This year, MongoDB welcomed 33 university students to our intern program in Engineering, Marketing, and Education. In this series, we'll introduce you to the talented students who are helping us transform development and operations for how we run applications today.
I had the chance to sit down with Jonathan Mason who spent this past summer working with our Community Marketing team!
Where do you go to school, what is your major, and what year are you in?
I’m going into my final year at McGill University. I have a major in History and a minor in Political Science and Economics.
What is your role at MongoDB?
I work for the Community Marketing team, essentially that means I help produce content and organize events that further MongoDB usage worldwide.
How did you find out about the internship program at MongoDB? Why did you choose to come to MongoDB?
I found out through a friend who said she loved the company. I chose to come here out of curiosity: I wanted to learn what it meant to work in the tech industry and to see if a Liberal Arts major like myself could handle it.
What’s your hometown?
I was born in NYC but my family moved upstate to Woodstock, NY after 9/11. In 2011 I moved to Montreal to study at McGill University.
Did you have previous experience using MongoDB before you arrived? If so, how are things different now that you work at MongoDB? If not, how did you learn MongoDB and how was the education process?
I don’t code, which has made my education process both confusing and enlightening. Ever since I arrived here I have been reading as much as possible about the company and how their product works. I think in the 21st century it is increasingly important to understand the technology that runs our economy and influences our lives. Ever since coming here I find myself asking more questions about the devices we all use on a daily basis but many of us do not understand.
Bike or public transportation to work?
MTA
What’s a typical day (or week) for you?
I wake up at 9:00am, put on some pants and stumble into the West village in search of coffee. Then I enjoy a very short commute to Times Square sand begin work. I get off work around 5:30-6:00pm and then usually Skype my girlfriend who is working in Belgium this summer or go run along the West Side Highway.
What do you love most about MongoDB?
I love the feeling of possibility and growth. Ever since being here I’m starting to view the economy in a different way. Not as something static and closed off, but as an environment full of opportunities for those willing to engage, think, and innovate.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?
Learning how the tech industry works in a conceptual sense. It’s a very important industry to understand.
What do you hope to accomplish while you’re here?
I hope to contribute as much as I can to the vision and image of this company, which I think will accomplish great things.
What’s your favorite Seamless lunch order?
Anything with Sushi.
Name one secret skill you have, unrelated to work.
I’m really into memorizing when presidents were in office. I also love maps and geography in general. Don’t know if that counts as a skill or if I’m just weird.
Kindle or book?
I prefer books but I think we should save the trees.
Describe your perfect weekend.
Sleep late, wake up somewhere new, spend the day with people I love and talk late into the night.
Want to help build the next revolution in database technology? MongoDB offers summer internships and new graduate opportunities to foster computer science talent across the country. Learn more about the MongoDB University Relations program.