Intern Series: Learning from Fellow MongoDBers — Meet Ying Eng

Ying Eng is a rising Junior studying Computer Science at The University of Pennsylvania. I sat down with him to learn a little bit about his journey to MongoDB and what his internship experience has taught him.

Kate Wright: Let’s start at the beginning. What brought you to MongoDB? We met you at your university career fair, right?

Ying Eng: Yes. I met my recruiter, Ellie, at the fair and had a great conversation with an engineer, with whom I later interviewed for the position.

KW: Speaking of interviewing, what was the process like at MongoDB?

YE: Generally, I find interviews pretty nerve-wracking and stressful, but I thought the process at MongoDB was structured in a way so that candidates are as relaxed as possible. I felt that my interviewers genuinely wanted to get to know me as a person, not just what technical skills I have or whether I could solve an arbitrary interview question. The technical interviews felt like I was back in a study room, discussing with a friend how to approach a tough question on a problem set.

KW: That’s great to hear. Now that you’re here, what stands out to you about how we approach work?

YE: The engineering culture at MongoDB emphasizes practicality, but with an academic flair. As an example, I've had the opportunity to chat with some engineers on the Enterprise Tools team. A lot of their products present practical solutions but draw inspiration from recent academic papers. This approach gives engineers the opportunity to work with cutting-edge ideas.

It's also a plus that the culture here focuses a lot on both personal and professional development. Even as interns, we have the opportunity to experience the same performance and growth conversations that full-time employees go through. I have personally gotten a lot of useful and actionable feedback and have valued the opportunity to reflect on what I’ve done, and how I can improve as an engineer and teammate.

KW: What’s been your favorite part of interning at MongoDB?

YE: My favorite part about interning at MongoDB has definitely been meeting a bunch of interesting and kind people: from new grads, to engineering leaders, to the entire C-Suite through the intern speaker series. I am grateful to all of these people who took the time to share authentically about their career paths and experiences. Everyone I have met has been extremely friendly, and they are even willing to answer additional questions or provide resources after we’ve met.

KW: As you wrap up your summer, what has surprised you about your internship experience?

YE: Prior to this program, the last thing on my mind about a software engineering internship would have been professional development. But I have to say that one of the things I'm most proud of is how far I have come in terms of communication, writing, and interpersonal skills during my time with MongoDB.

Don't get me wrong, I’ve built some great technical skills, but the program's equal emphasis on professional development has been immensely helpful. I've learned when and how to ask for help, built relationships through coffee chats, got great advice from executives through our speaker series, learned how to prepare an agenda for my 1:1s, and so much more. I know these skills I’ve built at MongoDB will greatly benefit my career development in the future.