Every autumn, we begin our search for aspiring software developers, product managers, and product designers who are interested in participating in our Engineering Internship Program. Those who join us are able to spend several months working on meaningful projects, forging professional relationships, and getting the full Datadog experience. The high-growth nature of our company, combined with the maturity and scale of our Engineering organization, enables our interns to have an enormous impact on our product while learning from best-in-class leaders whose work is at the forefront of innovation. And after more than a year of fully remote operations, we’re excited to offer the option for our newest cohort of interns to join us at Datadog offices around the world.
Our primary goal for the internship program has always been to host a supportive learning environment in which interns can hone their skills. All interns participate in weekly one-on-one sessions with managers, mentors, and buddies, and they can also check in with their colleagues throughout the week to ask questions, receive guidance, or simply chat. David Sevilla, a former intern and current Software Engineer on the Website Reliability team, remembered, “There was a large learning curve, but my team was incredibly supportive. By the end of my internship, I participated in on-call rotations, and I learned how to keep cool under pressure, escalate incidents when necessary, and investigate root causes with confidence.”
I participated in on-call rotations, and I learned how to keep cool under pressure, escalate incidents when necessary, and investigate root causes with confidence.
—David Sevilla, Software Engineer
Because we treat our interns like full-fledged employees, they are able to contribute to—and even drive the development of—features that are used by thousands of customers every day. Conor Branagan, a former intern and current Director of Engineering, noted, “You’re working on the software that customers are interacting with as part of the Datadog product. You’re also working at a scale that’s really unlike any other company out there. In many cases, because of the scale we’re at, we’ve had to roll out our own custom solutions, and interns get the opportunity to work on those solutions. Plus, as an intern, you get to learn alongside incredibly seasoned engineers.”
In many cases, because of the scale we're at, we've had to roll out our own custom solutions, and interns get the opportunity to work on those solutions.
—Conor Branagan, Director of Engineering
Yiren Wang, a former intern and current Software Engineer based in Paris, had the opportunity to maintain a legacy Elasticsearch database during her internship, and her experience typifies the type of high-impact work that Branagan describes. “I was able to drive the entire process—from ramping up to reviews—and I had a Senior Engineer looking at and advising on my work at every step of the way,” she recalled, adding, “[The database] has grown from the beginning of my internship from about 600 terabytes of data to about 1 petabyte of data.” She also credits Datadog’s culture of blamelessness as one of the key factors that supported her growth. “If I made any mistakes, it could cause a major outage. But I never once felt as if I was at fault or like I couldn’t try out a solution,” she said.
I was able to drive the entire process—from ramping up to reviews—and I had a Senior Engineer looking at and advising on my work at every step of the way.
—Yiren Wang, Software Engineer
Half the fun of an internship comes with meeting new people and building lasting relationships, and we’re happy that our return to the office will enable our interns to get to know one another better. All Datadog interns are invited to participate in intern-specific lunches, hangout sessions, outings, and fireside chats with leaders, as well as company-wide social events such as Unleash, our annual celebration hosted in New York City. These activities give interns the opportunity to explore, unwind, and catch up with people from different teams. “One of the most memorable events, for me, was when we got to hear from Oli, the CEO and Co-founder. We were able to hear his story and even ask some questions, and, overall, it was a really great experience to be able to interact with someone in senior leadership,” Victoria Kayola, a class of 2020 intern and current Software Engineer, noted.
One of the most memorable events, for me, was when we got to hear from Oli, the CEO and Co-founder. We were able to hear his story and even ask some questions.
—Victoria Kayola, Software Engineer
Whether we’re working in the office or from home, we want our interns to leave the program with valuable experiences that will help shape their careers. All interns are offered highly competitive salaries and benefits packages, and we provide them with the equipment and guidance they need to be successful. And we’re proud to say that many graduates from our internship program—including the former interns featured in this post—go on to receive full-time job offers from us. Some are even able to grow into leadership roles at Datadog; for instance, Branagan now manages five teams as a Director of Engineering.
Datadog has become the gold standard for monitoring and security. We’re proud of the success we have achieved, and we’re on the lookout for talented interns to join us in the next phase of our journey. If you would like to be a part of our Engineering Internship Program, please check out our open positions here.
