To earn his place at the prestigious company, a leader in social media, Chiazzo had to go through a rigorous selection process. But now that he’s achieved his goal, he’s thrilled with the opportunity he’s been given.
How did the opportunity to do this internship come about?
The internship is open to all college students and has a clearly defined selection process.
I found out about it through the programming contest organized by Universidad ORT Uruguay Student Day. In addition, the contest uses tools very similar to those used in the selection tests of multinational companies like Facebook or Google.
What was the selection process like?
The process begins with the submission of a resume, followed by internal evaluations conducted by Facebook engineers, who then select the students they are interested in.
Once this stage is completed, there will be two technical algorithm tests, each lasting 45 minutes.
For international students, this is conducted via Skype and a shared text editor.
In these tests, you're given algorithms that must be solved in under 10 or 15 minutes each; you have to solve the problems efficiently and explain your solution.
When does the internship start? Which city are you going to?
I'll be away from early January through early April 2015. You can choose between Seattle, New York, London, or the office in Menlo Park, California—which is where I'm going, because that's where there's the most activity for interns.
Do you already know where you're going to live?
Yes, at Facebook's corporate housing, which is a place where they house interns and provide many benefits, such as free food 24 hours a day, a bicycle, a computer, a cell phone, and other perks.
How do you feel about having achieved something so important?
The truth is, I'm really happy. I'm excited to learn how the world's most significant projects are carried out, to see where the best ideas are born, and to witness excellent professionals at work.
Being able to work with engineers who create products that have a global impact is incredible, and joining Facebook’s headquarters to build solutions for hundreds of millions of users is something I’m really looking forward to.
In addition, there are major events such as hackathons—coding competitions where winners can pitch their ideas to Mark Zuckerberg—and tech talks, which are presentations on technology given by the company's engineers.
What are your expectations?
My goal is to give it my all and show what I’ve learned—and am still learning—since the very first day I started college.
I am also very grateful for the support of all the faculty members who gave me the opportunity to study there and grow both professionally and personally. I feel that they are part of this achievement.
Chiazzo, who has academic excellence scholarship, is working on his final thesis and plans to graduate in 2015.
“We’re developing a client app for Google Glass for an Infocorp banking product,” he adds. “The app allows users to view their banking information, access discounts and benefits, and make transactions, among other things.”
He hopes to raise the project’s profile abroad, “since top-tier banks are interested in incorporating wearable technology solutions into the services they offer.”