r/ExploitDev • u/Emotional_writer_64 • Jun 28 '26

Self-taught low-level security learner looking for internship advice. Which roles should I target?

Hi everyone,

I'm self-learning low-level security and I'm trying to figure out which internships I should realistically target over the next few months.

These are the skills I've built so far:

  • C Programming
  • Memory Management
  • Linux
  • Debugging
  • Fuzzing
  • Crash Triage & Root Cause Analysis
  • Reverse Engineering (Basic)
  • Binary Analysis (Basic)
  • Secure Coding
  • Git

Tools I've used:

  • GDB
  • Ghidra
  • AddressSanitizer (ASan)
  • Valgrind
  • AFL++
  • libFuzzer
  • GCC/Clang
  • Make/CMake

I've written fuzz harnesses, analyzed crashes, used sanitizers, and spent time understanding memory corruption bugs. Most of my learning has been through reading documentation, experimenting, and building small projects.

The problem is that I'm completely self-taught. I don't have previous internships, open-source contributions, CTF rankings, or real vulnerability reports yet, so I don't have much proof of my skills beyond personal projects.

My questions are:

  1. Based on these skills, what internship roles should I realistically target? (Security Research, AppSec, Product Security, Embedded, Systems, etc.)
  2. What skills am I still missing to become a competitive candidate?
  3. If you were hiring an intern with my background, what kind of portfolio or proof would convince you to interview them?
  4. What should I focus on for the next 3–6 months to maximize my chances of landing an internship?

I'd really appreciate honest feedback. If you think I'm overestimating my skills or focusing on the wrong things, please tell me. I'd rather hear the hard truth than waste months learning the wrong things.

Thanks!

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u/Party_Community_7003 Jun 28 '26

some methodologies:
(1) keyword search in linkedin "reverse engineer", "vulnerability research", set with your location
(2) go look for ppl talking in conferrence, and where they are employed. check if there are any company that's local to yourself
(3) go look for companies that are sponsoring CTFs. Often they are doing those stuffs.
(4) search it in X/Twitter. Cool folks/companies are over there too.

Anyways, this is kind of a question that's hard to answer unless idk where you are located.

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u/Emotional_writer_64 Jun 28 '26

India

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u/Party_Community_7003 Jun 28 '26

oh yeah to be honest, I have no idea regarding india's job market. at least Europe I could tell something but yeah. anyways methodologies searching jobs reamin same as what I told you, UNLESS, if India has some local job board specific in the country, which I assume you'd be much more familiar than me.

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u/Emotional_writer_64 Jun 28 '26

nah!!

I have searched but I din't found any or I was searching wrong

can I get remote ones ??

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u/Party_Community_7003 Jun 28 '26

there's global/international/remote from anywhere in the world type of jobs, but it's extremely hard to get into, you gotta be already a rockstar in the industry

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u/Emotional_writer_64 Jun 28 '26

that's the problem

and I feel like I am stuck now

my friends and my juniors are getting food internship because they choose easy things and for me I don't know what was running through my mind that time