From the end of May 2024 to mid-August 2024, I had the opportunity as a software engineering intern at ServiceNow. The internship wasn't just about coding; I also met many connections and led and participated in many activities outside of work.

My Airbnb Experience and Local Food Scene

As a summer intern, I had to live somewhere relatively close to the office, so I decided to rent a room in a shared Airbnb with random people. In that house were five other rooms, each with their locks on it, two shared bathrooms, a shared kitchen, and a shared living room. I used the kitchen sparingly, though, as it wasn't well cared for. So, I took the opportunity to explore the local food scene, and I found a few places that I enjoyed, including:

  • Bonchon, Korean Fried Chicken
  • I later learned that they have locations on the East Coast, but they get a bad wrap for quality there. Every location I went to in the Bay Area was terrific.
  • Yami Bowl, Serving Random Rice Bowls
  • It's an underrated place, but I loved the food there. I went there at least once a week.
  • Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup, Korean BBQ
  • I went here with my coworkers, and it was a great experience. I loved the food, and the atmosphere was great. This place is unique because if you order the cheese, a server will come to your table and blowtorch the cheese on top of the meat. It was a great experience.
  • Mio Vicino, Italian
  • I discovered this place independently and brought some of my coworkers here throughout the internship. It's a hidden gem.
  • Tay Ho, Vietnamese
  • One of my best friends that I worked with at ServiceNow went here with me one time, and it quickly became one of my favorite places to eat. I loved the food there and ate there often after work.

There is so much more that I could say about the food scene in the Bay Area, but I'll leave it at that for now, as these are the main ones I went to.

The Activities

I did a lot this summer. I met many new people who introduced me to new activities, and I also introduced my coworkers to some of the things I like to do. Here are most of the activities that I did this summer, in roughly chronological order:

  1. Waymo Ride
    • I got to ride in a Waymo car, which was a great experience. I was able to see how the car reacted to different situations, and I was able to see how the car navigated the streets of San Francisco. It was a great experience, and I would love to do it again.
  2. Hiking
    • I hiked quite a bit, as this was a popular activity amongst interns. We went to:
    • Mussel Rock Park, San Francisco
    • Redwoods Big Basin, Santa Cruz
    • Yosemite National Park, Yosemite
    • Lake Tahoe, Nevada
    • Seal Point Park, San Mateo
    • Big Sur, California
  3. Beach
    • I went to the beach a few times with my coworkers. We went to:
      • Pebble Beach, Del Monte Forest
      • Monterey, California
  4. Visited the Nvidia Headquarters
  5. Martin Garrix Concert
  6. Japanese Flower Garden in San Jose and San Francisco
  7. 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach
  8. 36-Hole Minigolf
  9. Golf Driving Range
  10. Planned a Topgolf night for me and 37 other interns
  11. Great America Amusement Park
  12. Visited Reno/Sparks, Nevada
  13. Sacramento and Old Sacramento
  14. Lost $163 at the casino in the Bay Area
    • For the record, the house edge for Blackjack, which I played, felt much more aggressive than other tables at other casinos. For those who know how Blackjack works, their rules were:
    • 6:5 Blackjack
    • Dealer hits on soft 17
    • Mandatory $1 for the Dealer, apart from your usual bet (this one is huge! Stay there for 50 hands, and you've already lost a lot!)
  15. Paragliding in San Francisco
    • It was an incredible experience, but my motion sickness got the best of me. I was able to get a few good pictures, though.
  16. Poker nights with coworkers
    • Have you had a hand crazier than this one? One person had quad Aces, and the other person had an A A A K K full house. Wow!

Some Not So Great Things

Unfortunately, not everything in life is perfect. Here are some issues that popped up during my internship:

  1. My Airbnb

The Airbnb that I stayed at was not the best. The kitchen was poorly handled, and the house was rarely cleaned. I also had a few issues with my roommates, but I was able to work through them. When I return to the Bay Area in July 2025, I won't be staying in San Jose. You'll see why in the next point.

  1. Someone stole stuff out of my car when I was sleeping!

Yeah, I never expected this one. I got home late the night before, so I wouldn't doubt it if I forgot to lock my car. Luckily, though, the car was not damaged, and only a few things were stolen, including my RayBan Sunglasses. I got a new pair, but it was still a bummer.

  1. I got a speeding ticket in Yosemite National Park

Oops! FYI: All roads at Yosemite National Park have a speed limit of 35 MPH. The road had two lanes, so I thought it was 45 MPH. I was wrong; I was going 54! Thankfully, being an out-of-state ticket, New Jersey only classifies the ticket as 2 points, which would have usually been worth 4 if I had received it in New Jersey.

  1. I got severely ill for about a month!

I was on a hike one day and attempting to paraglide. We went twice, but the first time, we failed, given that the winds were not favorable enough to launch from the ground. Instead, the company advised us to hike up a mountain, and they would launch us from there. But, about halfway up, I started to feel sick. After throwing up twice that day and two hospital visits, it turns out I developed mesenteric lymphadenitis, which is a rare condition that causes inflammation of the lymph nodes in the abdomen, with side effects including nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite. It felt like a complete reset on the stomach, and I had to reintroduce foods into my diet slowly. I was out of work for a week but could somewhat work remotely for the next week and return to work feeling about 90% better the week after. I was still feeling the effects of it for a few weeks after that. I'm all good now, but it was rough for me.

What about the actual internship?

Yeah, I didn't talk about the internship yet. Let's get into how that went.

ServiceNow's office in Santa Clara, California, where I worked, is a masterpiece. They have several buildings with various amenities, including a gym, F1 racing simulator, massage chairs, game rooms, ping pong tables, lots of free snacks, cheese, fresh fruit, drinks, and more. They also have a breakfast and lunch cafeteria, where the meals are subsidized (roughly $7 a meal).

My team is in building B, and I spend most of my time here. We work on Access Controls. If you still need to be made aware, Access Controls is the process of ensuring that users are who they say they are and have the appropriate access to the resources they need. For example, you might have an ID card that you use to swipe into a building. This is an example of Access Controls, as some people are allowed to enter the building while others are not, or some people are allowed to enter certain rooms while others are not.

I am unsure if I can discuss what I worked on, but I essentially worked on front-end work for the team during my internship. I learned a lot about the technologies that ServiceNow uses, which opened my eyes to some of the current projects I do myself. One of the most significant tools we use for testing is Selenium, which allows you to automate web browsers. I learned a lot about this tool and am currently using it in my projects. I also learned a lot about the ServiceNow platform and its use in the real world.

The People

Finally, I wanted to talk about the people. I met so many amazing people during my internship and given that everyone I met was as down-to-earth as I am, it truly made the internship one of the best experiences of my life. I still talk to some today, even though they are on the other side of the country!

What's Next

At this point, I am finishing my last undergraduate year at Rutgers, with only seven more classes left, and I'm done. After, I signed a return offer with ServiceNow to work full-time as a software engineer in July 2025. I am excited to see what the future holds, and I am excited to see where this journey takes me. Be sure to check back soon for more updates on my life!