Year One: A Step in the Right Direction

At 17, I was full of dreams and aspirations, with an unexplainable urge to code 24/7, build robots, and immerse myself in tech. Having just moved from Nigeria to Indiana for college, I was beyond excited to attend my dream school, Purdue University. I couldn’t wait to dive into the world of engineering and computer science.

But soon after starting my classes, I realized something was off. The courses weren’t as challenging as I had hoped, and while my grades were great, I felt like I wasn’t growing. Coding entire websites while listening to Thunderstruck was more demanding than my first-year intro classes. So, I took matters into my own hands. I joined clubs, taught myself new coding languages, and applied to as many jobs as I could.

After about 100+ applications and countless rejections, I finally got an interview with Amazon. At first, I was confused—Amazon? Isn’t that a grocery store? (Back then, many Nigerians, myself included, only knew Amazon as a delivery service.)

I decided to take the interview. How bad could it be?

Well… it was pretty bad. Halfway through the first coding question, I realized how unprepared I was. I didn’t even know what O(n) meant, and with 5 minutes left, I left a note: “I’m sorry I ran out of time. I obviously have a lot to learn. Thanks anyway.”

I submitted the test, fully expecting defeat. For the first time, I realized I wasn’t as ready as I thought. So, I buckled down and hit the books, determined to master algorithms and time complexity.

Then, out of nowhere, I received an email from Amazon: “You didn’t get the job, but we think you might be a good fit for an internship.”

I was stunned. Why was a “grocery store” so focused on software development? 🤔 But I applied again, passed the live coding interview, and to my surprise, I landed the internship.

The Reality of Landing an Internship

So there I was, ready to start my first big internship with Amazon. I had no idea what to expect but assumed it would be a stepping stone into the tech world. However, when the offer letter arrived, I was blown away. I couldn’t believe the relocation package, the salary, and the benefits Amazon was offering me. It seemed too good to be true—especially coming from what I thought was just a delivery service!

Naturally, I sent the offer to my parents, and that’s when things got interesting. My mom was convinced it was a scam—a “lie from the devil.” She couldn’t believe it either. But eventually, I accepted the offer and was on my way to Seattle.

This was my first time living alone, so I was a little nervous. But I packed my life into a suitcase, booked my flight, and off I went.

Interning at Amazon: A Humbling Experience

When I arrived at Amazon, I quickly realized I was no longer the smartest person in the room. I was on the Route 53 team—the rockstars of AWS. Route 53 is what we call a tier 0 service, meaning we built infrastructure that thousands of teams and services depend on. It was mind-blowing. Here I was, surrounded by engineers with decades of experience, and I had to quickly adjust to being the smallest fish in a very big pond.

Amazon internships are known for being challenging, but my project was particularly tough. I was tasked with analyzing massive DNS query log files and generating bloom filters to protect customers from distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. At first, I thought, “No big deal, just edit the existing code.” But the more I dug into it, the more I realized I had to rebuild the entire system from scratch. There was no foundation to stand on, and the pressure was on.

Luckily, I had the guidance of my mentor, Ragui Halim, who helped me through the design phase, prototyping, and presenting the final solution to the team. But the project was overwhelming, and I was exhausted by the end of it. I had learned more about networking, DNS, and big data analytics in those 12 weeks than I had in years of schooling.

Lessons Learned

By the end of my internship, I had successfully built the prototype, but I had also learned some valuable life lessons. One of the most important was that it’s okay to ask for help. Up until that point, I had always prided myself on being self-reliant. But when you’re thrown into a team of experts, sometimes the best thing you can do is admit what you don’t know and lean on others for support.

I also learned that there’s more to life than just work. My manager, Paresh Mundade, reminded me to take breaks, have fun, and explore the city. In my final weeks, I finally allowed myself to enjoy Seattle, hit the clubs, and rediscover my love for dancing.

For Students and Interns Just Starting Out

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for sticking with me. I didn’t expect my story to be this long! 😅

I share all this because I want students and future interns to know that it’s okay to feel lost sometimes. It’s okay to not know everything right away. What’s important is that you’re willing to learn, grow, and take risks. Whether you’re facing rejections or just starting your first internship, remember: you earned your spot. You belong in the room.

Take it one step at a time, and don’t be afraid to ask for help along the way.