So I have been offered an internship at this small local company near where I live.
I wanted to intern for about a month (because i had other plans); they’re saying they can only take interns that can come in for about 6 weeks.
My current intended major is computer science (perhaps concentration in game design/programming).
I will be learning how to make websites (HTML/CSS) and will be using photoshop to edit pictures.
Should I take this internship or not? I mean I could just learn the languages myself but that doesn’t really ‘prove’ what i can do. 
I say take the internship. It is good especially since it is related to your major which WILL give you an advantage in the college admissions process. I wish you the best of luck.
On a side note, I learned HTML/CSS and a little bit of JAVA last summer. Loved it.
It will probably help. Do it.
I’d definitely take the internship for the 6 weeks. It sounds like a good fit for your interests and it will look much better to work for a company than to say you did something on your own.
So yes it will help you gain some experience. But have the right mindset when you’re going in. Don’t go in to boost your app, go to the company and have a mindset to learn and just enjoy the experience. You might think the mindset doesn’t matter, but it will when it comes time to write your essays.
That’s great!
Although let me help you.
Computer Science does not involve HTML/CSS. Why? Because those aren’t programming languages, those are markup languages.
"Should I take this internship or not? I mean I could just learn the languages myself but that doesn’t really ‘prove’ what i can do. " - You can certainly learn the languages AND then build actual products that showcase your work. Choosing the internship or making your own products are two great choices and you can’t go wrong. Just choose the one that YOU want.
Note: If you plan on applying to top universities in CS (like Stanford, MIT, CMU) you need to be aware that there are thousands of high school students who make their own iOS apps, web apps, websites, etc. and they’re all self taught. Some are even researching at Caltech! It’s crazy. But if you plan on applying to a mid to lower tier institute, you should be fine.
I recommend learning javascript + python next.
P.S. It’d be great if you teach yourself and build a product yourself, although you must be dedicated! Practice makes perfect.
I had a friend who spent last summer learning iOS game development and launched his own game to the app store and showed it to the colleges he applied to, explained that he taught himself, and ended up being accepted to Harvard.
Best of luck.
Thanks for all the responses. I ended up declining the internship. After talking to a few people (and of course consulting the wise CC members), I reached to the conclusion that I would be miserable doing something that I actually don’t want to do.
Sounds like a good decision. Had you said “I’d be miserable doing this” in your initial post, I doubt anyone on here would have told you to do it anyway. But sometimes getting a grip on how we really feel about a job or relationship or internship takes some time, right? Have a good summer.
“My current intended major is computer science (perhaps concentration in game design/programming).
I will be learning how to make websites (HTML/CSS) and will be using photoshop to edit pictures.”
“I ended up declining the internship. After talking to a few people (and of course consulting the wise CC members), I reached to the conclusion that I would be miserable doing something that I actually don’t want to do.”
@Bizziee, it’s probably a good idea to decline the internship if you think you would be “miserable doing something that I actually don’t want to do”. But I have a hard time understanding how an internship learning how to make websites and using photoshop would be a miserable experience for someone who wants to do CS with a possible concentration in game design/programming. It sounds right up your alley. If this would truly make you miserable, perhaps you should rethink your long term plans.