How did you first get in to programming?
I had to take a programming class in school and my teacher said i was good at it. Also making my myspace look cool when I was 16.

Would you say you enjoy your work?
Most definitely, its rewarding to see the results of hard work.

Do you still learn new things?
I’m always challenged to learn the latest concepts and overcoming obstacles in building sites.

How does working at DO compare to work you’ve done previously?
I’d only ever done freelance work before working here. Working and collaborating with a team is important and I’m happy that I ended up here specifically cause everyone is cool and knows their stuff.

What are your thought on working for a smaller company like DO vs. a big-name software developer?
I enjoy having a name, not a number. I feel like i’m part of the company more than just a programmer.

To say the least I was happy to hear the answers I got, and I definitely agree that having freedom within your job and being challenged to learn and overcome new things is important. I find myself in a similar mindset as well in that I like to see something tangible. It’s always rewarding to know that a piece of code you’ve written works correctly, but to build and polish the finished product of an application really is exciting to see.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started working here, granted the common notion of an intern as glorified office barista. Having actual work experience only in the IT support field, I guess I would have to say I expected to observe for the most part, with the occasional menial task thrown my way.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

My first week here at digital operative has been just about hands-on as you can get. So far I’ve been tasked with creating a system for bug tracking and project lifetime management and after a brief rundown on some of the approaches and methods the team here at DO has adopted, I have been given free reign on designing and building the entire project. Getting down to business and producing a project right off the bat has so far been great, even granted the learning curve in adopting new programming environments (in this case the Zend framework). All-in-all, I can definitely say that I’ve learned more applicable knowledge about web development in the past week than I did during the entirety of my last 3 months taking web programming classes at school. And I don’t see that letting up any time soon.

The team here at Digital Operative has laid out a jam-packed time line for their internship program this summer. Down the road there are plans for us to design, build, implement and manage digital marketing plans for both a non-profit organization and our own idea or project; possibly even moving in to actual client work. The idea of being part of a team that is incubating our own projects, seeing them grow and eventually come to life, has me looking forward to my next few months working here.

I’m excited to be a part of the team as Incubagency moves forward and I foresee having a great experience and learning many new things along the way. I know that I’m in for a lot of work over the next 10 weeks, but hopefully it will all result in something I’ll be happy to say I was part of.

Keep an eye out for my blog post next week as I tackle 37signals’ book Rework, my next step in integrating with the DOmachine.

It’s that time …

Summer 2010 is around the corner and we’re looking for 3 passionate people for the following roles:

Development Intern

So you think you have what it takes to engineer an online product? During your Incubagency program you’ll have those assumptions challenged, re-introduced and refined. From development frameworks to information architecture, you’ll gain a hands-on approach to web standards coding best practices, planning before you build, product development and more.

What types of skills are needed?

• Passion
• The utmost persistence for learning new concepts
• Basic PHP programming
• HTML and CSS
• Coursework in Computer Science or relevant studies

ARE YOU READY? Submit your resume and cover letter here for this role.

Design Intern

Now that you’ve learned the basics in school from typography, branding, color theory and web; it’s time to put that all to work. Transitioning or continuing what you know about designing for web and mobile, you’ll gain a hands-on approach to user experience strategy, campaign creative, product development and more.

What types of skills are needed?

• Passion
• The utmost persistence for learning new concepts
• Adobe Creative Suite – Photoshop, Illustrator
• Basic understanding of web page layout (HTML/CSS is bonus)
• Coursework in Web Design, Multimedia, Illustration, New Media or relevant studies

ARE YOU READY? Submit your resume and cover letter here for this role.

Marketing Intern

Social Media may be all the buzz, but understanding the implications of a multichannel approach is key for new marketers. Gone are the days of sitting in forums and learning from the masters. It’s up to you to take hold of your destiny and we’re here to show you the way. From digital marketing strategy to optimizing websites to business intelligence; we send you on your way a hybrid of talent ready for this new digital landscape.

What types of skills are needed?

• Passion
• The utmost persistence for learning new concepts
• Microsoft Office Suite – Word, Excel, Powerpoint
• Basic online marketing concepts – SEO, Paid Search, Social Media, Google Analytics, Email, Media Buying
• Studying in the following areas: Communications, Marketing, Business
• Willingness to learn and thrive in fast-paced environment

ARE YOU READY? Submit your resume and cover letter here for this role.