Atomic Software, Inc. App Development Intern (Paid) March 2013
App Development Intern
About Atomic
Atomic makes apps for reading. Our mission is to create better ways to read, better ways to learn to read, and better ways for people to connect about reading. We design and build phone, tablet, and web apps that are powered by books. We help publishers develop cloud-based services that provide digital book content to power our apps. And we develop easy-to-use internal systems that produce book content digitally, right from the start. We’ve been working on our own and for Random House, Scholastic, Harcourt, and Pearson, and our best projects are happening today, as you read this, in DUMBO, with a waterfront view of Manhattan and all the Brooklyn Roasting Company coffee that you need.
The Internship
We are looking for interns who are studying computer science, interactive technology, or integrated digital media and who want to join a team of innovative product creators. Atomic is a small company that builds big, so we need smart people who can start at the beginning of a product and think through every task to completion. For this position, we are looking for both interest and skill in creating great interfaces for mobile apps. We especially want people who understand (or want to learn) computer science fundamentals, who see the beauty in elegant code, and who have an appreciation for how every technical decision can affect the end user’s experience.
Engineering Requirements
• Understand the value of a disciplined engineering practice for the long-term evolution of a digital product.
Engineering skills you can learn at Atomic:
• Use source code revision control systems, especially Git.
• Learn a new programming language or platform depending on the needs of the project.
• How to identify the true underlying cause of a software bug instead of more simply treating the symptoms of the bug.
• Use computer science fundamentals to solve problems.
Programming Skills
• Some familiarity with Objective-C for iOS programming, or a background in C or C++.
Programming skills you can learn at Atomic:
• Memory management techniques, beyond ARC or garbage collection.
• HTML5 tools for mobile development.
• XML, XSL, XPath, DTDs and XML Schemas.
• Using SQL and databases, especially Oracle or SQLite.
• Familiarity with client/server architectures.
• Working on the Unix command line.
User Experience Design Background
• Ability to wireframe a series of related screens to communicate a user experience.
User experience skills you can learn at Atomic:
• Use paper prototypes and visual wireframes to understand and communicate how a userwould accomplish different tasks.
• Take the graphical work of designers and implement it functionally, making adjustments in tools like Photoshop, Fireworks, or the GIMP when needed.
Conceptual Skills
• Be able to consider a digital product from the perspective of its users, especially students and teachers in elementary classrooms.
• Have an interest in mobile games, especially as they can be used in learning.
• Combine technical expertise with the ability to speak your mind, think critically, and find the simpler, more elegant way to get the job done.
• Take pride in your work and be able to explain to anyone — client, engineer, or executive — exactly why it’s great.
• Recognize when you could have done a better job and take action to improve things.
• Know how to listen to the end-user or client thoughtfully, address the user’s concerns, and respond with what courses of action are available or preferred.
• Be brilliant within a team of other brilliant people.
To Apply
Send a resume and cover letter describing your favorite kind of cookie (we eat a lot of cookies
here) to aisforatomic@atomicsoftware.
