Want to know what it's like to work at BitPay? There's no better way to dip your toes into the Bitcoin world than to take on an internship with one of our growing teams. Well, we think so, anyway.
Two of our interns have had a chance to share their stories in part one and part two of our series on what it's like to work at BitPay. Today we're sharing a BitPay story from Nikola, who has spent several months with us as an intern on our compliance team. She recently finished her internship with us in a big way by joining the BitPay team full-time.
Here's what she's had to say about her BitPay journey so far:
What have you worked on in your time at BitPay?
"So far, I have had three main tasks within the compliance department. I work on merchant onboarding to make sure that we have identified and verified the companies we do business with. I also work on transaction monitoring to make sure that BitPay does not facilitate fraud or money laundering, where I have acquired in-depth knowledge about the reporting process of a financial institution. Finally, I also help with the company’s customer support. This last task has allowed me to step out of my compliance work and get a much deeper and broader understanding of how our business products work.
In addition to these three responsibilities, there were and still are various ad hoc projects where I am able to provide my input. For example, in the first few weeks of my internship I had to review and give my feedback regarding the update on the internal policies of the company. And just last week, I got the chance to attend the Virtual Currencies Conference organized by Europol, where many of the important players in the bitcoin ecosystem were present, as well as law enforcement agencies from all around the world."
What are three things you have learned from your time at BitPay?
"My supportive colleagues have taught me so much during my internship that I have a hard time picking three things. Having a background in both business and law served as a good foundation to put my analytical skills in practice in a relatively new industry. As I have learned the merchant onboarding process, I have developed 'spider senses' for noticing the tiniest elements that need to be present in order for us to service certain businesses."
What are some things that stand out for you about working at BitPay?
"BitPay has given me a degree of autonomy that I had not previously experienced with any other employer. The fact that the environment is dynamically changing means that everyone has to be on the same boat. You have to work towards a common goal, and if you are not a team player, then you will hardly find satisfaction.
On top of that, my colleagues are very attentive towards the results of my work and very appreciative of them. Once I found an A4 printed banner on my chair saying 'Employee of the Week'. These are the small things making you come to the office every day with a smile."
How has working at BitPay contributed to your professional goals?
"Being in a team of highly-motivated, energetic, and entrepreneurial people has always been my professional dream. I didn’t know much about payment services, let alone Bitcoin, but my eagerness to learn was the main decisive factor which got me the position. I feel like I have lived up to that expectation.
I believe that the saying 'When you stop learning, you stop living', is not just an idle phrase. Having the opportunity to work at BitPay gives me the feeling of satisfaction knowing that I am using my full potential by learning something new each day. There is always something to learn, and dynamism like the kind at BitPay is rare these days, so I am very happy to be a part of BitPay’s team."
Interested in interning at BitPay? We're hiring development interns for the fall. Send us an email telling us why you'd like to work at BitPay and what you can bring to the team. GitHub profiles are always appreciated.
