Meet Ricky and Ben, the two interns we knew we needed on our team this summer at Censys. We wanted to get their feedback so far on working on the team and also highlight their work here so far.
First, what experience have they had so far at Censys?
Ben: “The work Censys is doing is important for the maintenance of an open and secure internet. The insights for security researchers and professionals provided are of the utmost importance.”
Ricky: “I chose Censys for three reasons: the people, the product, and the projects. Everyone I met during the interview process was so kind and loved their job, that made me want to be a part of this team. Then the product really product drew me in: the information that the scanners are able to gather is astonishing and I had to learn more. Above all, the main project that people are working on was the most compelling reason. What was described to me during my interviews and what the team was able to show me left me speechless. I knew that the product itself was still in its beginning stages, but building the future state was something I knew I needed to be a part of.”
Both Ben and Ricky shared what they love most about working at Censys so far: The People! “Everyone at Censys is so insanely smart, yet willing to help whenever help is needed. Everyone also has distinct personalities that mesh well together and create an incredibly inviting environment. Everyone here seems like they genuinely LOVE what they’re doing, which is unfortunately quite rare at most companies,” said Ricky.
Ben echoed, “The team atmosphere is fantastic, you really get the feeling that everyone is trying their hardest to build something great.”
So a month in, two to go, how’s it going so far? Coffee runs and other trivial intern-cliche tasks? Not quite. Both agreed that the work they’re doing is integral to our build and success of the product and immediately helpful to customers trying to protect their organizations.
Ben put it simply: “It’s really exciting, but also nerve-racking to actually be working on production code. I’m really glad I wasn’t given some proof-of-concept intern project like I’ve been given at other internships. I really have an opportunity to contribute here.”
Ricky agreed: “Coming into my internship, I knew that Censys was still a young startup, so I went in expecting to work on projects that were going to be of some importance and that regardless of whatever I worked on, I’d learn a lot doing it. Over the past month, not only have these expectations been met, but they’ve been well surpassed. So far, I’ve worked on projects that are already available for public use. I’ve learned a ton and all of this work experience has certainly already made me a better programmer.”
Ricky added: “My time at Censys has taught me a lot beyond that. The culture is founded on transparency and sharing information about everything that’s going on. Learning about the overall business decisions such as design choices, marketing and sales strategies, even recruiting has taught me about all of the different work needed to develop a successful product.”
Ricky and Ben had some advice for other internship candidates—here at Censys or elsewhere. “Don’t quit looking until you find a company you feel like you’d be happy to work at,” said Ricky. “Be honest with each company you interview with, but more importantly, be honest with yourself with what you want. Finding an internship with a company you’d genuinely be happy to work at can be a ton of work, but it is certainly worth the extra hassle.”
Ben added, “Don’t be afraid to get out there. Go to career fairs, dress better than the recruiters, be honest and confident, have personal projects to talk about, but most importantly admit that you have a lot to learn.”
