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?

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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?

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Kuv Khan Academy Xyaum, Lub caij ntuj sov '15

Qhov no lub caij ntuj sov, Kuv tshuav tus phooj ywg confines ntawm Cambridge thiab taug kev tawm hnub poob mus rau ntaus nws nplua nuj intern raws li ib tug software engineer ntawm Khan Academy. Thiab hais tias yog tsis heev ua nws ncaj ncees: nws yog ib tug lig transformative kev.

Salman Khan of Khan Academy
Nrog rau cov txaus Sal Khan, tus founder ntawm Khan Academy

Txaus tej yaam num

Kuv loj hlob ib tug tuj raws li ib tug software engineer los ntawm ua hauj lwm nrog kuv saib rau tej laj tej yaam num raws li:
– Tsim SEO'd tsaws nplooj ntawv rau peb cov yeeb yaj duab
– Lub tsev ib feature xa cov neeg siv ceeb toom emails thaum twg lawv cov lus nug rau peb cov yeeb yaj duab tau teb, ua hauj lwm nrog ib tug designer
– Koj saib zoo zoo cia thiab kho cov kab nyob rau hauv peb tshiab video neeg uas ua ntawv

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Luam tawm, zoo li, thiab nrhiav tau: lub tsev kev qhib thiab curated ecosystem

Feem ntau cov ecosystems xws li app khw muag khoom yog tog twg los qhib los yog curated. Tab sis yog vim li cas muaj peev xwm tsis peb muaj ob? Zoo, peb ua tau — txhua yam koj xav tau yog peb verbs: luam tawm, nrhiav, thiab zoo li. Uas mus rau technology thiab lwm yam.

Feem ntau muaj ob qho kev xaiv thaum koj xav luam tawm ib tug app: luam tawm nws mus rau ib yam dab tsi zoo li lub iOS App khw (qhov uas cov neeg yuav nrhiav tau koj app, tab sis Kua reviewers yuav tsis kam lees koj cuav) los yog cia li muab tso rau koj lub website (qhov twg nws yog ib qho yooj yim mus luam tawm, tab sis yog tsis muaj guarantee leej twg yuav pom nws.) 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 thiab 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 luam tawm, nrhiav, thiab zoo li.

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 invaluable free tsim apps rau kawm ntawv qib siab

Ob peb xyoo dhau los kuv tau sau ntawv txog pab apps rau high school — tab sis tam sim no kawm ntawv qib siab nyob ntawm no, thiab nws coj ib tug tag nrho tshiab set ntawm xav tau. Txij li thaum Kuv tuaj txog ntawm Harvard, Kuv twb tau mus ua ntau, thiab kuv apps tau ua ntau dhau.

Cov tshiab apps yuav tsum khiav rau tag nrho cov platforms (Qhov rais, Mac, Android, iOS), sync seamlessly nruab nrab ntawm lawv, thiab pab kuv kom kuv cov ntaub ntawv ib lub koom haum. Lawv yuav tsum tau ntau yam, robust, thiab yooj yim-rau-siv. Thiab lawv yuav tsum tau 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.

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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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