A computer science major opens a lot of doors in the ever-expanding tech space, but it can be hard to get your first real job without demonstrating that you have some hands-on experience in a real-world situation.
It’s the old catch-22 many graduates are familiar with: Nobody wants to hire you until you have experience, but you need someone to hire you to actually get that experience.
Not so if you secure an internship.
An internship gives you a practical understanding of the theories you’ve learned, all in a working tech environment. Your internship will sharpen your skillset, help you build a relationship network, and signal your readiness for the workplace.
In this complete guide to computer science internships, we’re unpacking what they are, who needs them, who offers them—and most importantly: how to get one.
Let’s go.
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Computer Science Internships: Who Needs Them?
Computer Science Internships: Qualifications
Computer Science Internships: What Are Your Options?
Computer Science Internships: Who Offers Them?
Computer Science Internships: How To Apply For One
Computer Science Internships: A Day in the Life
Computer Science Internships: Upskilling
Computer Science Internships: Who Needs Them?
If you’re in your freshman or sophomore year of a Computer Science Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree, you should definitely be considering a computer science internship. The same goes for anyone at college level pursuing a major in:
- Computer Application Development
- Computer Engineering
- Cybersecurity
- Computer Information Tech
- Computer Forensics
Computer Science Internships: Qualifications
Unlike other careers, an internship starts while you’re still in college. You won’t be expected to have a computer science qualification, but you should be able to demonstrate solid programming, coding, and engineering abilities.
In general, some core focuses—depending on the sector you plan on working in—could be:
HTML / CSS / JavaScript
Front-end web builders are a given in the tech space, so having the basics of web design and coding can be a minimum requirement for some internship positions.
Angular / Meteor
If you’ve already got experience with front-end coding, an understanding of frameworks can help extend your range.
HTTP / REST APIs
You’ll need some other technologies to utilize your knowledge in this space, but a firm grasp of how sending data works is a vital part of a computer science internship.
Mobile Development
Building apps and back-end frameworks for iOS and Android.
Back-end Frameworks
Ruby on Rails, Django, Node, Flask…whichever you learn, an understanding of back-end frameworks is crucial to web development.
Data Structures; Algorithms
A clear understanding of data structures—enough that you could clearly explain the idea to someone else—can be time consuming. Ultimately, though, you aren’t likely to secure a good computer science internship without it.
Gain a solid grasp of how data structures are used, what they do, the costs and benefits, and how to code algorithms.
Last, but definitely not least:
Projects
The technical skills you develop might vary depending on your core focus, but anyone thinking of applying for a computer science internship needs to have a few projects under their belt.
All your knowledge is wasted if you can’t create some projects that separate you from the competition. Take the initiative to create some projects that use a blend of front-end, back-end, and HTTP—or mobile development and HTTP. It doesn’t have to be a serious project—it just needs to demonstrate that you can solve problems, get creative, and enjoy what you do.
Computer Science Internships: What Are Your Options?
You’ve got a lot of options when it comes to the different types of computer science internships you could pursue. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll break them down into 10 key areas.
#1. Front-End Engineering Intern
A front-end engineering intern deals with the user interface (UI) side of an app or website. You’ll be coding in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, debugging code, and helping to build products for the consumer market.
#2. Back-End Engineering Intern
A back-end engineering intern deals with the data and code that powers an app or website. Programming languages—like Ruby, Python, and JavaScript—build out the behind-the-scenes elements of an end product. You’ll write, test, debug, and review code so that it adheres to best practice and creates a seamless development environment.
#3. Full-Stack Software Engineering Intern
A full-stack engineering intern works on both front-end and back-end technologies. You’ll explore how data flows, transfers, and displays for the end user. Key understandings for full-stack engineering interns include analyzing tech components, exploring performance, and effectively creating a feature or product from start to finish.
#4. Information Security Intern
If you are interested in the security and confidentiality workings of tech applications, working as an information security intern will have a strong appeal. You’ll explore the security challenges organizations face, learn how to address and resolve security risks, and dig deeper into the best practices and legal requirements that protect consumer information and financial records.
#5. Mobile Engineering Intern
This type of role can be broken into two areas—which we’ll explore in a minute—but a mobile engineering intern works with mobile technologies to build out apps. You could work with iOS or Android, and you’ll use various coding practices to gain front-end and back-end engineering experience in the mobile development space.
#6. iOS Engineering Intern
An iOS engineering intern will work specifically with Apple products. You’ll develop an actionable understanding of XCode, Swift, and React Native, work with provisioning profiles, acquiring developer certificates, and publishing to the App Store. iOS engineering interns often gain full-stack experience, as they work end-to-end in app development.
#7. Android Engineering Intern
An Android engineering intern operates as a full-stack engineer for the Android platform, and often works across cross-functional teams to execute new features in the Android space. From planning to development and integration—right through to user engagement—you’ll work with applications from conception through to execution and implementation.
#8. Product Management Intern
A product management intern often bridges the communication between engineering and marketing, and requires a strong understanding of both computer science systems and people. You’ll develop strategies and map out product launches, develop marketing strategies, and help conduct market research. In 2021, this type of internship is gaining in popularity.
#9. Data Scientist Intern
A data scientist intern develops customer profiles, quantitative analyses, and statistical modeling around a digital product or service. You’ll create statistical models to analyze data, gather insights, and form predictions that enable organizations to understand their customers’ habits.
#10. Data Engineering Intern
A data engineering intern develops systems to collect, store, and process data—and establishes a close working relationship with data scientists that enable them to analyze the data. Data engineering interns require solid coding skills, and an ability to understand the parsing of data in order to create a solid infrastructure to capture it.
Computer Science Internships: Who Offers Them?
In a nutshell: a lot of organizations.
From the big names in the business—like Microsoft, CSC, Deloitte, and Amazon—to small startups, computer science interns are an integral part of developing both the workforce, and the individual organization.
Computer Science Internships: How To Apply For One
Now you know you want an internship.
- You’ve developed your key skills
- You’ve learned data structures
- You’ve got a grasp on algorithms
- You’ve posted some of your projects online (Github is a great place to do that).You’re ready. Before you start applying, here are some key tips to help you prepare for what comes next:
- Get your resume together: it should be clear, concise, accurate, and probably only one page long
- Make a list of your strengths, weaknesses, and passions in computer science
- Manage your expectations: not everyone secures the high-end internship. The key is to find a strong fit for your skills and development plans.
Development Programs
While many freshmen seeking internships limit themselves to young startups and small business, many large organizations have developed programs specifically suited to freshmen or sophomores—like Facebook University, Google Engineering Practicum, and Microsoft Explore.
Be a Job Seeker
There are several ways to find internships in your area. From online job databases like http://www.crunchbase.com/ and https://angel.co/jobs, to fellowship programs that match your skillset to a specific startup, like http://www.kpcbfellows.com/, http://apply.hackny.org/, and http://university.firstround.com/.
Check Portfolios
If you want to target seed-stage and venture-stage startups for your first internship, check the portfolios on sites like:
You can filter the portfolios to narrow down your search, and uncover some gems which may not have been inundated with internship applications yet.
Hit a Career Fair
Career fairs may seem old school, but talking to recruiters can help you bypass the initial steps of an application and get straight to an interview—if you make a good impression.
Prepare for a career fair in advance, to give yourself the best chance of success:
- Take copies of your resume with you
- Pull up some of your projects—or links to your projects—so they’re handy on your mobile device (just in case a recruiter asks to see something)
- Dress like you’re serious about interning
Pro Tip: Don’t Limit Yourself
Some prospective interns make the mistake of limiting their search to their dream workplaces. This narrows your chances of finding a placement and stops you from developing new interests and focuses.
Especially with your first internship, apply to more roles than you think you should. Track them carefully—a spreadsheet can be helpful for this—and keep your mind open to gaining experience in unexpected places.
How many internships should you apply for? Samuel Foster, a summer intern at Google’s Manhattan office, applied for 80 internships when he was a junior at California State.
Computer Science Internships: A Day in the Life
So, you’ve done it—you’ve applied for internships. You’ve had a few—or a lot of—rejections. You’ve been to interviews. You’ve maybe been to follow-up interviews. You’ve received an offer.
You are officially a computer science intern.
While every computer science internship is going to look a little different, depending on the type of internship and the type of organization you’ve secured, here is what you might expect on an average day.
Starting the day
“We plan our whole day at the sprint board. We have certain tasks to finish so that we can demo the product to the client for feedback. Each day we talk about what we accomplished yesterday and any (issues) we ran into.”
- Pratik Jadhav, Development Intern
Often, your day will start with a status meeting or check-in with key stakeholders. You’ll set your tasks for the day.
Unlike administrative interns, most computer science internships don’t involve fetching coffee.
“I am impacting the business and my role isn’t just to sit here for 11 weeks. You are a full-time employee and are expected to produce work as such even though you’re an intern. No fetching coffee. No making copies or taking lunch orders. Actual work with real deadlines.”
- Cedoni Francis, Google Brand Experiences Intern
Throughout the day
“I get up to date on any communications, check if any new issues have been opened on Github, or any pull requests submitted. I like to review the code which I wrote the day before and go back into the correct mindset. We share tech-related articles, and (from) here on out, it’s coding for the rest of the day. This involves communicating with the technical lead and others.”
- Adam Horigan, CoderDojo Intern
For most interns, the body of the work day will involve technical tasks, like debugging, coding, working with cross-functional teams, and developing and honing your skillset.
“Catch up on emails, code for about two or three hours or attend team meeting. (He would) spend the afternoons working on projects and other work, and often stay until 6:00 for the free dinner.”
- Samuel Foster, Google Software Engineering Intern
Computer Science Internships: Upskilling
Many companies that offer internships will offer some kind of development program for their interns. Google, for example, offer technical courses and classes that range from ‘how to write more effective emails’ to ‘how to use Google Slides.’
If your internship placement offers courses, take advantage of them. If not, there are countless ways to immerse yourself in the tech world from home:
- Read publications like TechCrunch and Venture Beat
- Follow industry leaders on social media
- Join popular computer science and programming subreddits on Reddit
- Take on new personal projects
- Practice coding challenges via Leetcode and Hackerrank
Taking ownership of your internship will help you to capitalize on the experience, and improve your chances of turning that internship into a career after graduation.