DS1 has applied to top Comp Sci schools and programs and we’ll hear soon enough where he’ll be next year. I wondered if there were any web sites better than others for finding summer internships. Most internships I find via Linked In are seeking at least college juniors and the companies are hoping to perhaps hire them full time after graduation. The few that I am seeing tend to be be targeted at attracting minorities or women. We are Caucasian and in Silicon Valley. Any tips appreciated.
Who do you know who would have a connection that your kid could take advantage of? That’s how the kids I know found jobs and internships for the summer after HS graduation.
Most kids can’t get internships the summer after HS because companies want kids with a few years of college under their belt (unless they have connections as mentioned above) so they do the usual things instead - camp counselor, lifeguard, work in retail etc. I found it was even hard to find summer internships after freshman year in college.
“The few that I am seeing tend to be be targeted at attracting minorities or women.”
Argh!! This “opinion” is a clear case of 2+2 = 5.
As Kiddie said, most companies have no intention of hiring high school students of any demographic, because their lack of college classroom exposure really offers nothing to the company.
Thanks. That’s confirming my findings from LinkedIn and similar sites. Time to shake the contacts tree.
@LakeWashington I am referring to actual internships at a nearby university and know about them from a highly placed person who works there. They are looking for a specific demographic to encourage science career aspirations in those groups. There is also a weeks long coding seminar seminar offered by a large corporation and it too is asking for a specific demographic.
I found Happykid (theatre tech/design) internships for the summers after her junior year of HS and after her senior year, by identifying all of the summer camp programs in our area that she could get to by public transportation that claimed to offer theatre activities. The first year I did all the contacting myself, the second year I identified the places, helped her compose her emails, and left her to make the actual contacts.
Depending on what your DS1 thinks he wants to do with his summer, as similar strategy might work. But I’d encourage you to take with him about what he wants to do, and how much money he needs/wants to make. An internship in his projected field of study might not be necessary just yet. If he doesn’t have much work experience, any job he can come up with will give him needed practice in all of those getting-to-work-and-staying-at-work life skills that everyone needs.
Local schools (elementary through HS level) often hire computer science help for the summer - they need help with preparing technology for the coming school year.
@kiddie That’s right - I forgot about that specific opportunity. His HS does hire students for those summer IT roles. Thanks for the reminder!
Have you considered telling your DS1 to enjoy her last summer before college, and possibly spend time doing personal enrichment stuff besides internships, such as learning a new programming language or development platform, reading books, or having fun? 
I’m with @c0nman. DS had done internships before junior and senior years of HS, and enjoyed/learned a lot. However, he spent the summer before college with friends, with family (I’m a SAHD), planning his classes for first college semester, coming to grips with the fact that he and his long-term girlfriend were going to different schools in the Fall, etc. He also had a chance to recharge his batteries.
@c0nman Fair point. We are looking at alternatives. The main thing I don’t want is weeks on weeks of MMORPG. He absolutely loves hack-a-thons with his coding friends - the intensity, the competition. Typically they include learning a new language into the mix there. Travel is possible.
@IxnayBob Thanks for pointing out the emotional transition piece and the battery recharge. Kiddo worked his butt off in HS there’s no question there. More to ponder.
@patertrium, I think the emotional transition might have been tougher on me :).
Chances are, your son will be working hard in September. He has earned a right to chill for a bit. It is good to do something, so that he’s still academically warmed up, but it’s also a great time to reflect on what he’s accomplished and what his hopes and plans are for the next year. Even kids should take a victory lap every now and then
@IxnayBob You just had to go there! Now I need a summer off to transition.
I think a cool balance is www.hackerschool.com if your DS is into computer science. I’m applying there as well. Great combo of personal enrichment, networking, future recruitment opps.
The Flatiron School is also offering a scholarship to participate in their summer computer science session.
Without previous work experience, heavy-duty competition stats, or serious contacts, it’s very hard to get high school tech internships.
Even for college freshmen, you often need to have some relationship in order to find a summer internship position.
Hey @patertrium,
I have a friend who got early admission from Harvard and recommended me “hsinternships.com”. Apparently it costs much less than a typical summer camp experience or other internship connection websites (like discovery internship, which has baseline cost of $3899).
Looks like there’s a kid who got a computer science internship in the website testimonial, and they also have a free money back guarantee, so you should check it out!
I too recommend contacts. Sophomore year I asked if my son could job shadow at my brother’s firm. They didn’t pay him except with an Amazon gift certificate that summer, but were so impressed with him that they ended up hiring him the following summer and then he worked part time for them during the school year as well. By the time he was in college he was a very attractive candidate for internships by the time he was in college.
He also spent part of the summer volunteering in the computer lab at the senior center. A certain amount of the time was teaching them to double click or how to get on the internet, but it was good for him. My son considered working in computer science relaxing and was not much of one to hang out with friends. If left to his own devices he’d spend all his time on line. He’d be learning new languages and reading lots of books, but not having much interaction with human bodies.