Joining LinkedIn: An Intern’s Perspective

Despite the foreboding, Matrix-esque connotation, I was excited to become truly LinkedIn. My previous internships were interesting and educational, but I was looking forward to working in a younger, faster company. And, wow! LinkedIn delivers on that. By the end of day one I was set up with envy-inspiring equipment (fully-loaded MacBook Pro, giant Cinema display, and super comfy chair!), friendly, helpful colleagues, and all the tools I needed to start working on my first project, OpenSocial widgets.

The goal was to create a lightweight widget that grabs company information from LinkedIn via OpenSocial, and displays buzz about the user’s company on their LinkedIn home page, all as an exercise to help LinkedIn’s OpenSocial team develop and test the platform. Getting up to speed on OpenSocial was very easy. Between the Google tutorials and knowledgeable colleagues, setting up "hello world" was practically done for me. By day four I had a working, albeit ugly, version of the widget.

In short, working at LinkedIn is awesome. From the fast pace and supportive working environment (free food!) to the trust the company places in all its employees, even interns, LinkedIn is a company I am proud to work for. It's going to be the best summer ever! Or at the very least, better than that one I spent painting houses. ;-)

Andrew Carman
LinkedIntern