Celebrating Sony Interactive Interns: Insights From the Class of 2024!

National Intern Day on July 27 has come and gone, but we continue to celebrate Sony Interactive Entertainment interns! Throughout the years, our interns have brought diversity of thought, experience, and background to the table, ultimately enriching their experience at Sony Interactive, as well as our own team members. 

In the second of our series introducing our Summer 2024 interns, we’re thrilled to spotlight four incredible interns representing our California offices: Angela Chung, Felix Pham, Jñani Crawford, and Carrie Chen. Read on to learn more about their journey to Sony Interactive!

What motivated you to apply for an internship at Sony Interactive?

Angela: I care a lot about how humans interact with each other on digital services AND how they interact with those technologies. My goal as a future attorney is to shape a world where digital services – including online gaming spaces – promote open expression and safe community building. Joining the Product Counsel team within Legal was the perfect way to get immersion and exposure to how decisions are made about interface design and user experience.

Carrie: I had the chance to learn more about Sony Interactive through the Grace Hopper Conference, and I was impressed by the company’s efforts to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for women and non-binary individuals in tech. As someone who is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion in the industry, I believe that Sony Interative’s values align with my own, and I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute to a company that prioritizes these values.

Walk us through a day in the life as an intern on your team. 

Felix: When I get in, I sync my codebase and go over any new tasks assigned to me. For new tasks, I usually have a 1-on-1 with my manager or someone on the team to get an overview of the problem. I usually get lunch with my team or some other interns at the Park Commons at the San Diego Studio. During breaks, I like to talk to someone new on the online programming team to get to know more about their daily work.

Jñani: I love the office community and the opportunity to meet new people daily! We have a great kitchen where I can grab cereal and yogurt for breakfast. Then, coffee in hand, I greet colleagues on my way to my desk and update our Slack standup with my morning progress. I review any code feedback from the previous day and/or discuss tasks with my mentor before diving into my core work. Though I usually bring my own lunch, I’ll often join others for a walk to nearby eateries during my break for fresh air and conversation. In the afternoon, I usually grab more coffee and attend meetings with my manager, team lead, or mentor. This point in my day can be quite diverse and interesting. I love that I get the chance to collaborate across teams and interact with the non-programmer users of the features I am working on. Finally, after my afternoon stretch of work, I may have a few casual conversations before heading home for the day!

How would you describe your team and team culture?

Angela: I appreciate and hope to model the balance of approachability and professionalism that the attorneys at Sony Interactive embody. As a future attorney, I don’t take lightly the importance of building trusting relationships across the company. The levels of authenticity and friendliness the team embodies is something I really appreciate about the company and team!

Jñani: My team is incredibly open and generous with their time and knowledge, which I appreciate so much as an intern! When I approach someone, even if I haven’t met them before, they’re usually quick to tell me about themselves and their role at the studio. It makes it really exciting to meet new people and creates a great sense of transparency throughout the team. Even while sitting at my desk, I overhear people offering helpful explanations of how things work to each other all the time! I’d say the culture focuses on this kind of distributed information and collaboration, and it also encourages people to contribute ideas or feedback without hesitation.

What project(s) are you working on? 

Felix: I work on a couple projects that cover bug fixes, UI changes, API calls, and other tasks related to the game’s online services. These tasks help support any actions made on the online player’s servers to run smoothly.

Carrie: I am spearheading the implementation of distributed tracing for Sony Interactive’s cross-platform feature efforts to eventually deliver a performant and delightful experience to our users. Aside from my main project, I am actively helping my scrum team with bug fixes for an upcoming feature launch!

What advice do you have for someone considering interning at Sony Interactive in the future? 

Angela: I would say that it’s helpful to have a history and connection to the world of media or technology. Sony Interactive’s internship gets you hitting the ground running, so it’s best to already have a clear sense of how and why this internship would be meaningful to your goals. If you’re not entirely sure why being part of Sony Interactive links to your own interests, I’d encourage you to first seek out opportunities or courses that solidify your answer! Having a vision is one of the best preparations for both an interview and for being intentional in your internship.

Felix: Come into the internship with a very open mind. If you are joining with a general computer science/software background, there are a lot of new concepts that you won’t learn in a traditional company or college. Make sure to ask a lot of questions, get to know your team, and have fun in the process!

Jñani: Take the time to look over your portfolio and consider what the through-line is with your work. What type of features get you the most excited? Who do you like to collaborate with? If you don’t have answers to these questions yet, try to at least make it clear what you’ve learned from each of your projects and what you’d be excited to try next. Make sure these things are clear and explicitly mentioned in the portfolio, and apparent in your resume. It’s helpful if your passion clearly lines up with the specific duties of the role you’re applying for. For interviews, I suggest looking into the STAR method and taking the time to write out STAR-based answers to common questions based on your own experience. That way you won’t be caught off guard when you’re hit with those “tell me about a time you…” questions!

Carrie: While every team at Sony Interactive is unique, I believe that having a strong foundation in programming fundamentals help you get the most out of an internship. Rather than focusing on specific courses or tech stacks, I recommend applying to teams that align with your technical interests and passions. Once you’re accepted into the program, you can discuss with your managers and team members to identify any areas where you need to improve or learn new skills. During the recruitment process, I would suggest showcasing your problem-solving skills and passion for innovation. Additionally, be honest about what you don’t know – it’s perfectly okay to not have all the answers. Furthermore, make sure to be prepared to discuss your projects and experiences in detail.

Read the first series: Gaming Around the World: Meet Sony Interactive’s Summer 2024 Interns!