Internships

I'm probably not the most qualified person to write about this, as I'm only just starting my career. Still, for some reason, I've been asked multiple times to share my experiences with applying for internships, interviewing, and landing jobs. I've given a few talks on this topic and spoken with countless people about it, so I thought I'd finally write my thoughts down.

While I haven't interned at every big tech company, I've had my fair share of experiences and conversations with people who have.

Many people I've spoken to aren't even sure what they truly want. There's strong pressure, especially in Computer Science, to follow the same path and compete for the same roles.

If you're studying CS, remember your options go far beyond becoming a software engineer at a big tech company. You could explore research, academia, UX design, teaching, project management, or entrepreneurship.

That said, internships are one of the best ways to explore your interests. You get to try a company and a role before committing to it.

As the CTO of a very large company once said in front of ~800 attendees at a hackathon:

Interning at a company is like making out with someone. You get to experience it and see if it's for you or not. So come make out with us.

Looking back, this was probably one of the most uncomfortable things I've heard someone in their 50s say, yet strangely enough, it made sense.

hmu if any companies are down *wink*