4 ms·

Cold email plus a bit of luck, and then an informal interview in person. My best advice for anyone wanting to get connected is to not be shy. To get opportuniti

Cold email plus a bit of luck, and then an informal interview in person. My best advice for anyone wanting to get connected is to not be shy. To get opportunities and connections, you have to put yourself out there. This comes with the risk of criticism.

rubicon33 7y ago
> plus a bit of luck What was that luck?
- sdan 7y ago
  Got an internship at Berkeley AI's Lab this summer as a HS student. Here's what I think when he says "luck": I emailed 50+ personalized emails over a span of 2-3 months to professors and anyone else I wanted to work with. Most didn't respond, but for those who did, you'll need some luck and networking skills (which I hope have improved) to convince them you're the right fit or can help without hassle. Specifically luck includes: whether or not that person had a good day or had enough time to check their email, or numerous other things
  - jessehu 7y ago
    Nice hustle! How did you decide to start in CS research? Do you attend a math & sciences HS, or have family members in academics? Or perhaps just from reading the internet?
    - sdan 7y ago
      OpenAI mostly. Started following along what they're doing and eventually spiraled into going to one of their meetups and then attending ICML this summer. I'm not particularly a genius, but deeply passionate and curious on what I do. As a result, doing research or an internship was more fun than most other things I'd be doing over the summer/fall. Didn't grow up in the best of situations, but learned how lucky I was to live in the Bay, giving me access to meet people IRL and grow from there.
      - rubicon33 7y ago
        > I'm not particularly a genius, but deeply passionate and curious on what I do The two are often indistinguishable from each other. You have a very wise perspective for your age. Good luck to you.
        sdan 7y ago
        I think I've spent too much time reading PG's essays :).
lihaciudaniel 7y ago
Awesome dude are you planning to become an undergraduate?
- c0deb0t 7y ago
  Yep, and it is college application season!
Jenz 7y ago
> My best advice for anyone wanting to get connected is to not be shy. That’s where I (fellow High School student) struggle. I’m not really at a point where I can contribute much either way.
- c0deb0t 7y ago
  There is one thing I forgot in my advice: you need to have a good foundation first. For example, when I cold emailed, I had many programming projects and I wrote about them in the email. But after you have stuff done, I think aggressively (but politely) "marketing" your work is important to get those opportunities.

rubicon33 7y ago

> plus a bit of luck What was that luck?

sdan 7y ago
Got an internship at Berkeley AI's Lab this summer as a HS student. Here's what I think when he says "luck": I emailed 50+ personalized emails over a span of 2-3 months to professors and anyone else I wanted to work with. Most didn't respond, but for those who did, you'll need some luck and networking skills (which I hope have improved) to convince them you're the right fit or can help without hassle. Specifically luck includes: whether or not that person had a good day or had enough time to check their email, or numerous other things
- jessehu 7y ago
  Nice hustle! How did you decide to start in CS research? Do you attend a math & sciences HS, or have family members in academics? Or perhaps just from reading the internet?
  - sdan 7y ago
    OpenAI mostly. Started following along what they're doing and eventually spiraled into going to one of their meetups and then attending ICML this summer. I'm not particularly a genius, but deeply passionate and curious on what I do. As a result, doing research or an internship was more fun than most other things I'd be doing over the summer/fall. Didn't grow up in the best of situations, but learned how lucky I was to live in the Bay, giving me access to meet people IRL and grow from there.
    - rubicon33 7y ago
      > I'm not particularly a genius, but deeply passionate and curious on what I do The two are often indistinguishable from each other. You have a very wise perspective for your age. Good luck to you.
      - sdan 7y ago
        I think I've spent too much time reading PG's essays :).

lihaciudaniel 7y ago

Awesome dude are you planning to become an undergraduate?

c0deb0t 7y ago
Yep, and it is college application season!

Jenz 7y ago

> My best advice for anyone wanting to get connected is to not be shy. That’s where I (fellow High School student) struggle. I’m not really at a point where I can contribute much either way.

c0deb0t 7y ago
There is one thing I forgot in my advice: you need to have a good foundation first. For example, when I cold emailed, I had many programming projects and I wrote about them in the email. But after you have stuff done, I think aggressively (but politely) "marketing" your work is important to get those opportunities.