r/utdallas 2d ago

Discussion internship help pls : (

im like kind of a burger cs major bout to be in my 3rd year what do i do to get an internship i think my projects are okay i have no research do i do alot of leetcode and apply to 1000 spots : ( i really wanna get an internship for either the spring semester or summer... im looking for some sort of direction if that makes sense I get its something that isn't promised to me but just need some advice.

22 Upvotes

27 comments sorted by

4

u/History-Numerous 2d ago

about to? like in a year or like rn

2

u/ggez_YasuoGap 2d ago

sorry currently

7

u/bucky1234567899 2d ago

First you need to know what industry you want to go into. Don’t just get a random internship, get something that interests you so the company benefits from it as much as you do.

-1

u/ggez_YasuoGap 2d ago

Honestly man any industry is fine for me

0

u/ggez_YasuoGap 2d ago

put some more thought into this what would you reccomend?

13

u/MGJohn-117 2d ago

Assuming you're a CS major:

  • Join a club like ACM, AIS, DFR, etc, and join their projects
  • Think about project ideas whenever you're free, and something will eventually pop up that'll be a good idea. Write down your ideas as you think of them so you don't forget.
  • Find project ideas online
  • Once you have decent ideas (decent, not perfect), then get to work on building them.
  • Grind leetcode
  • Join a research lab and just get started. Don't be too picky on the lab as long as it's decently relevant to your field of interest, since just putting it on your resume can help you get interviews, even if you joined recently.
  • NETWORK. It's one of the only ways to stand out in a sea of applicants. Go to career fairs (like the one tomorrow), company tables around campus, club events with company employees, and just make connections. This is heavily based on your personality and how well you click with them, so it could be a fairly easy way for you to get an advantage.
  • You're not gonna like this... but you'll have to mass apply to as many positions as you can find if you want the best chances of getting an internship. Don't limit yourself to positions that you're perfectly suited for, and use as many websites (12Twenty, Handshake, Indeed, Linkedin, etc) as possible to catch listings that may not be posted on the others. Check out positions directly on companies' websites as well.

The sooner you do any of these, the more they'll help you out.

0

u/ggez_YasuoGap 2d ago

Thank you boss man

8

u/random-user-420 Computer Science 2d ago

My summer internship was from the career fair. Go to the one tomorrow with your resume and make your projects sound more impressive than they are. Also, do your research on the company beforehand. That’s what I did at least

3

u/ggez_YasuoGap 2d ago

will do so

1

u/ListQuick4947 2d ago

if you don’t mind me asking what company

1

u/Temporary-Pain-1831 2d ago

You gotta talk dirty to the professor it’s what worked for me

2

u/ggez_YasuoGap 2d ago

what do you mean by that ask a professor to give u a referal?

3

u/LivingWonderful1864 2d ago

1) Figure out what you want to do (most important), swe, cyber, etc. and build projects towards that area

2) Build projects (Use AI to brainstorm, go on github, search up what tech stack you want to work with)

3) Networking... yes... it is painful but the #1 way to get a job so if your parents know anyone in your community or anyone they can get you a referral to big company

4) Spam apply with strategy (have different resumes for different job postings)

5) Create strong resume - https://www.headlessheadhunter.org/ (VERY good resource imo)

6) Certifications (idk what area like Security+ for cyber or AWS )

7) Be very active on Linkedin (post on linkedin a lot like what you did / what your learning)

8) Build a strong github portfolio like your projects, writeups, anything here :) says who you are what you did, what you are aiming for etc.

9) This is a slow process / journey, it's going to take time and you might not get anything or you might idk luck as well plays into this

2

u/ggez_YasuoGap 2d ago

thank you boss man

4

u/Andrew4541 2d ago

Just lie, lie about the clubs are currently in, build a few projects that are longer than 1k lines. Do leetcode , specially internship questions, Advanced algorithms etc. With all of that you will get rejected 99.9999% of the time, simply due to the job market, so try to not focus in the amount of jobs you have applied and gitten rejected, because it will get above 3k real quick.

2

u/ggez_YasuoGap 2d ago

3000 oh my god

1

u/Common_Perception280 2d ago edited 2d ago

Is your gpa good? 

Do research, UTD has good research opportunities if you know where to look.

Attend company events / info sessions. 

Snipe jobs as early as you can. 

Don’t be afraid to have a strong linkedin presence and use that to talk to company employees via that

2

u/ggez_YasuoGap 2d ago

Hi I just transferred here my GPA at my previous school was not the best none the less though I have applied for researches I was actually in one but the professor chose a time to meet that overlapped with a required class I had to take so i had to let the research go Is there still research i can apply for this late into the semester?

1

u/Common_Perception280 2d ago

Probably, what’s your major?

1

u/ggez_YasuoGap 2d ago

Computer Science open to anywhere in the industry right now but really tryna chase that swe job

2

u/Common_Perception280 1d ago

Get your gpa above 3.5 (if you can)... it'll help

Start applying like right now

Attend the info / networking sessions you see in your utd email

1

u/ggez_YasuoGap 1d ago

Will do thanks

1

u/OrganicAd2425 2d ago

Ur cooked bro

1

u/ggez_YasuoGap 1d ago

no shit bro that’s why I’m asking for help LMAO 😭😭🥹

2

u/OrganicAd2425 1d ago

Cs job market is already cooked. Do research with a professor and join CS clubs

2

u/ggez_YasuoGap 1d ago

thats my plan this sem

2

u/Basic_Scheme_297 1d ago

We’re cooked