The Atomic Accelerator is our professional development program for newly-graduated developers who join Atomic Object each spring. This summer, we’re welcoming the four members of Cell Beta, the second Accelerator cohort to join Atomic’s Ann Arbor office.
I asked each to tell me a bit more about how they found their way to Atomic, and what they’re looking forward to over the next two years.
Joanie Davis
Joanie first heard about the Accelerator when a few Atoms visited Hope College during a STEM career fair. She says she was interested in Atomic’s approach to preparing Atoms in the Accelerator for lifelong careers, rather than a single job.
Since starting with Atomic in May, she’s joined a team of Atoms working on a connected recreational vehicle project. She says since then, she’s been surprised by the diversity of clients and their needs. “I love knowing that my work will span such a variety,” she said, “and that it’ll never get dull.”
She says she’s also enjoying the interpersonal relationships she’s cultivated in her new role. “From casual office chitchat to inviting everyone along for a coffee walk, you get the sense early on that everyone is welcome,” she said, “no matter how new you are.”
Gillian Lemke
Gillian interned at Atomic last summer, and she says was impressed with Atomic’s atmosphere and devotion to helping new hires. After competing in the Atomic Games again, she was excited to accept a full-time position with us after finishing her CS program at Eastern Michigan University.
Since joining in March, Gillian has been working on a rewrite project for a metallurgy firm.
Though she says she had a pretty good concept of what Atomic was all about before coming back this year, she felt impressed by the amount of thought and attention that goes into the Accelerator program—from technical skills curriculum to team-building activities with the other Accelerators.
Gillian says her favorite thing about Atomic is the wide range of projects and technical expertise she can access. “Makers can learn a lot about the domain of a project, new tech stacks, and can learn more outside of one’s project through other makers and the ability to research and write for Spin,” she said.
Patrick Pale
Patrick found out about the program after coming across an Accelerator pamphlet at a computer lab at Michigan State University. He says he read the pamphlet, then sent his resume that same evening.
Patrick is working on an IoT healthcare project. He says since joining Atomic in May, he’s been surprised how receptive his team has been to his insights. “Starting out of school, I expected to do more listening than talking,” he said. “But my team seems genuinely interested in my input and opinions about our project, and they encourage me to share them.”
He says his favorite thing about working at Atomic is his coworkers’ competence. “It’s impossible not to grow and learn when you’re surrounded by so many smart people who can help you with almost every problem that comes up,” he said.
Sivhaun Sera
While on a summer break from Kalamazoo College, Sivhaun completed an internship at Quicken Loans. She says there, she realized a smaller company would be a better fit for her personality and goals.
She first heard about Atomic and the Accelerator at the Michigan Conference for Women in Computing last year. After reading about the program and going through the careful interview process, she says she knew this was the perfect next step for her.
Sivhaun is still going through onboarding after joining this month, but she says she’s looking forward to getting started. “There are a lot of interesting projects going on around me right now, and it’s been really cool to hear about them,” she said.
“The most surprising thing about joining Atomic so far is how few surprises there have been,” she said. “I read a lot of the content on this blog before I joined, and true to the culture of transparency, I’m happy what I read has been incredibly accurate.”
Want to Do More with Your First Years Out of College?
Learn about the Accelerator Program, and check out Spin posts from Atoms in the Accelerator.