Author: Neel Mehta

How to get a tech internship

Field-tested job-hunting tips for computer science students.

Also check out my post on getting started with computer science for college students.

Google headquarters

I probably don’t need to convince you that working at tech companies is really attractive. You can work with startups on meteoric rises and world-famous tech giants, all while surrounded by ping-pong tables and unlimited snacks. You can build apps that your friends use and products that make the world a better place.

There’s just one problem: how do you get a tech internship in the first place?

Basaha ang dugang pa ...

CS50: What Next?

Note: this post is aimed mostly at Harvard students.

CS50 logo

So you took Harvard’s introductory computer science class, CS50. (Maybe you were a regular at my section or met me at office hours.) You learned a lot, you enjoyed it, and you want to continue exploring computer science. Maybe you want to concentrate in CS, get a minor, get an internship at a tech company, or better understand how computers are going to take over the world.

But CS is a huge field, and with just one course under your belt, it’s difficult to really break into it.

So what next?

Basaha ang dugang pa ...

Ang akong Khan Academy Internship, Ting-init '15

Karong bakasyon, Ako mibiya sa mahigalaon utlanan sa Cambridge ug mipanaw sa West sa hampakon kini dato intern ingon sa usa ka software engineer sa Khan Academy. Ug nga dili na pagbuhat niini hustisya: kini mao ang usa ka hingpit nga makapausab nga kasinatian.

Salman Khan of Khan Academy
Uban sa makalilisang Sal Khan, ang magtutukod sa Khan Academy

Makalilisang nga mga proyekto

Nagtubo ako sa usa ka tonelada nga ingon sa usa ka software engineer pinaagi sa pagtrabaho uban sa akong mentor sa maong bugnaw nga mga proyekto sama sa:
– Pagmugna SEO'd landing mga panid alang sa atong mga video
– Pagtukod og usa ka bahin sa pagpadala sa tiggamit pahibalo email sa matag higayon nga sa ilang mga pangutana sa atong mga video og mitubag, nagtrabaho pag-ayo uban sa usa ka designer
– Pagsubay ug ayo bugs sa atong bag-o nga video player

Basaha ang dugang pa ...

Imantala, sama sa, ug makakaplag: pagtukod sa usa ka bukas ug curated ecosystem

Kadaghanan sa mga ekosistema sama sa app tindahan sa mga kaha sa bukas o curated. Apan nganong dili kita adunay mga? Maayo, sa atong mahimo — ang tanan nga imong gikinahanglan mao ang tulo ka mga berbo: sa pagmantala sa, makakaplag, ug sama sa. Nga moadto alang sa teknolohiya ug sa bisan unsa pa.

Kasagaran adunay duha ka mga opsyon sa diha nga kamo gusto aron sa pagmantala sa usa ka app: imantala kini sa usa ka butang sama sa iOS App Store (diin ang mga tawo makakaplag sa inyong app, apan Apple tig-ribyu makalimod sa imong pagpasakop) o ibutang kini sa ibabaw sa imong website (diin kini sayon ​​aron sa pagmantala sa, apan walay garantiya bisan kinsa makakita niana.) Not the greatest set of options.

Isn’t there a way to combine the strengths of both of these to make for the best possible experience for both publishers and consumers? I think there is. It’s called an open and curated ecosystem. Let’s take a look at:

  • What open ug curated ecosystems are
  • Examples of open and curated ecosystems
  • What you need to make an open and curated ecosystem
  • Examples of these ecosystems beyond just technology

and see if we can discover something about the power of crowdsourcing, innovation, and the three verbs sa pagmantala sa, makakaplag, ug sama sa.

Curated vs. open ecosystems

The iOS App Store and open internet, among others, are app ecosystems — places where apps can be published and found. And I think the big factors that differentiate one ecosystem from another are whether the ecosystem is open, where anyone can publish apps and whether it is curated, where the best apps rise to the top and users are assured quality apps. That’s the major difference between the iOS store and the internet at large, which I mentioned earlier.

Let’s look at examples of curated and open ecosystems and what differentiates them.

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5 bililhon nga free produksyon apps alang sa kolehiyo

Pipila ka tuig na ang milabay akong gisulat mahitungod sa mapuslanon apps alang sa high school — apan karon sa kolehiyo mao ang dinhi, ug kini nagdala sa usa ka bug-os nga bag-ong set sa mga demanda. Tungod kay Miabot ako sa Harvard, Ako adunay sa pagbuhat sa labaw pa, ug ang akong mga apps adunay sa pagbuhat sa labaw pa usab.

Kini nga mga bag-o nga apps kinahanglan nga modagan sa tanan nga mga platform (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS), i-sync seamlessly sa taliwala kanila, ug sa pagtabang kanako sa pagtuman sa akong data-organisar. Sila kinahanglan nga mahimong Daghag Gamit, mabaskog, ug sayon-sa-paggamit sa. Ug sila nga mahimong free.

With that in mind, here are the five apps that I’ve relied on most at Harvard and that I recommend to anyone in college or anywhere else in life. They’re ranked in order of usefulness.

Evernote, Wunderlist, Mailbox, Sunrise, Pocket
5 free, essential apps for college: Evernote, Wunderlist, Mailbox, Sunrise, and Pocket.
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Self-expression on the internet: a hybrid approach?

The internet should help you express yourself easily and ensure you have control over the content and quality of your writings. But is that possible?

The internet has always been called the great platform for self-expression. The claim goes that you no longer need to be talented and lucky enough to get your work into a book or newspaper or magazine; anyone can publish anything to the internet, and if it’s good enough, it can get found.

It’s definitely true that the cost of self-expression has gone down with the internet, so people are much more likely and able to use it to publish their ideas. (The idea of economic cost, or amount of effort it takes to do something, is a very powerful one, by the way. When it gets easier to do something, that thing explodes in popularity. It’s pretty self-evident, but it’s a powerful way of looking at things like the rise of self-expression with the internet.)

There are two main ways of publishing content online:

  • Publishing independently (making your own platform)
  • Using someone else’s platform (hosted publishing)

Both of these fall short of the goal of allowing for easy self-publishing. I think, though, that there’s room for a hybrid that would bring the best of both.

Basaha ang dugang pa ...

On “social” media, weak ties, and Snapchat stories

How social media is designed to help you build relationships with acquaintances, and why Snapchat (yes, that Snapchat) is the most effective social media platform

It was late enough that I’d stopped thinking for the night, so I proudly proclaimed to my nearby friends that I was getting a Snapchat account. It had always struck me as a bit vapid and narcissistic – you’re swapping carefully-chosen selfies with others to try and win favor – but I figured I’d give it a go.

But I quickly learned that Snapchat, like any other social media platform, gives rise to a number of use cases that the creators probably never intended. (For instance, Twitter probably never foresaw that it would contribute to the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.) What I saw was this: Snapchat and other social media platforms are surprisingly effective ways to grow and maintain your network of weak ties (acquaintances) by reducing the costs of communication and increasing the number of “hooks,” or chances to strike up conversation, you have. All social media can do this, but Snapchat, by its very nature, is the king of this.

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