College Student Starting Internships | Do’s , Dont’s and Takeaways
PROLOGUE
“The question isn’t who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me!” — Ayn Rand!
This story is based on a continuation of the experience of the first startup internship I ever did in my college life. If you haven’t read through that story and willing to learn about the whole journey, right from start to end, here is the link :
ANOTHER STORY…
Hey there, if you’ve read through my previous story, you’re probably familiar with how projects work in small organizations, and how internships can offer great exposure for freshers. Well, after my first internship ended in October 2019, I was offered a similar role in Android development through some connections I made at my college.
This time, my manager was actually a senior from college, so he had a bit of knowledge about Android development and was able to give me minor feedback here and there. However, he didn’t review the code at all. Instead, he checked in periodically to see how things were progressing.
When I finished implementing the project, I submitted the APK to him and he deployed it on the Play Store. And guess what? The app received over 10,000 downloads and boasts a 4.6-star rating with 722 reviews the last time I checked!
CUT TO THE CHASE, TAKEAWAYS
Don’t be a Free labour
Something that really grinds my gears — the idea of unpaid internships. Look, I get it — you’re in college, you want to gain some work experience, and someone approaches you with the promise of fantastic internship opportunities.
But, here’s the thing — if it’s an unpaid internship, you should think twice before accepting the offer. See, those who offer you internships are usually working in some organizations, and they sometimes come up with brilliant plans for startups and alike. But, for implementation, they tend to choose cheap labor in the form of college student internships.
Now, I know you’re trying to build your resume and gain experience, but please understand — the time, effort, and skills you’re putting into these internships have real value and should always be compensated accordingly.
I get that it can be intimidating to negotiate a wage or to turn down an opportunity that sounds too good to be true. But believe me, unpaid internships are not worth it. Think about it — you’re providing meaningful work, and you should be getting paid for it. It’s that simple.
Get your deliverables checked
In corporate world, there is a popular term called as DoD , i.e. Definition of Done. When you’re starting a new project, it’s crucial to have a clear idea of what you need to deliver to ensure that everyone is aligned, and that no major ad-hoc tasks pop up in the future.
So, here’s the deal — make sure you have a clear DoD in place. This means establishing an explicit checklist of what you need to deliver, from start to finish, before the project is considered complete. The DoD should outline the specific requirements and expectations for the project, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Trust me when I say that having a DoD in place can save you a lot of headaches down the line. You’ll know exactly what you need to do, what resources you’ll need, and have a clear understanding of what the final product will look like. Plus, it helps mitigate any misunderstandings or miscommunications between you and your manager/team lead during the project’s timeline.
So, in a nutshell, always have a clear Definition of Done in place before starting a new project. Make sure everyone is aligned with the requirements and expectations so that there are no major surprises in the future. By doing so, you’ll set yourself up for success, and your project will be delivered smoothly, on time, and on budget.
Make your timelines right
As a college student interning, you have to attend classes, make time for your internship work, and manage your schedule accordingly. So, it’s crucial to set your expectations for the number of hours you can feasibly devote to the project each day. However, based on my own experience, I have realized that it often comes down to the tasks that you need to deliver on a daily, weekly, sprint, or monthly basis. Managing your time is important, but so is completing the required tasks on time. So, focus on the expectations and goals set by the project rather than simply the number of hours you can fit in each day.
When setting timelines, it’s also important to include adequate buffer times for things that are not predictable ahead of time. This might include bugs, errors, and necessary code fixes that will inevitably come up as you work. So, be realistic about the amount of time it takes to complete specific tasks, and build that extra cushion time into your timelines.
Before committing to any timelines, do a thorough analysis of the various tasks you need to complete, and be realistic about the amount of time it will take to deliver them. So, set reasonable expectations, manage your time effectively, and don’t forget to include some buffer time for the unforeseeable!
Once timelines committed, chose your stipend right
Folks, let’s have a chat about the importance of negotiating your value as a college student intern. Look, I get it — the exposure and experience you gain while working on a project are undeniably valuable, but at the end of the day, you should always be fairly compensated for the time and effort you put in.
The problem is that many companies tend to offer a minimal payment that falls well below industry standards for their interns. And let’s be real — this is simply an exploitation of your willingness to work for exposure and experience.
So, my advice to you is to negotiate! Stand up for yourself and state your case for why you deserve to be compensated more. Maybe you need more time to deliver properly, or you’re committed to following a scalable and optimized approach for delivering clean code. Whatever the reason, make your case and come to a conclusion that you feel proud of.
In conclusion, don’t sell yourself short! Remember, you’re putting in valuable time and effort during this internship, so negotiate a fair wage that reflects your worth. Yes, gaining experience and exposure is great, but so is being fairly compensated for your work. So, always know your worth, and make your case to ensure you get the value you deserve.
Be Responsible
Alrighty, folks, let’s dive into what it takes to be successful during a startup internship. Here’s the deal — you’ll be given tasks to deliver, but don’t expect anyone to hold your hand and guide you through everything. The expectation is that you’ll take full responsibility for the task at hand, from design and implementation to testing coverage and deployment.
This means you’ve got to be responsible for your own work and dedicate yourself fully to the project. Mentors and managers are often not from a technical background, which can present challenges. During my internships, I had to rely on my past learning experiences to tackle technical challenges.
Ideally, it would be great to have a mentor with a technology background who can guide you in implementing clean code architecture techniques, review test case scenarios, align you with automation and performance testing, and help bring in test-driven development. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. In both my internships, I had to figure everything out on my own, with very little help.
But here’s the thing — you can still grow and learn a lot while delivering real-world projects. The experience may be challenging, but it ultimately helps you become a better developer in the long run.
So, be prepared to take on tasks with full responsibility during a startup internship. Use this as an opportunity to learn and grow, and don’t be discouraged if there’s no technical mentor available. At the end of it all, the experience and knowledge you gain while working on a real-world project is valuable in itself.
EPILOGUE
So if you had went through both of my blogs, and if you are a fresher in your college, I hope that this motivates you in doing startup internships, and please keep this major pointers in mind while applying or going through college student startup internships.
Thanks for your patience reading. Clap if you like the pointers and motivated you in doing startup internships. Also you can comment below if you want to mention some other important points that someone need to follow.
Follow me here, and Linked-in. Stay happy and safe. Keep reading and remember one thing, “Don’t let yourself blocked out. Do the unthinkable.”
