An interview with Brad: Continued
How was the second year different from the first year?
The transition was easier because I was working with some of the same people. Though it wasn't exactly the same job, I dived right in. I was working on my summer project within a few days.
At one point, I had to present my project to Apple VPs—something I don't get to do in school every day, that's for sure. Well, the VPs approved my idea, and my summer project turned into a real product!
So there I was working on something that was wholly mine and likely to be highly visible. The previous year, I had been doing something that was crucial to the development process but would never be seen outside the company. So this was pretty exciting and a little scary. But I'm so glad I had the experience.
So now you've been offered a job with Apple and are back in school for your senior year. How is it affecting your experience of school to know that you've got this job with Apple lined up?
Basically, it's a huge relief. While many people around me are scrambling to find a decent job, I've got this great job waiting for me when I graduate. It allows me to enjoy my work more. And just as it did last year, it's influencing my studies. I'm taking classes that are very interesting but also specifically relevant to the work I anticipate doing.
What are you most looking forward to when you start work at Apple next summer?
What I'm most looking forward to is the thing I liked so much about Apple in the first place. Having spent two summers at Apple, I know there is no hard line between learning and trying out new things at the company at Apple.
In other words, I'll be both learning and working on things that are relevant and are going to see the light of day. You can almost never get that in an academic environment.
The exciting thing about working at Apple is that I can combine my intellectual and academic interests with my career. And I really believe that, working at Apple, I will make a real difference somehow, that there is a good chance that I will change the world.
What is your best advice to someone who is considering a summer internship during college or graduate school?
Find a way to put the theory you are learning in school into practice. If you can focus on something concrete, it's much easier and much more satisfying to apply yourself completely. It's very important, in my opinion, to go beyond research. It's very important to dig in and get beyond detached observation. I really believe that if you're not excited about something, you shouldn't be pursuing it.
My advice would be to pursue what excites you at a great company like Apple, where research and implementation meet.
If you intern at Apple, I'd advise that you take risks with the internship. You definitely don't want to just coast through it. You'd be missing out on what to me is the best part of being at Apple—the chance to move the whole industry forward.