Last week, Loom reached another major milestone: we welcomed our first-ever engineering intern class!
Joining us virtually from all over the U.S., our Loomineers will be spending the next twelve weeks collaborating cross-functionally with the Engineering, Product, Design, and Leadership teams and getting firsthand experience of how to stay in sync through asynchronous video messaging.
Apart from work, we also want to give our Loomineers a chance to experience what it's like to be a part of a unique distributed team culture. Following the success of our first-ever virtual offsite in January, we sent our Loomineers Oculus VR headsets to hang out with fellow Loommates and have meetings with their teams outside of Zoom calls.
Each Loomineer is paired with a mentor to guide them throughout their time at Loom and make sure they're getting the most out of their experience.
We checked in with the Loomineers after their first week to see how they're doing and what they're most excited about. Get to know more about Aditya, Connor, Erin, and Sidarth below!
What inspired you to join Loom?
Connor: I really wanted to work for a growth-stage startup because it moves at such a quick pace and there's so much to learn. And because there are so many exciting things about the possibilities of remote work, so it was a no-brainer for me to join Loom.
Sidarth: Like Connor, I wanted to work for a growth-stage startup because I knew I could contribute meaningfully to something but also work collaboratively with others. I also wanted to have an internship experience that wasn't just focused on getting work done, but having a good time doing it. From my research, Loom's culture seemed unique compared to other companies — "Embrace the Weird" was one particular cultural value that stuck out to me, and Glassdoor had great reviews about Loom's leadership.
Aditya: I'm actually quite familiar with Loom because a lot of TAs and professors at my university use it to answer questions for office hours. I've always enjoyed using it too. As Connor and Sidarth said, Loom is at the perfect stage to learn a lot and also feel supported, and the culture seemed great.
Erin: I was trying to find a company where I could work on a project that would be public-facing. At previous internships, I worked on projects that were more internal and wanted a different experience. I didn't know about Loom before, but I looked at different websites and reviews and came to really like the product. I knew I could make a great impact and have a fun experience here.
How has your first week gone so far?
Connor: It's been so much fun. At first, it was a little stressful because you're wondering, "How do I spend my time? What am I going to do?" But the overwhelming welcome on Slack made any of those typical first-day jitters go away. I felt that these were my teammates right off the bat.
Sidarth: I also felt stressed at the beginning because I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into or what I was going to do. But this first week has been super relaxed, and I'm just taking time to meet people. Even just the little things we do at the company, like company-wide trivia, have made me feel like I am really part of the team.
Aditya: Everyone has been super welcoming. This week has been dedicated to getting set up and getting to know everyone on the team, like through trivia and icebreakers, and now I feel ready to get to work.
Erin: It's been a bit overwhelming, but after that first day there were no nerves. Everybody was so nice and welcoming, especially on Slack. Everyone uses cute little emojis and it makes me feel like it's just a group of friends working together.
What project will you be focused on this summer?
Connor: I'm working on the Lifecycle team, so I'll be focused on bug fixes and running small experiments to see how users respond to them and if they drive value for Loom.
Sidarth: I'm on the Core Platform team, so at first I'll be working on simple fixes. Then I'll be repackaging one of the existing packages, which involves rewriting some code and testing. My mentor also said that I might finish this project early, so I'll probably jump on another project during my time here.
Aditya: I'm on the Platform team as well, but I'm focused on the ecosystem part of it. I'll be focused on improvements with the Gmail integration, which will last around two months. I'm super excited about it!
Erin: I'm on the Create team, and I'll mainly be working on a project that'll help offer up some new features to make it even easier and more fun to record a loom. I am really excited to see the Design team's creativity come to life.
What are you looking to gain and learn from this internship?
Connor: Loom is the largest startup I've interned at, so I'm super excited to be in such a quick-moving environment and see how all the pieces fit together. I'm also excited to work as a full-fledged software engineer and not just as an engineering intern. I'm going to be exposed to such a big project, so I'll have a firsthand look at what works and what doesn't, and understand what resonates with people. I had that moment of resonance when I first used Loom, so now I get to pay it forward to others.
Sidarth: I'm excited to get more of an idea of what Loom is about from the inside out. This is my first formal internship, so I want to get a true understanding of what it means to get set up at a company, and what it's like working in a job environment.
Aditya: I'm curious to learn how a software company like Loom handles its pipelines, and see how the workflow actually progresses. After going through JIRA training here, it's so much different than just writing code by yourself. You have to go through certain steps and adhere to best practices. I would love to come out of this internship being more comfortable with those processes.
Erin: I'm excited to learn more about what I really want to do as a full-time job. I've had other internships that have helped me realize what I don't want to do. But I've recently gotten into web development, and Loom will help me learn more about being a developer and how to keep things organized.
What are your future career goals?
Connor: I'm still figuring that out. These last few summers, I've figured out what I don't like — which is great — but software engineering with a focus on product is where I think I want to go. In the future, I want to start my own thing one day. I don't know what that looks like, but I always ask myself, "What problems do I want to solve?"
Sidarth: I too am figuring out what I like and don't like right now. I still have a couple of years of college left before I decide, but I think I want to stay in software engineering. Right now I'm still taking time to figure out the kind of companies I want to work for, too, and focus on assessing for culture and not just the job itself.
Aditya: Just like Connor and Sidarth, I'm also figuring out what I want to do. I might want to build something of my own, go to grad school, or work for another company.
Erin: I know I want to make some sort of a difference in the world, or at least for the people around me, and understand the impact I've made. Whatever job brings me that, that's what I want to do.
What's it like working remotely?
Connor: I was nervous about how I will meet people and form strong connections over Zoom. In an office, you can bump into someone and start a conversation, but it isn't as easy online. But Loom has been so easygoing so far, and I know that this is going to be a rewarding professional and social experience.
Sidarth: I was nervous about if I came across a bug that I didn't know how to fix but none of my mentors were available to help or if it'd be hard to stay focused. But that hasn't been the case so far. We have an intern Slack channel that has kept communications streamlined in the setup process, and everyone has been so transparent and helpful.
Aditya: I was most nervous about keeping myself on track. It's easier to do in person because you're surrounded by people working on the same problem. So far, my mentors, Will and Noah, have been checking in with me multiple times a day and are always willing to help, so I'm not worried about it. I'm also excited about the VR headsets because I get to play Beat Saber with the team or have meetings in Spatial to change things up.
Erin: The pros to being remote are that you have your own space and you're surrounded by things that make you happy and comfortable, and you don't have a commute. But it's harder to connect with people, especially if you're not sure if you're bothering them. But everyone has been so welcoming and clear about where they are in their status updates!
We're thrilled to see how Connor, Sidarth, Aditya, and Erin learn and grow at Loom. Stay tuned for a recap of their experience with Loom in a couple of months!
Interested in working with us? Keep an eye on our careers page!