5 ways to make the most out of tech internships
Your guide for doing internships the right way
Welcome to MichiSpotlight! In the last edition, we talked about 5 Alternatives to tech internships. Today we’ll discuss how to make the best out of your internships as a student in tech.
I’ve done 6 internships to date, and all of them had rewarded me with some great experiences that I’d like to share in the form of 5 key learnings today.
Let’s get started.
Remember, for you to be successful, someone else doesn’t have to be unsuccessful. Please share this newsletter with your friends and support me a little, too, in doing so. xD
Also, if you’re too lazy to read, do check out my YouTube channel, I’ve started work on my first video, and it would be out soon!
Why do we do internships?
Many students don’t understand why they need to do internships. Usually, the answer to this question is “Because everyone else is doing it too,” “Our college requires us to do internships,” or “It will look good on my resume when I apply for jobs.” While these might be good enough reasons, here’s a tweet that might shed some light. I’ll share this tweet again in the next edition to deeply instill these reasons in your mind.
Suppose you understand the why. You’re already ten steps ahead of your peers. (Although, I’d suggest you spread the word about this among your collegemates too, don’t be knowledge greedy xD).
#5: Ask Questions frequently
When you ask many questions (good ones), it helps you be very clear about how you can do your best work.
If you’re a developer and you’re asking thoughtful questions to your manager, you will not only clearly understand the technical requirements of your tasks but also help the manager brainstorm the future scope of the product that you’re building.
Sometimes these questions can be more about seeking help from your peers working with you during the internship. This will help you learn quickly.
Although, it’s always good to do some research on your own before putting forth your questions and consuming another person’s time.
#4: Network with professionals
Networking is the biggest part of seeking as well as doing internships.
You should sometimes reach out to fellow employees (not too often, though, you might come off as annoying).
Ask your manager to conduct weekly chill sessions where the interns can meet fellow team members and have thought-provoking conversations or just bond over a game or a movie on Netflix party.
Usually, when we are working as professionals, people often forget to have normal conversations. So always make it a point to ask your teammates about their day or appreciate any help they offered you.
#3: Explore your field of interest thoroughly
If you’re doing an internship as a student, your working role as an intern isn’t set in stone. Meaning, you don’t really have to pursue a career in that particular role if you didn’t enjoy the experience of working as a professional in that role.
Now, make sure that before switching careers, try to figure out why something is not working out for you. If it’s the external factors like bad managers or work environment, you should probably give it another go. But if not, then ask yourself a few questions:
- Why am I not enjoying working as a “Role-Name” ?(let’s say, developer)
- Is this something I’m really passionate about?
- Do I really want to do this my entire life?Try to take up different roles and initiatives in your organization. This will help you understand the role that’s best for you.
You might not even be aware of some roles that might be the optimal career path for you, so if you take more initiatives as an intern, you might learn about new roles that are a better fit for you.
When I was doing one of my internships, I started as a flutter developer, moved on to build a backend with node, then helped out the web team with their frontend in react. At last, I also explored a bit of DevOps when I finally arrived at the role that encompasses my true passion - product management. I also started a podcast for the same company, which has been helping me to network with professionals outside the organization. Taking initiatives never hurts.
This is the kind of flexibility you get as a part of a startup. I wrote a small comment on this on LinkedIn some while back:
#2: Ask for feedback from managers and peers
This is the most crucial part of internships. Never be afraid of feedback. I know it’s easier said than done, but you can try to keep an open mind before asking for feedback.
You can use the following questions as an example when asking for feedback:
- I want you to be honest with me about how I can improve my work?
- Can you give me any actionable suggestions on how I can do better?This way, you know exactly what you need to do to improve yourself.
Sometimes people may not be able to provide you with suggestions upfront, so you can always try to be optimistic. This is a learning experience. A trial run to help you figure out the career you love.
#1: Don’t set expectations
Try to go with the flow when you’re doing an internship. As students, we tend to try to figure out how something might help us beforehand and limit ourselves to those goals and expectations.
The best part about internships is that it helps you figure out who you are and who you want to be. You can only figure out an answer to these questions by letting the whole experience of working and collaborating in a professional setting run its course.
My two cents on unpaid internships (where the company doesn’t pay you)
That’s all, folks!
Thank you so much for reading till the end. I hope you found this piece insightful. Let me know in the comments if you did or if you have some other alternatives that you may have tried or heard of.
At the end of the day, internships are for our own personal growth. This can be achieved in different ways, as we discussed above. If you’re struggling to find an internship, go ahead check out: So you think you can be an intern? For tips on applying to internships. Stay subscribed. Bye now! :)
this is a great article. i was just working out my internship plan. thanks alot
On a scale of 1 to 10, You're an 11!!
Thanks for all you do!