Hey, I am Sumeet Kumar Mishra, a fourth-year student from the electrical engineering department pursuing a minor in the CS department. This summer, I interned at DE Shaw as a software development intern. My interests lie in image processing and DSA etc. My hobbies are playing badminton and Table Tennis , and pc gaming. I had a keen interest in computer science from the beginning, and I enjoyed the systematic problem-solving approach. Moreover, my peer group has also been from the CS department, aiding in piquing my interest. I took two M courses, CS224 and CS213, and an elective, CS754. These courses helped me in getting opportunities in Software. Previously, in my sophomore year, I interned at Samsung Semiconductors, Bangalore. The internship added much-needed value to my profile.
My preparation for the intern season began in the summer itself. Even though I preferred a software internship, I was also open to listening to offers from core aswell. So my preparation was bifurcated, as I simultaneously worked on software and core. For analog and digital, I prepared using the content covered in the courses I had attended, while for software, I just went through coding problems from websites. My experience in competitive coding helped me in this. I was mentally prepared for rejections, as I was aware of my strengths, shortcomings, and the competitive peer group in IITB. Many Day 1 companies for which I had applied but didn’t get shortlisted. These companies were high on my priority list, but I was elated when I got into DE Shaw.
The selection process involved a test and two technical rounds. The test comprised of four questions on Hackerrank. This part was relatively easy, and I could coast past this round. The first technical round was moderately complex, but I could answer the questions. They also check your background and your interests and go through your resumé. They also look at your projects and ask you questions about them. The second round was way more complex, and this time, I couldn’t answer the question they asked. I think it’s essential to let the interviewers know what you’re thinking and your approach to solving the problem. Naturally, I felt I wouldn’t be selected as I couldn’t answer the question. So when I found out I was selected. DE Shaw was one of the top five companies on my priority list, so I was pleased to get in.
Before the internship, we were introduced to our mentors and our manager. We are also given the materials and technologies that we need to be adept in two weeks before the internship to familiarize ourselves. Due to the confidentiality agreement, I cannot share much information about my work at DE Shaw. I worked on a full stack application, which fetches tasks from various sources(internal applications) and displays them on a common application. My work mainly involved using APIs to fetch tasks and dump them into a database. The internship was in Hyderabad, a great city to live in. The company provided accommodation, and I had no trouble in the town. The peer group was really good; everyone had a lot of domain knowledge, especially my mentors and managers. They were very helpful, and at no point was I stuck in my work. The work culture was great, and the workload wasn’t too taxing. The office, in particular, was incredible. It had five floors, and the fifth floor was devoted entirely to recreation. There were TT tables, cricket nets, basketball courts, etc. The major challenge I faced was that DE Shaw does everything on their internal systems. They have libraries for everything, even JavaScript and Python, which aren’t open-sourced. So a lot of things that I worked on, I was working on them for the first time. But it was understandable, as this was DE Shaw’s way of gaining a competitive edge over other companies.
My advice for thirdies preparing for the upcoming intern season is to choose your peer group wisely. It is essential to ensure your company has similar interests and maintain a competitive, healthy environment around you. You must surround yourself with the right people.
With that, this blog comes to an end. Don’t hesitate to contact me on the mobile number given below if you have any doubts.
Phone: 87791 01926