Between the exciting work, the energetic offices, and the entertaining people, working at Braintree is -- as cliché as it sounds -- unlike anywhere else. As such, beginning an internship at Braintree is a little -- okay, a lot -- overwhelming. A few weeks ago, I started my summer internship on Braintree’s marketing team. The first week was a whirlwind of eating too many snacks, getting lost in the office, and asking lots (and lots) of questions. But my fellow interns and I weren’t the only curious ones -- our new coworkers had a lot of Qs for us too. As I made my way through my first few days, everyone I came across seemed to actually care about who I was and why I was here at Braintree, and it created a welcoming avalanche of getting-to-know-yous akin to a certain scene from The King and I.
So, here are my answers to some of the FAQs posed to my fellow interns and me over our first days at Braintree:
1. Why Braintree? There’s a treehouse, and ping-pong, and cold brew coffee on tap. Does a college kid need any more reasons? Personally, I wanted the opportunity to do real marketing work in a big city, at a company with high energy and a startup feel: Braintree fit the bill. I love marketing because, just like the payments industry, it's constantly changing. A marketing internship at Braintree offered the perfect combination of a fast-paced industry coupled with constant opportunities to learn.
2. How’d you find us? I Googled, and Googled hard. And LinkedIn-ed, and Glassdoor-ed, and Googled some more. Like I said, I knew what I wanted out of my summer internship, so I searched far and wide for companies I believed in with internship openings that aligned with my goals. Despite using Venmo to split the cost of pho with friends and PayPal to fuel my online shopping addiction, I was unfamiliar with what exactly the payments industry entailed, so stumbling upon Braintree was a lucky find.
3. Where are you from? I go to school at Tulane University in New Orleans (Roll Wave!), but I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, so I’m pumped to be back in this wonderful city for the summer. My fellow interns hail from places as diverse as Syracuse, India, and even North Dakota.
4. What are your goals for this summer? Meet amazing people. Become better at ping-pong. Try all the different flavors of Fresca in the fridge. And, above all else, learn as much as I can. Marketing to the innovative developers and entrepreneurs with whom Braintree works is entirely new to me, and I know this experience will offer me unlimited learning experiences and hands-on opportunities to work on projects unlike anything I’ve seen before.
5. How are you feeling? Let me put it this way: When I found out I got the internship, I cried alone in the middle of a crowded Target store in Kenner, Louisiana. I’m amped, grateful, inspired, and ready to take on summer as a 'Treep. Let’s do this!
What questions do you have for me and the rest of the summer interns? Comment below and let us know!
