How to get a computer science internship

To get a computer science internship, follow these steps:

Obtain a bachelor's degree in computer science or attend a tech boot camp.

Having a bachelor's degree in computer science isn't the only way to secure an internship in the field although it does help.

Colleges and universities provide networking opportunities that can result in you getting a computer science internship. Building a network of peers, professors, and other college staff may also lead to internship opportunities.

Your other option is to attend a coding boot camp. Bootcamps cost anywhere between $10,000 to $20,000 on average and only take a matter of weeks to complete. After completion, your job prospects are generally the same as someone who has obtained a degree in computer science.

Another bonus of boot camps is that they often provide more practical, up-to-date real-world training and experience than universities. So, once you are finished you should have a decent work portfolio and enough experience to obtain an internship in computer science without a degree.

Both universities and boot camps are great options, but what is essential in either of these is that you are developing skills and knowledge based on computer science.

Create a resume and work portfolio

Whether you are in college or not, you should create a resume detailing your education, work experience, computer science-related skills, and any awards or achievements. This is critical to securing an internship.

You should also start to build a digital or online work portfolio highlighting any projects you have completed or were involved in. This gives companies a good idea of your skills and what you can do.

Some items that can be included in your work portfolio are:

• Samples of code you've written

• Software development or software engineering projects

• Skills utilized for projects such as Java, PHP, Ajax, and Zend

Go to career fairs and corporate events

If you are in college, career fairs are easy to come by. Attending these can help you learn about internship programs at a variety of companies. Be sure to bring your resume and work portfolio with you just in case, too.

Corporate events also present the opportunity to discover internship possibilities with a particular company. Certain companies may even have hiring managers on-site. So it's a good idea to bring copies or digitized versions of your resume and work portfolio.

Search online

The internet has thousands of internship opportunities that can be found. Consider applying for internships that are on the periphery of computer science to broaden the scope of those you can apply to as well.

Try researching specific companies that you want to work for. Their internship programs can usually be found on their website, and if they are not listed, you can always call the company's HR department to inquire.

Prepare for interviews

After applying for the internship programs, you need to prepare for the interview stage. Do some research about the company you are interviewing with. Try to find out common questions asked in their internship interviews. You can usually find this information from postings of previous interns on career and job websites.

You can also search for sample answers to common computer science interview questions to get some idea about how to formulate your answers.

Try to practice your interview with a friend or colleague by having them ask you sets of interview questions.

It's also great to practice your answers to interview questions, but try to avoid memorizing your answers to keep from sounding robotic during the interview. You want to come across as genuine, motivated, and authentic during these interviews.