Intern to engineer: How Hailey builds what matters
At first, Hailey wasn’t sure the recruiter’s message was actually for her.
She was still in school when the email arrived, asking if she’d be interested in a Capital One internship. Her first thought? It felt a little too good to be true.
But Hailey has always been driven by a “what if” mindset, so she decided to follow her curiosity and hit reply. That one action sparked a conversation with the recruiter that led to interviews, and before she knew it, she was a full-fledged tech intern.
Not long after finishing her degree, she was back at Capital One, this time as a full-time software engineer, contributing to the same kinds of scalable, high-impact systems she’d first touched as an intern. Looking back, the whole experience felt like a whirlwind.
“Suddenly,” Hailey said, “I’m a full-time software engineer here.”
Learning by doing at every level
Now as a full-time engineer, Hailey finds that no two days are identical. Her role is a masterclass in “learning by doing,” as she pivots between backend engineering, writing APIs, rigorous testing and diving into DevOps. As she puts it, it’s “a little bit of everything.”
Currently, Hailey is working on an important internal product designed to scale across the enterprise. Other engineering teams now rely on her work to ship their own products faster, bridging the gap between business needs and technical execution.
For Hailey, the most rewarding aspect of her current role is the ability to contribute meaningfully to a system that functions as a backbone for the entire organization.
She found that same sense of purpose during her internship, where she solved critical problems long before her first day as a full-time associate. As an intern, she was tasked with building a Slack bot designed to assist on-call engineers during production support—an environment where every second counts.
The tool was engineered to guide developers through incident reporting and escalation, providing essential structure for newer engineers during system outages.
What resonated most with Hailey about her experience was the immediate trust placed in her—even as an intern, she was responsible for a tool that associates used regularly.
“As an intern, I was trusted to build a tool that associates relied on during critical moments,” Hailey said. “Knowing that I had an actual impact on the organization long before my first day as a full-time associate was incredibly rewarding.”
Innovation as a team sport
Hailey’s internship was her first look at what it’s like to work inside a large organization, and it was also where she learned that curiosity is the key to growth. She honed her collaboration skills by asking “lots and lots” of questions—a habit she’s kept as a full-time engineer because it often leads to more efficient ways to build.
“My team encourages me to find different paths by asking the right questions, even for the simplest features,” Hailey said.
This supportive environment has helped her build confidence and find her voice as an engineer. From Hailey’s perspective, innovation isn’t always about massive changes; it lives in the incremental, everyday changes that refine a product over time.
As Hailey’s confidence grows, so does her reach. She finds that innovation is a team sport extending far beyond her day-to-day team.
By participating in hackathons, she’s had the opportunity to collaborate with engineers across the entire organization, building high-impact solutions under tight timelines. These high-energy sessions push her outside her comfort zone and expose her to unfamiliar tools and diverse perspectives.
Advice for students and grads
Hailey sees these types of collaborative experiences as a total game-changer for someone just starting out in their career. She’s found that jumping into things like hackathons—where you’re bridging different ideas with engineers you don't normally work with—is more than just a fun break from the routine. It’s how you sharpen your craft and see the bigger picture of how a major tech organization actually moves. And with enough momentum, leaders may see the idea’s potential and support having those ideas come to life.
Hailey knows the job hunt can be a grind, so her best advice is to let curiosity lead the way.
“Figure out what you’re actually into, then build around that,” Hailey says. “Use your personal projects to show what you’re passionate about.”
Her last tip? Don’t be afraid to take chances. Her own career journey is a reminder that sometimes a leap of faith is all it takes to start something new, just like she did when she replied to the recruiter who reached out.
Ready to see where your curiosity can take you? If you’re looking for a place to build what matters and grow alongside a team that has your back, explore our Student & Grad programs today.
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