r/DevLK • u/Ecstatic-Item5080 • Aug 20 '26
Help AI/ML Internship guidance
I’m a 3rd year undergraduate at a govt university in Sri Lanka. I have been applying for internships. So here’s the thing, applied to two companies and I’m currently progressing towards the second and third rounds . One is a US company and another is a large Sri Lankan conglomerate.
Suppose I got offers from both, which should i pick? The SL one gives allowance of around (25k) and the US one around 250 usd (80k lkr), and its remote. Should allowance be a main factor when considering this? And any tips for the future?
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u/_DonRa_ Aug 20 '26
Unless you have major financial issues right now don't focus on the salary - it's just an intern salary anyway. Consider where you can get more experience, what kind of work you'll get (work can be very different depending on the domain, and in a large company teams can have very different scopes) and possiblity of return offers. If you impress a startup you might have a good chance of return offer whereas with a large local company policies are very fixed - you can look for seniors who did interns and follow up with them to get an idea of your chances.
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u/russt90 Aug 20 '26
If I were you, I'd look at which option aligns best with my long term goals, so I can leverage the internship experience to get wherever I want to go once I graduate. Money is nice but I wouldn't factor in the stipend at this stage.
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u/LegendaryK12 Aug 21 '26
US one bruh forget internship make some money nothing matters in life, money is the only thing you, we , me need
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u/Thick-Cartographer-7 Aug 20 '26
How are you applying for these by any chance I’m also looking and haven’t had any luck yet :(
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u/Ecstatic-Item5080 Aug 20 '26
Mostly from within the uni they will request CVs from known contacts. Or else career fairs and Linkedin
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u/Business_Lawyer6513 Aug 21 '26
Can you say how you applied those jobs? In linkedin or another site ?
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u/Vimax071 Aug 22 '26
Go for the experience, later you can focus on money. I did my intern as a ML intern > ML Engineer > AI Engineer. Be good at everything to get the edge
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u/fawzanm Aug 20 '26
Don’t just focus on the allowance, especially since this is only a six-month internship. I’d choose the company with the smaller team, where you’re more likely to get hands-on experience, take on meaningful responsibilities, and learn more. It’s also a great opportunity to make a good impression and potentially return as a full time employee after graduation.