Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Patrick Foster

Major(s): 4th Year - Computer Science BA | BAIS BBA
Interned at both J.P.Morgan and GoDaddy

Tell us about yourself and how you got into Computer Science.

I came to the University of Iowa as a Business Major. I was always interested in building software; however, I viewed that as just a hobby. During my freshman year, I started pursuing this hobby by taking an online web development course in my free time. I soon became engulfed in the programming world, building websites left and right. One day, I decided to apply for an SWE internship at JPMorgan on a whim. When I landed the job, I decided to go full-time on computer science and promptly switched my major.

Since my freshman year, programming has only become more prevalent in my life. I’ve done Hackathons, built 15+ full-stack websites, worked for GoDaddy in Seattle, and will work for Netflix when I graduate this year.

What did a typical day look like as an intern at GoDaddy/JP Morgan?

It’s your classic 9-5 job. I usually code for a few hours in the morning, then attend meetings, and finish the day by coding some more. I take frequent breaks throughout the day by socializing with the other interns and playing foosball.

How has your experience aided you since returning to study at the University of Iowa? 

Having real-world experience helps to place my class material into the context of the real world. For example, learning about Agile methodologies in my software development class was much more intuitive as I’ve already worked on a team using Agile.

What skills did you develop or enhance during your time as an intern? 

To land all three positions, I had to ace my technical interviews by effectively solving data structures and algorithm questions. These questions could include derivations of Dijkstra’s algorithm or finding the largest subsequence of a list of numbers. Given how few interviews I got each year, I knew this skill set had to be flawless. I estimate I’ve spent around 200 hours practicing Leetcode-styled questions.

Additionally, this independent study of algorithms made my coursework at Iowa more intuitive. Classes such as Programming Language Concepts, Software Development, Data Structures, or Algorithms became easier as I had the skillset to solve complex problems using code.

In your opinion, what is the most important thing you learned during your time as an intern? 

Last summer, I was placed on one of GoDaddy’s most senior teams. Given their seniority, it was intimidating to suggest counterarguments to their decisions. Furthermore, my team intuitively knew how something should be built, meaning their specifications for my projects were ambiguous. To be able to communicate effectively, I had to be both to be assertive, confident, and thorough. Without effective communication, I would’ve done something wrong, and my superiors would’ve watered down my opinions.

What helpful tips do you have for current students seeking internships? 

Use these resources religiously:

What was your favorite aspect of your internship?

I’ve interned in both Seattle and Chicago these last two summers. These experiences allowed me to travel the country and meet other programmers with diverse backgrounds. Getting such a breadth of viewpoints on the world and its technology has been eye-opening.