<p>I am about to complete my Associates and will be transferring to UMASS AMHERST, next Fall. I have yet to do data structures. And can you please suggest me some good internships that I may want to look into? Paid, unpaid..is not a big issue. I just want to get some experience. </p>
<p>Thank you.
Best Regards</p>
<hr>
<p>As a CS student, you should not accept an unpaid internship.</p>
<p>It’s going to be hard to find something unless you go to a job fair, career expo, etc… I imagine, anyway. Do you have any connections to industry?</p>
<p>In the worst case, if you really want to get some documented experience, you can work on an open-source project. That’s unpaid, but not in the sad, exploited way that doing something for a company would be.</p>
<p>You might also consider looking for academic enrichment/research opportunities…</p>
<p>Thanks, Yes i know quite few people in my surrounding. I am just not sure how good enough you have to be in order to get an internship (for somebody who has never had an experience). And i definitely be looking for some research opportunities. What do you think i should focus on in order academic wise? I may sound too naive right now, coz i am pointless. :)</p>
<p>You don’t need to be good to get an internship in CS; there are way to many software jobs/companies and not enough people to fill them. Applying to places can’t hurt.</p>
<p>If you want a job after your BS, focus on getting an internship. If you plan to go for an MS or a PhD, focus on getting some research experience. Ideally, do both at some point.</p>
<p>I know this is an old thread, but is it really the case that there are plenty of paid CS internships even for CS majors just finishing freshman year? My S has found a handful to apply to but all appear to be very competitive. Most places are telling him they want more senior students. If anyone knows of a company anywhere in the US interested in hiring a CS freshman for an internship, and would be willing to PM me the details, I’d be very grateful. (If it matters, he has some project experience outside the classroom, and is taking non-introductory CS classes.) He has been working with the on-campus career center up until now, but has also begun to do some online searches for relevant opportunities.</p>
<p>The son of one of my coworkers that goes to UMass Amherst did an internship for IBM in or around Westford or Chelmsford after his freshman year.</p>
<p>REUs will take rising sophomores but it is generally competitive. I’ve seen REUs advertising for CS majors as late as May when they didn’t get enough students applying.</p>
<p>Thanks. IBM did look like a promising possibility, especially since he’s flexible regarding locations. The REUs are definitely worth looking into as well. </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Too late for OP but UMass Amherst does REUs and they favor students from MA Community Colleges.</p>
<p>Haha! This is an OLDD thread. A lot has happened since my post. A LOT!! I went to Texas trying to get into UT austin. Long story short, I didnt even apply because they sort of changed their criteria for CS applicants. I tried building a yahoo-like website along with my other two friends, but “too much info” stopped us in the middle (or we lost the hunger). I just finished my associates in MAY 2012. Heading Off to UMASS Amherst as I had promised.</p>