An Honest Review of My Summer Internship with Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Note: This is an unfinished blog post last updated August 11, 2023.

The Role

For a 12-week internship at the Toronto office, I was hired as a Customer Solutions Manager Intern. A Customer Solutions Manager typically works with Account Executives, Solutions Architects, and sometimes Technical Account Managers to fulfill customer goals and promises. Basically, my job is to accelerate customer migrations to the cloud (aka technical speak to say that I help get shit done).

My Experience

When I accepted my Amazon internship offer in March, I thought I knew what I was in for. Amazon is known for its rigorous, “leadership principle”-driven culture with a high possibility of overwork. However, as I actually went through the internship, I realized that the stress was less from overworking (I stopped working overtime after Week 3) and more from feeling out of my element.

I was doing work that drained me, and the spillover effects cascaded into my personal life: I exercised less, lost my appetite, and found it hard to find time for hobbies or friends anymore.

I had a mental breakdown in Week 2 and cried my eyes out. By Week 3, I felt like I wanted to jump out of the office window. By Week 10, I felt a deep pressure on my chest, and it felt hard to breathe. I felt trapped and suffocated.

Although this isn’t the first time I’ve worked a job I didn’t like (data analyst at the bank didn’t involve enough people interactions), it was the first time I felt something other than lethargy or boredom at my job. The bank didn’t pay well nor have a stimulating culture, but at least I had a lot of freedom and extra time to spend my days how I wanted to.

At Amazon, it felt like I had to work almost every hour or risk falling behind on a goal that I didn’t even think I wanted (a return offer). The looming thought of spending the rest of my life like this — working a 40-50 hour a week job, 50 weeks a year, for the next 40 years — was disheartening. It felt pointless to me as I felt more fulfilled from personal pursuits than professional slavery.

Moreover, I felt that the salary that Amazon would pay me if I returned would enable the lifestyle I wanted. It would be quite enough for a new grad to move out, travel around, and save up. I felt constricted in that other jobs might pay less but be more interesting. The classic passion vs. money debate, right?

Still, overall, I learned a lot from the internship, and it was worth doing. I learned in more detail what I want (and don’t want) in my future job, as well as what natural talents I may have.