Ten internship programs for first and second-year students

Many students assume that it’s too hard or not important to get an internship when you are in the first or second year of college. I strongly disagree, there are a lot of benefits of starting early:

• It’s very tough to get an internship/job with a resume with zero experience. If you start early, the lack of experience is okay since you are young.
• The interviews are a lot easier.
• There is lesser competition as lesser students bother applying.
• If you perform well, you are given a return internship offer, and even if you do not choose to return, the experience on your resume gives you an edge over other students when you are in your third year, and could potentially make you a more favorable candidate.
• The skills and network you gain will be very helpful.
• There are special programs that only hire first/second-year students. They have all the benefits listed above, and are exclusively for you!

Now that I have convinced you that it’s never too early to intern, here are some amazing programs you should try applying to.

Photo by Hunters Race on Unsplash

1. Explore Microsoft

• 12 week, paid internship
• 1st and 2nd-year students only
• The job consists of completing a group project with other explore interns
• Competitive pay, relocation, training, transportation
• Being in computer science/engineering major is not required. As long as you have done one intro-level CS course, you are eligible.

2. Google STEP intern:

• 12 week, paid internship
• 1st and 2nd-year students only
• The job consists of completing a challenging technical project
• Gain access to tech talks by Googlers and receive coaching and mentorship.
• Should have done one or two intro-level CS course before joining.

3. Google Summer of Code

• 10-week global program
• focused on introducing students to open source software development.
• Students work on a programming project…