Breaking Into Tech
It seems like the second you get into college, everyone has one question: what do you want to do?
How are you supposed to know? Did a flip switch as soon as you opened the acceptance letter?
This is a very daunting period of life, often with little guidance. While I can’t tell you the recipe for the secret sauce of life, I can provide you with a glimpse of what life would look like if you choose technology as your calling.
Who Am I
Hi, I’m Sauren. I’m a rising junior at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. I am double majoring in Computer Science & Statistics and am getting a minor in Finance.
I’m originally from Chicago and grew up with minimal exposure to technology. I didn’t work with computers till the age of 14 and had a rough start. However, when I explored coding more, I realized that I enjoyed it a lot. Full disclosure, I don’t always find coding super fun but it’s amazing to see all the things that you can build through code.
From the edge of your fingertips, you have the power to create anything from a digital bank to a communications portal to a virtual shop: all through the power of programming.
My strong inclination towards building products and entrepreneurial spirit drives my interest in tech. I started coding in high school but hadn’t really learned much in school classes that would help me build in the real world. I always thought that as soon as I entered college, I would learn all the cool stuff like web development and app development.
To my dismay, this simply wasn’t true. I came to college and I noticed that classes taught theoretical concepts like data structures which are important but not practical knowledge like how to develop an API or how to deploy a website.
For context, here’s an example. The most in-demand skill in technology right now is cloud development. There is not a single class at my school about the cloud. Colleges lag in technical education and this can be a shock to many students. Nonetheless, you don’t need to know these skills to actually land a tech internship though having these skills certainly makes it easier.
After high school, I completed a web development internship at a small, local technology company. The summer after my freshman year at Duke, I interned at Lincoln Financial Group as a Software Engineer (SWE). During my sophomore year, I interned with Lincoln in the fall as well, worked as a Product Manager for the Department of Defense, and worked for a venture-capital backed Fintech startup. Currently, I’m working at JPMorgan Chase & Co. as a SWE intern. In the fall, I will be working as a SWE intern at Amazon.
All said, I know a decent amount about how technology works.
Recruiting
One of the most intimidating parts of tech is recruiting. First off, the recruiting season starts off in June of the prior year with banks leading the way and then continues to go until the end of the prior year. Pure tech companies such as Google and Amazon open their applications in August whereas banks and other financial companies will recruit a few months earlier.
Here’s the usual application process:
- Submit initial application and resume
- Receive coding challenge (HackerRank)
- Behavioral Interview
- Technical Interview(s)
- Receive an offer
While this varies by skill level and personal preferences, you’ll usually apply to 100–200 positions. You’ll receive the challenge 50% of the time. About 30% of people will advance to the behaviorals and then about 60% make each round after that. In the end, you’re likely to receive 2–3 offers from companies and the rest will have either denied you or “ghosted” you.
This sounds super intimidating at first but as your skills increase, the acceptance rates do as well, this is just a general average. It is important to present yourself well within interviews so wear business casual at a minimum. Moreover, if you want to increase your odds of making it to the behavioral round, then it might be good to network with people at that company.
Employees can refer people and this is noted within the recruiting timeline. Be sure to ask for a referral after connecting with someone; they are unlikely to just do it themselves. Keep in mind that networking for each company you apply for is extremely difficult and almost implausible so pick a few companies you really like.
The biggest cutoff point, the interview stage, can be quite daunting. These interviews usually consist of Data Structures and Algorithms questions. They don’t require knowledge of web development and can be practiced through an online resource called Leetcode. You can also read popular books such as “Cracking the Coding Interview” to prepare. The only way to get better at these interview questions is to practice Leetcode. Some companies may ask you more specific questions in later stages depending on the role but this is variable. I recommend reading Reddit forums and Glassdoor reviews to get a sense for what later rounds look like.
The recruiting process for tech is quite gruesome and time-consuming, but it can definitely lead to success. Once you have an internship, you can easily leverage this into a full-time offer.
How Internships Actually Work
Alright, so we’ve hyped up internships and talked about how to get them, but what is the experience actually like?
The internship will typically begin with a few days of orientations. In this period, you’ll be onboarded to the firm’s internal systems and will attend a lot of sessions to introduce you to the company’s values and ways of operating. This is mainly meant to ease you into the work environment and provide a positive outlook of the company to you.
Upon being introduced to your team, you’ll be given a project to work on other interns with. Depending on the company, your project might be code that will actually go into production or it will just be a sample project designed for interns to do. Regardless, this is your chance to get real-world programming experience and learn how organizations work.
From here, you will usually have intern events organized by HR such as speaker seniors with senior leaders, professional development workshops, or intern bonding events. Moreover, you’re likely to have daily stand-up meetings with your team and weekly one-on-one meetings with your manager.
A lot of the time, you’ll be working individually to code your project or perhaps collaborating with your fellow interns.
Succeeding in Your Internship
Completing an internship and making the most of it are two very different things. In my own experience, I’ve seen myself and others do certain things which make for a very successful internship experience.
First off: Networking. I feel like we hear this all too much but I cannot emphasize it enough. Interning at a company is your chance to learn from others at that company about all that you want. I recommend trying to connect with 10–20 people at your company who interest you. You may find these people via LinkedIn, ask your manager to make some introductions, or just run into some people who’s background/role you find interesting.
The most important thing is that when you meet with these people, do not talk for the sake of talking. Ask questions you are genuinely interested in and ask them honestly what you want to know. Being polite is important but asking questions that aren’t general is effective. For example, asking, “What’s your favorite part about XYZ” is super general and you won’t gain anything from asking this question. Rather, ask pressing questions such as “What resources does the firm provide to learn more about AI/ML? What specific traits/actions would you attribute to your career growth?”
Secondly, set clear goals and aim to learn a lot. Internships are your way to learn about practical programming. Take advantage of company learning resources to upgrade yourself technically and professionally. Attend professional skills workshops and use company learning resources to learn more coding frameworks and languages. If you’re ever just sitting there, then ask for more work! This is your time to learn and make sure you always are. Asking for more work displays passion for work and a willingness to exceed. Don’t overload yourself but always make sure you are challenged.
Thirdly, communicate and collaborate effectively. There’s a reason companies make teams. You’re expected to work with other people! One of the key traits that companies are always testing for during an internship is can this person work effectively with others? If you want a return offer, then show you can. Be active during stand-ups and offer to help your fellow interns whenever you can. Communication is equivalently important. Often, when you face problems, you might think it is best to hide them and deal with them yourself so you don’t look silly. This is a massive error. Companies know you’re here to learn and your peers are more than happy to help you, they expect you to ask them questions. Whenever you run into a technical roadblock, feel free to reach out to a full-time team member and get their advice. Of course, don’t start doing this hourly but use it as needed.
Lastly, I’m an advocate for intrapreneurship. Show that you go above and beyond by adding value to the company — even as an intern. For example, at Lincoln, I recommended implementing a new enterprise social network to better adapt to remote work. I was actually able to implement this at Lincoln and met a lot of senior leaders in the process. I was the only intern who recommended and implemented such a project, being able to stand out in the process. At JPMorgan, I am doing a similar project by recommending three new products the bank could launch and offering to create MVP’s of them. The point of this is not to network but rather show creative thinking and your ability to bring about change.
Make your value clear by showing your skills.
Deciding What’s Next
After you complete your internship, you’ll likely be confused, at least I am. You’ll realize over time that tech is not just coding. You have many options such as product management, working at a Big Tech Company, working at a startup, consulting, or perhaps quantitative finance. There’s a lot of avenues and this is often the most confusing part.
I still haven’t figured out an answer to this one but talking to others at companies helps. Talk to people in industries you want to work in and get your questions answered. I recommend connecting with these people via your school’s alumni network or LinkedIn. Try to follow what would make you the most happy and match your lifestyle the most. Tech is often clouded with the allure of massive salaries at companies but look beyond these and think about what you would love doing each day.
Doing what you love is truly the biggest joy you can have in life, so work hard to find what you love.
