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Ask HN: What should I do if I don't get a summer internship?

9 points by nargawharg ↗ HN
Next year I'll be a senior (majoring in CS). I am currently studying abroad, so unfortunately I won't even be back in the US until mid June (and then have about two months left until uni starts again). I have a meh GPA (3.0) but a couple of side projects that I've put some time into as well as brief, crude work experience doing web dev for two university organizations through the university. Essentially, I'm looking at graduating without a whole lot of formal experience, so how should I look at spending the rest of my time (2 months of summer + 2 semesters) in preparation for getting a job? I'm quite concerned about getting a job doing something interesting where I feel like I have some sort of positive impact on the world, and I'm worried that with my current situation my options will be limited.

12 comments

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seekingcharlie
Where are you based right now?
nargawharg
Do you mean where am I abroad? Istanbul. In the US I go to school in Montana.
donerbey
Which university in Istanbul ? Are you Turkish ?
nargawharg
Kadir Has Üniversitesi / No, I'm just on exchange
user_rob
Go and help/work for/talk to/ random people who need it. It will make a difference.
johan_larson
If you don't get a formal internship for the summer, I suggest you try to build something useful that you could show a prospective employer. Given your background, this will probably be a web site. Two and a half months is enough to build something real.

Does either of your side projects solve a real problem that people have?

If not, look for some sort of frustrating inefficiency that you or your friends at school run into all the time. Then build a solution.

nargawharg
This is my tentative life plan...assuming I can convince my parents that this is, in the long run, the best use of my time for the summer instead of working somewhere else. This brings into question though how big of a project are we talking? I always hear this advice tossed around, yet never with any specifics regarding time spent/users/LOC/metric of choice.
andrenvq
4th year CE major based in bay area also looking for internship here
a3n
> I'm quite concerned about getting a job doing something interesting where I feel like I have some sort of positive impact on the world,

It's great if you get some sort of shiny job like that right out of the gate. But for most people, their job-related positive impact on the world comes on top of some years of experience.

If you don't get the shiny job right off, enjoy the normal job, learn about your field, the world and yourself. Take the long view, and enjoy the days. Eventually you'll focus on what you want to contribute, rather than the needs of some particular early employer.

It'll be fine.

vassilevsky
Have a really good rest. Because after that you'll be working your ass off for the rest of your life.
djb_hackernews
> I'm quite concerned about getting a job doing something interesting where I feel like I have some sort of positive impact on the world, and I'm worried that with my current situation my options will be limited.

The first thing right here is to realize you are putting yourself under way too much pressure. The world doesn't work like that.

Enjoy your summer. Go on lots of hikes and enjoy every moment you can.

koberstein
If you want to make a positive impact on the world, I would go out and see the world. People like to live in fear of not following the right path - but diverging from the norm is what makes new possibilities happen. Take some time to relax, recharge, and think about what it is you want to accomplish.