#may have picked up a computer science or math minor after randomly finding a coding interview logic puzzle guide book and liking it

[melonymint753]

gods I wish I can reblog without notifying the OP because I truly don't get why the Iron Widow series author even bothered to write in Di Renjie, Wu Zetian's historical bestie, when they clearly don't even give enough of a shit about him to have thoughts about what he'll do in a college AU

[epicwebstudios]

Meet the Epic Web Studios Interns

Summer has arrived, and with the warm weather comes...summer interns. This season, Epic is hosting three interns across its departments: one works with the digital marketing team, another is part of our graphic design department and the third is collaborating with and learning from our developers.

Each intern brings his or her perspectives, aspirations and pretty neat backgrounds.

Julia Colao • Erie, PA native • Communication Studies major, Journalism minor, enrolled at Edinboro University, PA • Graduating December 2017 • Digital Media Strategist Intern

Kirsten Larson • Born down South, lived half her life in Erie, PA • IT: Web Development major, Graphic Design minor, enrolled at Lynchburg University, VA • Graduating May 2018 • Web Development and Graphic Design Intern

Sen Wang • International Student from China • Math and IT major at Mercyhurst University • Graduating December 2017 • Web Development Intern

So, why did you pick your major? JC: I was a bit lost at first, so I chose my major at the start of my sophomore year. I wasn’t sure what career direction I wanted to take, but after joining clubs and really getting involved, taking advanced courses and talking with professors, I chose Communications Studies and Journalism.

KL: I tried a few majors, but at the end of my freshman year none of them really grabbed my interest. I was writing a blog, and realized I liked designing the pages more than writing; the HTML and CSS really challenged me and I loved creating graphics. I found my school offered a major in IT: Web Development which offered coding and classes in graphic design, and then I selected graphic design as a minor.

SW: My major is Math and IT, because I enjoy calculating and computers. I studied computer science in China and thought it would be a good opportunity to find work post graduation.

How did you find the internship with Epic? JC:  I randomly got an email from Epic Web about a Christmas event.  I was really confused to receive the email since I didn’t know much about Epic Web Studios. I did some Google research and found myself interested in the company and its offerings.  I was already in the process of looking for a summer internship, so when I saw their opportunities I applied.  Two days later I had a phone interview!

KL:  I wanted to get an internship close to home in Erie for this summer. I Googled a bunch of places and Epic Web Studios seemed like the best option and they also had an internship program. This winter I applied and here I am now.

SW: Mercyhurst's internship office provided me with a list of employers in Erie who offered internship opportunities. When I was doing my research, I found Epic’s website and social media. I liked what I saw on their website and decided to apply - I'm glad I did!

Describe a Typical Workday JC:  Since I am a social media intern I am working with - I am sure you could guess - social media!  I am currently assisting with two accounts:  I schedule Facebook posts, find interesting articles related to the client’s content, and ensure posts are creative and engaging.  I am always researching and trying to come up with creative ways to give Epic Web’s social media more consistency. Something else that I have been recently working on is coming up with Snapchat geofilters for summer events in Erie.  

KL: It really depends. So far they I have been asked to do a lot of design work:  social media posts, a sitemap, a wireframe, a mockup, graphics, etc. Right now I am working mainly with one client’s site. We just finished the wireframes and we are on to creating the mockups.

SW: I’m still learning, but I am challenged every day by the Epic team to push myself to become a better developer. I also enjoy working with the other interns to learn outside of my specific field.

What did you expect from your internship? JC:  I honestly wasn’t really sure what to expect.  I knew that I would be learning in-depth how to control a client’s social media presence and keeping followers engaged.  Here at Epic Web there really is no limit as to what you can do.  Everyone is very open to hear new ideas so if you think you have a good one, you can propose it to someone and give it a shot!  

KL: They said in my interview that it would be pretty hands on, but I didn’t realize to what extent! I love that I get to do real work for a lot of different clients. The first week I made some graphics that went up on a site pretty much immediately. I was surprised that I would be working on actual client projects so quickly.

SW: The environment is exactly what I was looking for. The other interns and employees, who work so hard around me, help to continue to push my development limits. It’s so different than what I have experienced in my courses because I'm working hands-on with real development issues and problem solving. I can also ask the developers any questions and have them guide me as I find the solution.

What do you hope to gain from this internship experience? JC: Only being here for a short amount of time has opened my eyes as to what it would be like to do this every day.  Throughout college, I have gained a deeper interest and appreciation for all forms of social media so it was important for me to know if I could make a career out of it.  I think everyone looks for a real employment experience at an internship, and Epic Web aims to provide its interns with just that.  During my first week,  I was asked what other areas in the company I would want to explore -  which is cool because everyone works closely together.  I believe I will leave this internship with more knowledge and experience than I expected.

KL: I wanted a couple of things from my time here: First, to really experience what it is I think I want to do with my life. ( I got my answer for that one!) I love the work I’ve been doing in only three weeks - so far -  and it makes me even more excited for my future career. This summer, I also really want to gain knowledge in all the areas of web development. I am learning so much already and can’t wait to see what else I learn in the next couple months.

SW: I just want to use what I’ve learned in Mercyhurst in this environment and I want to learn while I am here. I hope to gain the knowledge of a well-rounded web developer and how to build a real website, both frontend and backend as well as how to maintain the website. I look forward to finishing a website from beginning to end.