I interned at Goldman Sachs during the summer of 2021 as a software engineering intern on the Unix and Compute Engineering team. Unix and Compute is an infrastructure team that handles data server hardware and builds software to manage storage and compute capacity. Compute capacity refers to the server and storage resources available for computer systems and networks to run on. Engineers on the team design, build, and manage software that allows Goldman Sachs infrastructure to operate. We write software that manages both public and private cloud and keeps the growing computing infrastructure secure and optimized as the company scales. Because Unix and Compute Engineering covers a wide range of topics, there are specific sub-teams for each area: hardware, storage and capacity, Kubernetes, etc. I interned specifically with the System Log sub-team, which monitors server logs and troubleshoots when servers crash.
For my internship project, I created an application in Golang that notified users when servers went down based on data logs fetched from the kernel level of the operating system. I was pleasantly surprised to see how relevant college coursework, like my Operating Systems class, was to the work. However, I also noticed the other Unix and Compute Engineering teams worked on projects that were very different from mine and involved technologies that might not be covered in a university class. For example, some colleagues described working all day with Kubernetes, helping other engineering teams containerize their services and scale their products for a wider audience. Others on the team explained how they identified services running on legacy software and upgraded the software to ensure security best practices were met. Speaking with my teammates, I came to see that Unix and Compute Engineering encompasses a lot more than just system logs, and I was eager to explore more of the field. I also really enjoyed getting to know my teammates and knew I could learn more from them as well, so I accepted the full-time return offer.
At the end of my internship, I expressed interest in doing more front-end-focused work in the future to my manager. I love art and design and have thus always been naturally attracted towards front-end development. Infrastructure teams, however, are very backend-oriented in nature, so I did not really know what working on front-end features would look like. Fast forward six months, I graduated early and started working full-time. My manager listened to my feedback and put me on a project involving front-end development where I would build a portal using React and Typescript. This dashboard would provide insight into the status of the firm’s databases and the amount of storage these databases utilized. Engineers would be able to efficiently update their databases with a tool that visually illustrated what types of databases were on a server. This includes provisioning, expanding, migration, and recovery of databases. With this project, I really felt like I was able to actively combine my interests with my job.
While working at Goldman Sachs, I have learned that within the same team, you can find opportunities to work on projects that utilize different skillsets and cater to different personal interests. Through my experiences, I realized I want to have a job where I am working on projects that really click with me – it makes work more fun. Talking with my Unix and Compute Engineering teammates opened my eyes to the project variety that existed. I was able to gain a better understanding of other sub-teams and the types of projects they worked on just by chatting with them. By communicating with my manager and voicing my desire to do front-end development, I was able to transition to a project that aligned with my passions and interests. I have really enjoyed and learned so much in my role and am excited for all that is to come.
Sabelle works as an Analyst in the Jersey City office within a systems engineering role. Systems engineers work in the wide core of systems necessary to support and maintain business operations throughout the firm. They design, develop, implement and own a variety of systems that ensure the uninterrupted operation of all business lines. Read more about our engineering roles at https://www.goldmansachs.com/careers/divisions/engineering/.
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