Meet Some of HashiCorp’s Talented 2022 Interns

HashiCorp’s Early Career Program offers opportunities for students on many different career paths. Some interns work from home with team members scattered across the country while others head into an office almost daily for in-person work. Regardless of their department or location, this year’s interns have encountered challenges, found success, and adapted to new working environments.

Earlier this summer, we shared tips from HashiCorp’s Early Career Program recruiting team. In this post, 6 of the 70 current HashiCorp interns from departments across the company share their experiences and impressions of the program:

From left to right:

• Andrea Scullin Marketing Demand Generation Intern, University of Florida
• Tobias Hollins End-User Support Intern, Clayton State University
• Patricia Rojas Solutions Engineering Intern, University of Texas at Arlington
• Shreeja Potluri Consul Product Marketing Intern, San Jose State University
• Syed Quadri Solutions Engineering Innovation Lab Intern, University of Texas at Dallas
• Sheneska Williams Software Engineering Intern, University of South Florida

»What made you want to intern at HashiCorp?

Andrea Scullin: I knew it was time to take the next step in my career. During the interview process, the first thing that I noticed was the overall demeanor, kindness, and consistent attitude of everyone I spoke with. In addition, HashiCorp’s products are somewhat novel and different from anything I’ve been introduced to.

Shreeja Potluri: I knew that I wanted to be in tech since I started college. I found out about the internship my sophomore year when I came across HashiCorp on LinkedIn. I appreciated the company’s values and its role in society. During my initial HashiCorp internship last year, I could tell that the company really puts its employees first, so I was eager to come back this summer.

Syed Quadri: By chance. I found the job on LinkedIn. I had heard of Terraform from a product developer at Doordash, but I did not know anything about HashiCorp. I spoke to someone who interned last year and liked what they had to say about the program — so I applied.

Sheneska Williams: One of the recruiters invited me to an event with the co-founders of the company. It spoke volumes about what the company was built on and its values. Everyone that I interacted with displayed the qualities and principles of people that I would like to work with. They live and embody the Tao of HashiCorp on a daily basis, which meant a lot to me. Adjusting to a remote work environment was also easy and rewarding for me.

»What has been your biggest challenge?

Shreeja: Being an intern and figuring everything out. You are the youngest and least-experienced person in the room most of the time and that can be scary. Trying to understand what’s going on and being able to grasp everything in a short period of time can be challenging.

Syed: There are so many different technologies that I have to learn for my projects — that was a bit much in the beginning. Working on an open-ended project was challenging because, in school, there is one right answer. Here there are no wrong answers, and I had to learn to adjust.

»What has been most rewarding?

Patricia Rojas: This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of us. Soaking it all in and getting to learn how the office works are really important for our future careers.

Tobias Hollins: Getting validation from my manager and peers to let me know that I am doing just fine is really helpful. It is easy to doubt yourself when working on new projects — affirmation is good. I also enjoy working from the comfort of my home. It lets me use my downtime to cook or go for a walk, which has been great for me.

Syed: We had to learn the cloud operating model for onboarding. That was really educational because I had never thought about cloud like that before.

»What is the dream job that you are working towards?

Andrea: I want to work in the digital design area of marketing, with a team in an office where I’m constantly working on new projects and tangible things. This internship supports that because I’m being challenged and learning that not every day needs to be the same.

Syed: As a software engineering major, I have struggled with this question. I’m thinking about a solutions architect or product management role, and my end goal is to have my own consulting firm. My role as a Solutions Engineering Innovation Lab Intern is helping me prepare for that by giving me really good experience dealing with clients.

Sheneska: My dream job is in an environment that offers me growth, new opportunities, and a medium to express myself while contributing significantly to a team. My HashiCorp internship in software engineering has helped me realize that the more I give, the more I can expect from the opportunity.

»Any advice for future HashiCorp interns?

Andrea: Reach out to as many people as you see fit. Ask questions — different people will offer unique perspectives. You’ll get insider tips and good advice from veterans. Stay focused, do your work, and treat your internship like a networking class.

Patricia: I came into this nervous that I wouldn’t be ready, but HashiCorp teams do a really good job making sure you are not overwhelmed. There is no need to be scared because the point of the internship is to learn.

Shreeja: Ask questions. It can be scary, but everyone at HashiCorp is curious and willing to help save you time and trouble. I will admit that I am still working on this myself.

Tobias: Use your knowledge to the full extent. Don’t overthink whether you are doing enough. Always check in with your peers and manager to see where you can improve. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help or feedback.

To learn more about HashiCorp’s Early Career Program and how to apply, read our blog post on Recruiting for Early Careers at HashiCorp, and stay tuned for updates on our interns jobs page. We look forward to receiving your application.