my phone to see an invitation to a “Welcome Trishul” event sent out by Uday. That calmed my nerves and made me confident this summer would be fantastic.
I was right. Today, as I approach the last day of my internship, I realize how much I have learned since my first day. By working in a small startup I was exposed to all areas of the business – building a product, selling it, and managing the company. Working specifically in engineering, I learned a tremendous amount about how to build software products – setting up compute infrastructure, building web applications and how to use neural networks. Some things I had already wanted to learn about – others I discovered and then explored.
But beyond what I’ve learned from working, I have learned from my mentors and friends in the company. From the daily joys of working with Chip to taking a road trip with coworkers to Big Sur, I have enjoyed the company of my company.
-Trishul Nagenalli