How to Get Internship in Software Companies

by Abhishek

Computer Science students studying in most Indian Engineering Colleges have to do a project in their last semester. It should be a full time project of around 4 months and students have to do it in some software company. It is also called final semester project or industrial training etc etc.

In short they have to build something real in those 4 months for that company.

We get lot of requests, inquiries, and sometimes orders to give training to students who come via various references such as relatives, friends, associates, and gov. officials.

Unfortunately being a small company we can not accommodate all such students and give them training in our company premises. Space is a major and genuine constraint.

So we prefer to give them a project which they can do at home. They can come biweekly to take guidance from our developers if required. But mostly no one comes. They generally come for the first time to take the “Project confirmation letter” and at the end to take the “Project completion letter”!

Now I pity such students and such colleges.

Colleges know that there are not enough companies which can give trainings in their premises still they force students to find such companies. Clueless students go around searching for companies on their own and with the help of their parents, relatives. And that is where this vicious cycle of “Pulling the strings” starts.

But this is how Indian Society Works! By pulling strings. Right from your kids’ admission to school to getting a job, every time you have to pull strings. It is really unfortunate.

I am not here to solve this whole problem so I will stick to the college internship part for this post.

I blame engineering colleges completely and students partially for this whole “Pulling the strings to get project” problem.

So “What is the right way to get internship?”

Yesterday I met a very promising young engineering student who just completed his 5th Semester. That means he still has 6th, 7th and 8th semester to complete. Project is generally to be done in 8th Semester.

He asked me if I can give him training (internship) in Digicorp. He has a full day college and still he can manage few hours a day for that. I was more than happy to provide him a PC in my company and give him a project.

Why?

Because he has earned it.

He is in 5th semester which means he hardly knows anything about computer science or programming languages till now. Well as per the Indian colleges and students standards I mean. Still he has managed to create a website (including shopping cart features) for a local book merchant. He has made it online too which is a real deal.

Why?

99% of Indian Engineering students do not know anything about FTP till they graduate from computer science, forget about making something real and putting it up on the internet.

This guy is in 5th Semester and he has something online already. A great achievement according to me. So what if he has taken help from his seniors or some professionals.

He reads blogs, he is on twitter and follows the right people. This is again something not very common amongst rest of the students. So I will give him additional points for that.

He has been communicating with me on Twitter and Facebook for around 6 months. So I already knew him. Yesterday he asked me on twitter if I can meet him as his exams got over. He came, told me his story and asked me if he can get the internship at my company.

Do you see difference in the pattern here?

One guy who does not need to do any project to show in college is looking for internship. He has build something real already. On the other side there are thousands of students who have done nothing till their 7th Semester. And now they are looking for projects in companies through references. Please take note that I also come in the later segment. And I really repent that and it is the reason why I am so keen on showing the right way.

Guys come on, get up and start doing something real now. Your work will speak forever, references may not always.

Show something real, something you have built in college to companies while asking for projects. If there are sincere efforts behind the work, I bet they won’t think twice to give you a project or even in hiring you.

All the best.