What Should I Expect from an Internship as a Freshman?

Check out the internship descriptions online; they usually list the skills and concepts employers expect. I suggest looking at a few different postings to see what common requirements pop up. Interns often have lower expectations placed on them, so your main goal should be to ask questions and maintain a positive attitude. What prerequisites are you currently working through? And how well do you know Python?

Internships can be pretty immersive. When I interned, I felt like a real team member right away. I received an introduction to the tools used and was assigned a buddy for questions, which was super helpful. I was even offered a full-time position at the end of the term! It’s important to work on developing projects independently; it’ll give you confidence. Just a heads-up, I was working in a language I hadn’t encountered before, but I found the concepts were similar, so my previous knowledge really helped me adjust.

To land an internship, it helps to know how to code and have some projects under your belt, but you’re not expected to know everything about working on real projects at a company—you're there to learn! You don’t need to wait for classes or internships to start building projects. I recommend focusing on the language you'll be using in your coursework. If your next class is in Java, dive into learning Java and start creating small projects. Eventually, you can explore other languages, but mastering one first will give you a solid foundation.