My experience in First Ascent Spain, an event by Bending Spoons

After a long selection process, I was selected to participate, so I traveled to Milan from September 26-29, 2024.

First Ascent is, as described by its webpage, "an exclusive, four-day, all-expenses-paid retreat for twenty of Spain’s finest computer science & engineering students and recent graduates". It is organised and sponsored by the Italian company Bending Spoons, and aims to make the company more known to Spanish students. While I was part of the Spanish edition, there are also many other variants that can be seen on this website, such as FA Poland or FA Women in Tech.

I first knew about the event through an Instagram reel in which one user mentioned how it would be a great opportunity if you consider yourself a top student in computer science and you are looking for new challenges. At first, and this was a common reaction from everyone at the event, this seemed too good to be true. A four-day trip without having to pay anything? It looked fishy for sure. Also, there were not many references online to this event aside from those on the official webpage, as the only ones I found were this Medium entry by Bending Spoons and one LinkedIn post. After evaluating and observing that the pros significantly outweighed the cons, I decided to apply. I had become one of the more than 1000 applicants for the event.

The selection process was long and was divided into three main phases. The first one was a screening filter based on the CV and cover letter we had to submit as part of the application. Once I had confirmation of having made it through, I was told the next phase would consist of several tests, formed mainly by logic-based problems but also by some behavioural assessments, that I would need to complete in 3.5 hours (although these could be done in different sessions). The logic problems were fun to solve and far less challenging than I had expected, and there was more than enough time to do them. Minimal coding skills were needed for some of them, but any first-year undergraduate CS student should be able to code the few programs that were required. A couple of weeks after completing these assessments, I was invited to a 30-minute interview with one of the organisers. It was a little different than the ones you would expect from a job interview, but I remember thinking at the moment that I had done well. Some time later, I was confirmed a spot as one of the 20 students selected for the event.

We were then told to book our flights from whenever we were flying from (I had asked this before since I was living in London at the time). I tried to book flights that arrived early on Thursday 26th and left late on Sunday 29th, and my best option was to fly to the Linate airport with ITA Airways. Most importantly, I had the chance to fly from the London City Airport, something I had never experienced. What is so interesting about this airport is that it is located in the middle of the Thames River. I was genuinely interested in going to this airport, so this is another thing I need to be thankful to Bending Spoons for. Jokes aside, here is a nice picture from the take-off in which it can be appreciated how close the river actually was.

The event itself was very well organised, with many activities that ensured that at no moment you would be bored. They were also quite varied, with some of them being different than what I was expecting from an event by a tech company. Some of them were done at the Bending Spoons headquarters, which was honestly one of the best places to work I have ever seen. Some of the things I saw reminded me of aspects I have heard of Google offices. Also, the hotel we stayed in was just beside it, which made it effortless to go from one place to another.

Regarding the people, I was able to meet with many Spooners and Spanish students. It turned out that two of my undergraduate classmates had also been selected for the event, so it was good to see them again. The rest of the Ascenders were very nice, and I believe each of us got along with every other Ascender. Something that surprised me was the presence of non-Computer Science students. While it is true that the official announcement said "computer science & engineering students", due to the nature of Bending Spoons, I thought this would not be something that engineering students would be interested in. We had been randomly split into different teams, which were led each by a specific Spooner. We then had to compete in some of the events, and I am proud that my team won more than half of them (a pretty convincing victory overall). I think we had overall a pretty good team synergy, and each of the team members contributed to all of the different challenges.

With respect to the Spooners, they were undoubtedly a key part of the experience as well. They went with us to everything we did, and always maintained a cheerful and encouraging attitude that made everything better. They also showed us some places so that we could have a couple of drinks with them at night, which resulted in some of the most fun moments of the event. I was very interested in learning how their personalities and motivations compared to mine, and I hope they enjoyed their time with us as much as I did.

Overall, I cannot describe this event in any other way as one of the best professional experiences I have had in the last few years. The outstanding organisation and fun activities were a great success, and we were able to learn a lot about Bending Spoons and the life of a Spooner as well. From the company's perspective, I also believe the outcome was extremely positive, as many of the Ascenders have considered applying for a position in Bending Spoons and become part of their team. Considering most of us did not know about this possibility beforehand, I consider this as the best possible outcome for everyone involved. I wish my best for the upcoming events, and I hope they become the same memorable experience that this one is for me.