How I Landed My First Software Engineering Internship
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- Опубликовано: 28 июн 2024
- After spending months applying to 270 internships, I finally landed my first software engineering internship. It was a challenging process and in this video, I talk about my experience with applying/interviewing and share some tips. Hope some of you will find it insightful!
If you're currently looking for an internship, best of luck! It's definitely not easy landing your first internship, especially during these times. Don't give up, you got this.
If you've seen my "Day in the Life of a Startup Intern" video from August, I don't consider that internship to be of much significance because I didn't do much there and didn't even include it on my resume. Hence, I consider the internship that I recently landed to be my first internship.
Sub Count: 408
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 whole lotta Ls
0:13 sometimes it be like that
0:30 first 200 applications
1:28 WaterlooWorks + resume
4:17 interviews (prep + my experience)
8:37 closing thoughts
#internship #softwareengineering
Music:
Kane Brown, Swae Lee, Khalid - Be Like That (feat. Swae Lee & Khalid)
waterlooworks?
i sure hope it does
It really don't.....
lol ❤️these little comments
drew gooden's line 😂
In what area do you live/work? Crazy to hear you've done 200+ job applications. Wow!
Ain't working rn😭😭😭😭
This was super refreshing to see. A lot of us see software developers online and their stories about "how i became a software engineer for Google in 3 months" and it really sets unrealistic goals for people and when those expectations aren't met, we tend to really feel bad about ourselves and lose hope, eventually giving up. This was a very realistic and down to earth video and helped me quite a bit because I'm just a few short months away from graduating University and having a few interviews with some top tier tech companies and the nerves are really kicking in.
Thanks for this insightful video Nicholas!
glad you found it helpful and good luck with your interviews 💪
I was not expecting that many rejections especially when you're in Waterloo which is the MIT of Canada lol.. Usually Waterloo kids land jobs in the big banks and the bay area and get H1B visas. But I'm so proud of you! Congratulations!!
thank you!! yeah tbh i don't think i was qualified for a lot of the internships since this was my first one haha
Bruh 💀
it should make you think about how little university means for employers compared to actual skill
“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”
-Thomas Jefferson
interesting quote, maybe its hard work that got me this internship rather than luck
🤔
@@nicholast 50% hard work + 50 % luck
@@siddhantgarg6899 Ten percent luck, twenty percent skill, fifteen percent concentrated power of will, five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain.
@@uku4171 nonono. 99.99999999% bad finance, sad stories, parents broke, physically disabled, eligible for scholarship, UN . THESE things really matter... So try to make something BAD happen to you
... RANDOM RUclips USER
I like this saying
"Luck is the meeting of an opportunity and good preparation"
270 applications? I’ve done like 110 and I’m tired. That is tremendously motivating. Thanks
keep going 💪
I assume you are from US. Do you customize youre application for a job or internship one by one? I’m from Europe and spent around 4 to 5 hours for every application. But it took me only 26 applications to get 6 invitations and 3 offers.
tbf I was top of the class and have a very good masters degree. But still… 270 applications? Sound like mass production to me.
@@nicholast just got an offer mate thanks for the motivation
@@fetz5248 Ayyy let’s goo congrats 🎉
@@averagegymenjoyer well i mean you completed a masters degree which gives you at least 4 more years of experience lol. These people are undergraduate students(18-22) and by the time they graduate they will have full-time jobs.
I felt this to be a really realistic experience story. I’m also preparing for getting my first internship and super nervous but this helped a bunch understanding what it’s like. I’m really happy for you dude!
Good luck with your interview, hope it goes well :)
thank you and best of luck in your internship hunt :)
Did you pass?
Did you get the internship?
Your description of getting the internship was literally exactly how mine went. Got an email from the recruiter wanting to have a call and discuss my interview feedback and I kept going back and forth in my head on whether or not I got the internship. I honestly had convinced myself that I didn’t get the job so when the call happened and I did get it I about lost my mind and it took everything I had to not start screaming for joy into the phone. But I can now say I have an internship and it feels amazing for my work to finally pay off.
Another bonus is that I don’t have to work at Chick-fil-a again this summer lol
awesome man, congrats! funny how we both felt that way before the call haha
You asked for help! That hoes a long way in my (considerable) experience - means teamwork and integration and a willingness to learn. Well done!
Thanks!
this gives me a motivation. HUGE THANKS
glad it motivated you :)
This was extremely realistic and motivating. Thank you so much for this boost in confidence.
glad you found it helpful :)
Oh man, I see myself in you.
Went through the exact same process. Applied for 107 different positions, did multiple interviews and was getting used to rejections but at last, one company saw potential in me, and I'm super grateful. Today I'm working with amazing people and learning a ton every single day.
Had I not done all those interviews, and been rejected so many times before, i wouldn't have been nearly as prepared for my interview with my current employer.
At the time it was difficult getting so many rejections, but in hindsight it was the best thing that could have happened.
To whoever is reading this, if you're going through this process now, understand that it sucks getting rejected, but keep looking and, who knows, your dream job may be a few applications away ^.^
dude i love you for sharing this story. really brought my expectations down to reality
glad i could help
great video! I'm in sequence 4 so ill be applying soon and this vid helped a lot. Also congrats!!
thanks maryam, glad you found it helpful!! best of luck with your coop search!
Thanks, man! I'm 44 years old and changing careers. Currently fixing up some projects for my portfolio. Starting to study and hopefully get good at algorithms and data structures. It's only a matter of time. It will happen.
Hey Jason, how is it going with you carrer's change?
@@totidan38 got a part-time, contract job that is now frozen on work for the past month. It was a challenge at first, getting used to the codebase, but it got a lot easier.
I'm still putting in about 50-60 applications a month. Job market is tight right now!
@@jasonwhisnant5457 Yeah now it's very tight, I am very happy for you, I always enjoy when people put themself is something hard just to learn new things. I think it's real that 20% of the people make the 80% of the job.
OMFG 270 applications just for an internship?!? AND THEY SAY SOFTWARE ENGINEERS ARE HEAVILY IN DEMAND!!! 😱
haha i think it's just that i wasn't qualified for most of them 😂
I sent two and got accepted and honestly I was pretty bad... So I think it either depends on your degree or country.
There is something wrong..Are they really have those many applicants wanting the job? I feel something wrong with these capitalistic corporates as if they are offering for free..Anyways they are gonna suck the blood in return..People should not suffer this much
The thing is that ENTRY LEVEL/INTERNSHIPS have plenty of people to choose from, but good software engineers for more senior positions are very in demand
@@pangrey8931 saying that they're heavily in demand also ignores the issue of it being a high paying industry with a wide variety of education options leading to an equally large supply at the bottom
congratulations on the internship, man! really helped me to stay motivated and to keep trying. greetings from Brazil!
Thanks, don’t give up 💪
Keep coming back to this video
to get motivation thanks man
I definitely feel this. Finally got my internship after applying to 100 internships. Trust me, the key is to reach out to recruiters and network with them.
nice, congrats!
and how should we do it?
Facts
what words have you used with recruiters?
Thanks ..it was stongly needed 🥺
There needs to be more realistic interview/job application process content like this. College students like myself really needs these type of advice from people who share these experiences where companies tend to hire people with some experience, so we get stuck in the loop of “trying to get an internship in order to get an internship”. Thanks for sharing for the value of your sharing goes beyond just simple advice but a strong dose of encouragement for other new grads with little experience for us to keep going in our efforts without getting frustrated and feel bad about ourselves. And that goes a long way.
glad you found it helpful :)
Congratulations! And your channel's gonna blow up in no time! Love the content :)
thank you and glad you enjoy the videos :)
Really great insights! Thank you 😄
Thanks a lot for this video, Nick.
So relatable, doing my first internship/co-op now, oh my god, literally after 5 years of applying (sophomore, junior, senior year, spent a year applying to full-time jobs & grad school, got a job offer rescinded cause of covid, got into a MS in AI program, applied to maybe 20 jobs through the school when it opened up, in addition to my regular search, then the first company I interviewed for gave me the offer. Just having the MS in progress from this school that’s good for getting students into co-ops was huge
wow thats awesome, congrats!
Hey that’s awesome! Congratulations
thank you!!
I love your videos! I enjoy your perspective and your skits legit make me laugh. Excited to see where you go next
glad you like the videos :))
"just shoot your shot" dude honestly. i was super afraid of applying because i felt underprepared. i recently said "F' it" and began applying to dozens of positions. 4 interview / job offers later, i am about to begin my first entry level IT job
ayyyy
THANK YOU SO MUCH NICHOLAS!!!!!!!
bro going to waterloo is like 50% there. 90% of the CS students don't have the same reputation of a school like that. I know so many SDE in Seattle that went to Waterloo
Oooft Great work and Congrats! (Even though your internship might have already been finished). Such humbleness inspires me.
thank you :)
this was greatly helpfull !!!
@4:45, loooll!
I literally laughed out loud in my office!
Loved this video man. Thanks for being so relatable!
Hahaha glad you enjoyed :)
i'll be sitting for interviews from next week. even i feel i'm not prepared enough, this motivated me to keep pushing anyway
He is right, I got my first internship in Oracle some years ago!
Oh boy :D, now going for the MBA wish me luck!
amazing, good luck!
thanks for the tips Nick
Congrats!
thank you!
Your projects are really cool (great UI, very functional and useful), and they are not easy at the same time(e.g. Wave involves video, audio, message, matching students...and applyAI even uses AI and also has some cool features like applying multiple jobs from Indeed.
TLDR; How did you learn all this skills being a first year student with pretty heavy work load? How many hours did you spend on building those cool projects? How did you find your project teammates when you take all the classes online?
Great start)
From my perspective, your line of videos are really wholesome, if you think about it, anyone can relate to those cases, not only software engineering chads, but really anyone that struggles everyday trying for an opportunity.
So, having your videos and taking a laugh out of those situations, it helps.
You are doing great
WOW thank you for the super nice comment :) i'm glad you like the videos
I start at my community college for Software Engineering in august, pretty nervous but this gave me hope
good luck!
@@nicholast thank you!
Oh, you’re in for quite a ride. A few tips:
• you’ll get rejected (a lot) so don’t get discouraged, keep applying.
• work on projects outside of school (very important)
• start practicing on leetcode now and make it regular, this’ll make interviews a lot easier
@@samuelvieira6368 im used to rejection. Im a licensed electrician and went through at least 50 applications without hearing a word back. But im trying to work on it all in my free time to get a head start and have some projects under my belt
@Isaya Mlambo i got confused for a minuite, i thought you were talking to me because my name is nicholas too, but then i realized my name isnt my channel name 😂
I appreciate it!
Good job. Currently working on my resume
thanks!
im happy for u! best of luck! (probs completed internship already but in ur future ig)
Thanks :) the internship was for this summer so it hasn’t ended yet haha
You were lucky but I would hire you anytime. You have all the qualities that a team should for someone who can grow and contribute positively. Thanks for the video.
Getting that first internship under your belt opens up a ton of doors. It’s probably the hardest part of being a developer. Once you get done with that internship though, you’ll be more confident in your interviews because you’ll have your experience to talk about. Good luck to all trying to get jobs right now!
🙌🙌
Love your channel! Subbed!
thanks for subbing :)
Dam I'm about a year from completing my computer science degree and I'm looking at internship now I guess I should prepare to apply to a lot of them lol. Great video definitely helps gets some perspective on what to expect.
glad you found it helpful! though i don't think you'll need to apply to as many as i did, since i applied as a first-year with limited experience 😅
yeah chase that sh*t, i've seen that its super hard to get a full time position without any experience let alone internship experience
Can relate, in a job recruitment, I thought I completely blown my interview by not nailing some Leetcode easy level questions, then be surprised by an offer. The tips in this video are all very true, let the interviewer guides you, and make sure to present your thought process.
This was a great video.
P. S, you earned a sub!
thanks for subbing :)
You are a very accomplished CS student.
Haha thank you!
idk why i even watch these. i'm a EE and already got the job i'm prob gonna retire at. just find it interesting the shit you guys go through
Having connections to others in your field of choice helps a lot.
I'm a current high school rising senior and i thought applying to 11 was a lot, looks like i gotta step up my game after hearing you apply to 200😂
News flash: I SECURED AN INTERNSHIP!
I'm glad that I found your channel, it's really helpful! I'm also a CS student. I studied at a community college and will be transferring to a 4 years university this Fall. Honestly, during the first two years at community college, I didn't learn much. All I did was trying to search online for things to study, and ultimately got lost :)) However, recently, I was determined to follow the Front End path, or probably Full-Stack. I'm learning HTML and CSS now. Hopefully, I can get an internship as you did after next year. It would be nice if I can get some advice from you! Thanks!
that's awesome to hear and i'm glad you found the vids helpful! lmk if you have any specific questions (feel free to dm me on ig @itsnicholas.t) :)
@@nicholast thank man! I appreciate it!
@@khacduymai4694 did you get an internship
Very motivating ! I though I was making enough applications but I don't ahahah. Actually looking for a MEVN position for 6 months now but I won't stop until I get it. Trying also to be freelancer at Upwork but not easy to find first job. But Guys if you'r like me just keep going don't stop !!
Best of luck!
@@nicholast Thanks
What unicorn was it ? Keep up the goodwork man
It's so fucking hard. I got one last year and was so blessed... don't give up yall...
Wooow 270. I feel so fortunate to have received an offer for a swe internship just by sending like 50+ application at most.
I think what really helped me where the 4 projects I put on my resume: pathfinding visualizer, sorting visualizer, restaurant finder, tic-tac-toe game group project.
Uni did not help as it is in the range 700 ranking. I'm also a freshman in the UK 🇬🇧
I scored a UX Developer internship at an Innovation laboratory but the interview was tough! It consisted of a coding quiz and a design homework on a high fidelity prototype. These days, companies be setting such high standards for technical interviews that it feels similar to sitting for an actual exam.
congrats!
I got my position from waterloo works, its honestly pretty nice to cast a wide net. I think I threw nearly 200 applications filled up all 50 per cycle
congrats on landing a job!
The way you downplay the accomplishments you have before your first internship 😢😓 like whaaaattt? You had solid experience for someone applying to a first internship
haha thanks
Your videos don't miss
appreciate it :)
so i just got in for the fall 2020 batch at waterloo for ece (electrical). this was really helpful as a realistic view of the process and what i might face, although i wanted to know, when should i start looking out for such postings, cuz i talked to a few seniors thinking that stressing in the first year is unnecessary
This video got me more anxious because you know all this, developed apps/websites, won hack a thons and barely got an internship and here I am with none of that under my belt lol this whole internship thing is a stress
Nice videos gr8 work
Man I feel lucky to be in Australia. No degree, got the first intership I applied for and then the second job interview I had hired me. Much smaller pool of devs here.
Same happened to me with job applications - having 10 years of experience.
2:55 omg I came up with that idea too called it INLINE!!!
You're gonna need minimum 3-5 years of work experience in your first job. That always cracks me up :)
Hi, can we have a video on how to build side projects please? I’m in my 1a and I’m thinking about building a side project during the upcoming winter break because my scores sucks. I’ve never programmed in any languages except of racket, so I’m feeling completely lost on where to start. Thanks in advance!
7:15 That's me right there, I always expect the worst, that way things can only get better 🤣
good strategy
You're soooooo funny! " 200 leekcode questions...I'm kidding"
you are cool guy good luck to you w everything god bless
thank you :)
Thank you.
You’re welcome
Congratulations
Thanks!
I honestly think companies need to do better screening besides the online assessment tools. I hired employees that passed but were not a good fit for team work. Those I gave a chance besides their results, have been one of the best additions and teammates for my company.
My heart almost stopped beatting for a sec when you said you did 300 lc and read crack coding interview twice before your first coop lol.
That would be nuts haha
I was really lucky. I finished a bootcamp and sent out 27 applications and eventually got 2 offers 2 months later. The 2 places that even gave me a chance I had a referral. Everyone else just ghosted me, even the recruiters who were initially interested. Applying to jobs and just the entire process of being rejected and ignored constantly is soul crushing and really affected my self-worth.
congrats on landing the offers! it's definitely a stressful process, but becomes easier as you gain experience
Super cool video 👍🏻👍🏻. I hope I can meet the UW CS25 youtuber in person
- some CS2025 seq 4 guy :D
haha thanks! nice to see a fellow 225er
I'm guessing you were in your first year of your degree? If so congrats that you you got one and persevered through all those applications.
thanks a lot
Looking for intern placement is super hard, especially during the pandemic. I applied to hundred of companies too as an electrical engineer student, but they all rejected me after my interview (i just don't know why i thought everything went well). Then, i landed on an Intern, finally! But in my intern now, I dont even do any electrical engineer "job scope". All I did now is learning java and working on the software that they are trying to develop for high school student who is taking vocational school.
damn that sucks that your job isn't as advertised, hope you'll still learn new things tho!
Update: I land an interview with Intel company for physical design position. Im so nervous im gonna dieeeee
I am so close to a software dev role working on the BIOS for a power systems computer. Just waiting for a call back from their HR
lmao @ the preparation part
straight up same situation for me
my interview was just really trivial, also a unicorn so I got blessed
nice, congrats
@@nicholast congrats to you as well! there's no greater feeling than seeing the email/call come, thinking it's yet another rejection only for it to not be!
I know it's personal but could you please ballpark the hr pay / compensation
Hey Nic! did they ask you questions about React or something, or they just gave you a leetcode question? :))
Hey! In the unicorn interview, I was just given a LC question, but in another interview, I was asked questions about react (ex managing state, hooks)
Well if this kid barely found an internship, then it’s time for me to start investing in real estate eh
As an EE&CE graduate student, I feel like I am gonna running a Chinese restaurant in NYC after graduate.
@@user-ft4xr8gv7o guess it depends on what field you want to work in. i'm a EE and haven't had any issue finding jobs. but i don't work in tech. i work in utilities
@@brimmed I do not have issue to find jobs, I just feel like I am not that kind of super smart person to handle this job. I am focus on wireless communication, like 5G.
Thanks
and now, what i'm passing out is pretty similar!
4:37 was about to cry lol. Big sigh of relief to know I don't have to do that much leetcode
I am learning dsa. Started 4 days ago. That part almost depressed me
Applied 150 jobs, didn't get match, gonna keep grinding now
This video scares the hell out of me XD I'm a hopefull CS student
you've got lots of time, don't be scared!
Same man transferring to a 4-year soon
I would say the vast majority of software engineers, even a significant number of senior engineers, have less knowledge than this guy. I have interviewed enough people to know.
This guy is in the top tier, so don't be discouraged.
There’s no way- I’m quite inexperienced and unknowledgeable 😳 😳
Do you mind sharing how well you did on the CCC? I'd imagine it's a good indicator of your track towards getting these interview problems.
both times i wrote the CCC i think i got above average but below distinction. however, i didn't study as much for the CCC as i did for coding interviews. in general though, having a strong background in competitive programming definitely helps with solving interview problems.
@@nicholast I know this comment was 4 months ago, but did you do the junior or senior CCC?
@@B0bb217 senior
Got really lucky... Bro you submitted close to 300 applications.
I just applied. Got one
270? I'm not from the US, so maybe it's different from me... but I'm not even sure there were even 270 job offers within my search radius, which contains 4 larger cities. Out of those, I'd easily go through 20 before I'd find a single job offer where I could meet the requirements (as an above average student). Out of those, I think I got 5 rejection letters, 2 interviews and 1 offer. And even that was a bit soul-crushing.
And I thought me getting rejected from at least 20 internships was bad (because I kind of assumed they would want me and I only sporadically applied to random companies I thought of), and the ones that did ask for an interview was through HireVue which I refused to do because I was lazy and I thought it was awkward and cringe to record myself talking to no one. So I pretty much had a 0% chance at getting an internship because I was just too lazy to do the talking to yourself interviews.
I'm non-tech though, so the application experience is probably super different compared to SWE. I applied to banks and Big 4 and big tech or F500 companies.
The only company that didn't ask for a HireVue interview, but asked for an actual person to person online interview, was a FAANG and all my laziness and stubborness was worth it.
Bro, are you also from UBC? I know jack is
Nah I’m from Waterloo!
Wow and I thought my 45 was a lot!
But I'm a senior so that probably meant it was easier.