Tartan Careers - Len Huang
Sport: Men's Track and Field
Class Year 20-21: Sophomore
Major: Computer Science
Internship Year, Title, and Company
Summer 2020, Software Engineering Internship at Capital One
Application process: I applied for a freshman sophomore program called Capital One Summit around November. My admittance to this program (took place in January) allowed me to interview for the position shortly thereafter (in February). I heard back in less than a two weeks and had a few weeks thereafter to accept (around March).
Why did this internship interest you: I’ve always seen the “what’s in your wallet” commercials and was intrigued by the bank. Later on, I’ve learned about how Capital One applies technology to the banking and credit card business, and was intrigued by the real applications of the theories I learned in school. Being able to apply my knowledge in such a large company at a young age was something that I found really cool.
How did you complete the internship - remotely or on-site: Remote
Description of internship: I did a typical 9-5 40hr work week. I was in a team with two other interns and we worked together on building out a platform to highlight Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging content within a certain department called ESM at Capital One. This will help to reach ESM’s 300+ executives and associates. From a tech perspective, I’ve learned a lot about full-stack development as well as making sure things are safe and secure, especially with the additional compliances Capital One has to deal with as a financial institution.
How it could have been different if not remote: It would’ve been much easier to connect with teammates and network with more people. It was difficult to emulate that “hey can I ask you something” environment without being physical present with one another or Zoom Calling for eight hours.
How did this internship shape your next move: Now that I’ve experienced what it’s like to work in a larger corporate environment, I’d like to explore more of what the more “causal” tech scene is like. Especially companies that focus on a core product as opposed to a wide range of services (Airbnb, Dropbox, Duolingo, etc).