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?

Magbasa nang higit pa ...

CS50: What Next?

Nota: 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?

Magbasa nang higit pa ...

Aking Khan Academy internship, Summer '15

Ngayong tag init, Iniwan ko ang friendly paligid ng Cambridge at naglakbay out West upang tamaan ang mayaman makulong bilang isang software engineer sa Khan Academy. At iyan ay hindi lubos na ginagawa ito ng katarungan: ito ay isang ganap na transformative karanasan.

Salman Khan of Khan Academy
Gamit ang kahanga-hangang Sal Khan, ang nagtatag ng Khan Academy

Kahanga-hanga proyekto

Lumaki akong isang tonelada bilang isang software engineer sa pamamagitan ng nagtatrabaho sa aking guro sa naturang mga cool na mga proyekto bilang:
– Paglikha SEO'd landing page para sa aming mga video
– Pagbuo ng isang tampok na ito upang magpadala ng mga email notification gumagamit kapag ang kanilang mga katanungan sa aming mga video makakuha ng sagot, nagtatrabaho malapit sa isang taga-disenyo
– Tracking down at pag-aayos ng bug sa aming bagong video player

Magbasa nang higit pa ...

Maglathala, katulad, at hanapin: pagbuo ng isang bukas at na-curate ecosystem

Karamihan sa mga ecosystem tulad ng mga tindahan app ay alinman bukas o gawa. Ngunit bakit hindi maaaring magkaroon ng namin ang parehong? Mahusay, kaya namin — kailangan mo lang ng tatlong pandiwa: maglathala, makita, at katulad. Na napupunta para sa teknolohiya at anumang bagay.

Kadalasan mayroong dalawang mga pagpipilian kapag nais mong i-publish ang isang app: -publish ito sa isang bagay tulad ng iOS App Store (kung saan ang mga tao ay mahanap ang iyong app, ngunit Apple reviewer maaaring tanggihan ang iyong pagsusumite) o maglagay lamang ito sa iyong website (kung saan madali upang i-publish, ngunit walang garantiya ang sinuman ang makakakita nito.) 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 at 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 maglathala, makita, at katulad.

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.

Magbasa nang higit pa ...

5 walang kasinghalaga libreng produktibo apps para sa kolehiyo

Ilang taon na ang nakakaraan na sinulat ko tungkol sa kapaki-pakinabang na apps para sa mataas na paaralan — ngunit ngayon ay kolehiyo dito, at ito ay nagdudulot ng isang buong bagong hanay ng mga pangangailangan. Dahil sa Dumating ako sa Harvard, Nagkaroon ako makagawa ng higit pa, at ang aking mga app ay nagkaroon upang makagawa ng higit pa masyadong.

Ang mga bagong apps na kailangan upang tumakbo sa lahat ng platform (Windows, Kapote, Android, iOS), -sync ng walang putol pagitan ng mga ito, at tumulong sa akin panatilihin ang aking isinaayos data. Ang mga ito ay upang maging maraming nalalaman, mabulas, at madaling-gamitin. At mayroon sila upang maging libre.

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 libre, essential apps for college: Evernote, Wunderlist, Mailbox, Sunrise, and Pocket.
Magbasa nang higit pa ...

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, maiba ako. 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.)

Marami 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. Sa tingin ko, bagaman, that there’s room for a hybrid that would bring the best of both.

Magbasa nang higit pa ...

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

How social media is designed to help you build relationships with acquaintances, and why Snapchat (oo, 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. (Halimbawa, 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.

Magbasa nang higit pa ...