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Internships for Talented High School Students?
xeon4life asks: "I'm an Austin, Texas area high school senior with a slight dilemma: I need a job, I don't want what's offered at my age, and internships are not quite open for kids like me. I've recently been reading essays by Paul Graham about creating your own startup and have been motivated enough to convince two of my good friends to go into business with me later, during college. Thus, an internship at this point would be the ideal solution for me now, but nobody is willing to take me as an intern because I'm still in high school. What am I to do?"
"People have suggested that I just do what every other good American high school citizen does and take a mediocre job. The problem is, I feel it would be a waste of my talents right now to be stuck folding shirts at the local mall or flipping cheeseburgers when I could be helping develop a cutting-edge game, the next-generation compiler, or even the Linux kernel as an intern. I have a higher than most college students' understanding of concepts, and some real programming experience in languages like assembly and C/C++, but that isn't going to amount to anything if I can never find an interviewer who will at least listen to me. I'd appreciate any input the Slashdot readership can give me."
Internships don't pay that much, and apparently either you or your two friends are incredibly rich anyway. So forget the internship, and spend your time and talent working on an open source project or two. If it's your friends that are rich and not you, convince them to set up the company now and hire you as an intern for a measly salary.
One of the hardest things to figure out when you are starting something new is how to eat while you are still making the new project work. Since you presumably still live at home, that's not a problem for you. And since you are still in high school, it's not a point of embarassment to be living with your parents.
That means that you can work for cheap, REAL cheap, gaining experience that will help you out in the future. So, get out there and help out as many people as you can with your skills, and to hell with a "regular" internship for now. If you do a good job, they will recommend you to others.
Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
You can gain other important skills by other ordinary high-school jobs. You don't have to work at a burger joint, there's libraries, and even good entry level jobs at factories. Working third shift at a factory can be loads of fun (kinda dark and mysterious).
Also, commitments among friends in high school often end at graduation. Life gets more complex, and you can find no fault in your friends if they get a significant other or decide to change their focus in education (what if they get into a different college from you).
Don't grow up too fast. You'll feel like you're 65 and ready to retire by the time you're 25, so be careful.
almost all of the community colleges in my area (maricopa county, az) allow high school students (at least seniors) to sign up and take classes. i was taking classes through one as a high school junior. see if you can do that. boom, now you're in college
... imo, his 'success' has gone to his head and he now lives in a fantasy world. before i started working with computers, i painted houses and washed cars. both of those jobs taught me valuable life and career lessons a computer-related internship never would. plus, jobs like that are fun. you're still young ... have some fun before it's too late
as for joel's "advice"
vodka, straight up, thank you!
I'd say, suck it up and get a real job. That's what being a teenager is about. I worked flipping burgers for a few weeks and then stocking shelves at a Cub Foods all night for a few weeks. Even though it wasn't very long, the hard labor, long hours, terrible bosses and coworkers, low-pay and generally hellish environment is something I'm glad I went through. In fact, I even pumped gas for three days.
Of course, I was 16 at the time, but a few years later, I had a software career making a _lot_ of money. And knowing exactly what those kind of jobs are like makes me glad I have the job I do today. Even when work sucks the most, I can stop myself and appreciate the fact that I'm not digging ditches in the blazing sun for $12/hr or flipping burgers or stacking 50lb bags of dog food for $8/hr.
Worry about your internship when you're in the last half of college. Don't worry about it in highschool. Besides, you're not only competing with seasoned professionals who need real jobs, but college people who need internships over the summer. You're low-man on the totem-pole.
And if you really want to do something, go donate your time and services at a local charity that could make use of your technical skills. That will definitely look good on your college application and future resumes. Besides, you'll feel a lot better doing something you love and just getting some kharma for it than you will busting your ass at Intel or IBM for free.
First, I must apologize for the reception you've received to your question thus far. The ONE THING someone your age needs above all else is encouragement, which is something sorely lacking in most of the answers I've read. The fact that you stated your experience isn't bragging; you're trying to make it clear what direction you want to go in. I'm appalled at some of the things that have been said to someone who is actually going out and doing something with their life. (Jealousy that they did not, perhaps?) However... the silver lining is that such a response *will* help prepare you for the real world, which is unfortunately much like this at times. Don't let it discourage you; keep going anyway, and with just a little luck, you WILL succeed. Taking moronic insults and banter like this personally is pointless and a waste of time. File it away in the "This person is unreasonable and will waste my time" folder, and keep moving.
I can tell you from direct experience that there are MANY opportunities available to someone your age. I'm not familiar with the state of things in Texas, but everywhere I've tried (California, Florida, New York), there are always many people out there who see something of value in a kid with drive, and technical interest/ability. What I'm about to tell you about will work for getting you either a job or an internship (I've gotten many of both this way), though it may take a little tweaking based on your area and specific use. What it really boils down to is drive and determination, but some good planning beforehand can greatly reduce the amount of wasted time.
First, make a list of all of the different types of things you can think of that you might want to do, later in life. Obviously, you're going to want to make sure your internship matches your potential career(s), so this first step is important.
Next, come up with a list of ANY company in your area you can think of that might offer jobs in this same field. The fact that you're currently focussing on getting an internship instead of a job is irrelevant right now; a good internship requires the job that will support it to exist.
Now pull out a pencil, your computer, or whatever your favorite writing tool is and write yourself a script. Short, to the point, but cheerful and polite are the rules, here. "Hi, my name is Bob Smith, and I'm interested in interning/working for your company. May I speak with your hiring manager/HR department to discuss this?" Etc. Try it out on your parents, teachers, etc. Ask them to find ways to answer "No" and hang up on you, then eliminate those questions from your script. Remember that your script is just your plan, and that it will need to be flexible. You know, strategy vs. tactics. Testing it out on people will help show you which parts will likely progress normally, and which can go in any direction. Try to avoid questions that *can* be answered with a "No": "Hi, my name is Bob Smith, and I'm very interesting in interning in your department. I'd love to come in and chat with you about the possibility. I'm free this Thursday and Friday, anytime after 3:30 pm. When is best for you?" See? No way to say "No" without changing the conversation around.
Once you've got something that will allow you to get what you want without being too forceful, start calling up the companies on your list. It's fine to read from the script, though by now you'll probably have it memorized more than you'd ever want to anyway. Call, call, and call some more. If you get a nibble, don't go nuts and scare them off, but definitely show interest and drive. Remember, in their eyes, you're just an irresponsible kid. There's plenty of reasons NOT to hire you or take you on as an intern, so show them why they should. Don't be pushy, but show that you're not a flake, and that you have what it takes. If you get something good, congratulations! If not, don't give up. This WILL require many calls just to get the hang of it, and many more to be successful. Call the least
If making money is not a necessity. Approach what you consider the "ideal" successful business (the one that would look good on your resume) in your area and offer to work for free if necessary. You might be suprised that after a while they might offer you employment, especially if you treat it like a real job despite the lack of pay. As in no showing up just when you feel like it or generally making a goof of yourself.
Regardless of the outcome, you will get to "hang around" and pick up valuable real world business knowledge. From the businesses perspective, it is a relatively low risk option to see if you are worth their time.
Logic is not Divine.
I disagree. I went to a high school [www.metcenter.org] that helped place me into a tech internship. You have to 'pound the pavement' and find a company that will take you on for free or cheap. Once you get past the front door you'll look quite appealing to a middle-manager and HR.
I had two internships in high school, one was working for a local tech outfit in the repair depot, which let me network and get the A+ and Apple certifications, and the other was assisting a local grade school get connected to the internet, which let me learn how to integrate technology into education and get a grasp on networking and server technology.
If it weren't fr those internships I'd probably be flipping burgers today, but instead I work at a top-notch boarding academy and run a freelance 'managed computing' business.
The company that ran the school I went to is active in Austin, it's called the Big Picture Company [www.bigpicture.org], they offer services to set up metcenter-like schools nationwide. find this company and ask someone for advice, they're VERY friendly.
"Sometimes, I think Trent just needs a cup of hot chocolate and a blankie." -Tori Amos on Nine Inch Nails
I'm in college and I can't get a job that respects my intellect, either. During the summer I do construction.
I'm no good at making stuff at all. I come up with ideas that are brilliant but my boss is too scatter brained to implement them even though they'd save him lots of money.
You know what? I get paid $7.50 an hour to get the same job as the highschool dropouts I work with. That's more than any of my friends get paid. You know what else? The reason you get paid to do something is because it sucks so bad that almost nobody is willing to do it for free.
Companies don't offer internships to high-school students, unless they are blood relatives of rather powerful upper management or somehow "connected" in a way that doesn't account for skill. Worse yet, if you do get a job (and prove yourself to your employer skillwise) they will love you.
At first it doesn't sound like a bad thing, but when they pile on the work, it tends to get in the way of college. And they'll pay you like you don't have a college degree, even if your coworker is doing the same job, you will earn half of what he makes because he has a degree. Still you'll be making much more than a Mickey D's burger flipper, and you'll get used to the money.
The companies that shop around for someone who is so easily exploitable (in this manner), are generally the same companies that will exploit you and your coworkers in other manners. Sadly, I know of a few very bright minds that have become so co-dependant on their companies that they cannot leave and cannot properly invest the time to finish their eduction.
Having a degree, or more properly, a good Computer Science eduction, helps in subtle ways outside of your paycheck. It can assist you in avoiding pitfalls when writing programs. A skilled programmer may skillfully build bridges over these traps, but an educated one often finds ways to walk around them. You could theoretically get that education outside of school, but schools provide a wonderful support net of people who organize, plan, and analyze your progress in becoming a better programmer.
If you must get some sort of computer job, start off easy. Learn to administer some of the simple server babysetting for small businesses, and work your personal contacts to find a position. Expect to be paid almost nothing, as the field is flooded with people of dubious credentials, and the reason you might be able to get a job is because your competeing with the least qualified computer "people" for the bottom-of-the-barrel types of jobs. Consider it a resume building experience, and not a money generating venture. When you do graduate, you will be noticed above the others that did nothing but go to school.