3 ms·

Ask HN: Is it too late to work on projects for my resume to get an internship?

I'm much more knowledgeable than I was last year (freshman year). I know much more languages than just Java and have completed projects and assignments in class that have made me a better coder. The only issue is that I don't have any tangible evidence of my coding. I don't really have a fleshed out git hub or any personal projects. I plan to remedy this by starting a blog to keep track of my experiences, starting a personal project of mine, and contributing to open-source projects. I plan to have enough done to be able to send out resumes around March/April. Is this too late for getting an internship? And if it's not too late, then when is the latest?

uptown 12y ago
There's no such thing as "too late" because nothing needs to be complete. You can talk about whatever you're working on at-the-time, and the challenges you're currently facing. Get to work!
- iwantathinkpad 12y ago
  I can't believe I've never thought of this! Could I then just list things off on my resume as ,"Currently working on..."?
  - uptown 12y ago
    Totally. And chances are, that's what they'll choose to spend most of their time discussing with you. Very few things are ever "finished", and even when they are - so what? It's what you learned, and how you decided to do certain things along the way where the real value and knowledge and experience is represented.
wmf 12y ago
I just finished hiring interns for this year and I heard that the good interns were taken back around November. You could send out resumes in March for a 2016 internship.
- smeyer 12y ago
  It's definitely far better to look earlier, but I know students and companies that have found good matches late into April.
gatsbysong 12y ago
Think it's still fairly early depends on what kind of internship you want to do. There are always companies looking for cheap labor like interns, and students eager to do dirty work and put something in the resume. These two things mix and match quite well.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
bnejad 12y ago
Apply ASAP. Start the blog and omit date postings on each post(you should be able to configure whatever you are using). Then link to whatever you want.
ssully 12y ago
As other's have said, list what you are working on and apply asap. Apply to a bunch of places, not just one. If you miss out then just be ready to apply of fall of this year or early spring. Keep in mind most internships are as much about you learning as it is about you doing some work for someone. While there are some out there looking for "all stars", most are just looking for someone who knows the basics and is excited to learn more. If you can convey that, which you conveyed in this post, then you are already off to a great start. Good luck!

uptown 12y ago

There's no such thing as "too late" because nothing needs to be complete. You can talk about whatever you're working on at-the-time, and the challenges you're currently facing. Get to work!

iwantathinkpad 12y ago
I can't believe I've never thought of this! Could I then just list things off on my resume as ,"Currently working on..."?
- uptown 12y ago
  Totally. And chances are, that's what they'll choose to spend most of their time discussing with you. Very few things are ever "finished", and even when they are - so what? It's what you learned, and how you decided to do certain things along the way where the real value and knowledge and experience is represented.

wmf 12y ago

I just finished hiring interns for this year and I heard that the good interns were taken back around November. You could send out resumes in March for a 2016 internship.

smeyer 12y ago
It's definitely far better to look earlier, but I know students and companies that have found good matches late into April.

gatsbysong 12y ago

Think it's still fairly early depends on what kind of internship you want to do. There are always companies looking for cheap labor like interns, and students eager to do dirty work and put something in the resume. These two things mix and match quite well.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

bnejad 12y ago

Apply ASAP. Start the blog and omit date postings on each post(you should be able to configure whatever you are using). Then link to whatever you want.

ssully 12y ago

As other's have said, list what you are working on and apply asap. Apply to a bunch of places, not just one. If you miss out then just be ready to apply of fall of this year or early spring. Keep in mind most internships are as much about you learning as it is about you doing some work for someone. While there are some out there looking for "all stars", most are just looking for someone who knows the basics and is excited to learn more. If you can convey that, which you conveyed in this post, then you are already off to a great start. Good luck!