Internship, according to Wikipedia, is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Internship is a great avenue to learn outside of the traditional school settings and to put into practice what one has learnt. It can be paid or unpaid, but whichever it is, the most important part is the knowledge garnered. In Nigeria’s reality, this is relatable to the stage of apprenticeship in artistry. Apprentices are expected to learn the craft from the master while they practice what they have learnt before becoming a boss of their own.
Paid internships are quite common even though there exist some that are unpaid, but the percent of the unpaid is quite low compared to the paid ones. Therefore, it is important you check out the internal pay policies of the company you are considering, how the internship is going to hold, and for how long, mostly depend on what you are hoping to learn and the company’s policy on it. Whether it is virtual, on-site or hybrid.
Why are internships important?
Working as an intern provides you with the chance to work with professionals in the field. This enables you to get real life work experiences to prepare you for entry-level roles. This isn’t the only advantage; networking with relevant people in the field. There are some jobs that require work experience. Requesting this from a fresh graduate might seem ludicrous, but really, interning as an undergraduate solves this issue. Taking those courses, reading those books, watching those popular tutorial videos on YouTube aren’t a big deal, but putting on the skills you have learnt is. The most important part which is why most people apply for internship is to get clarity on the career path to pursue. This doesn’t mean it would give 100% clarity, but most times it would help you realize which path you shouldn’t follow as you discover your strengths and weaknesses.
What to know
Tech is a broad field and the list of opportunities is endless. Apart from the well-paying jobs some of the skills attract, you can be almost sure you cannot be left stranded, that is, unemployed. Whether you are being hired on a contract, full-time or you freelance, rest assured that improving your tech skills increases your chances of doing well. This is where internships come in, to broaden your knowledge and sharpen your skills. Some of the skills, in no specific order, are listed below;
UI/UX Designing,
Web Designing
Data Analysis
Data Science
Product Management
Web Development
Backend Development
Frontend Development
Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning Engineering
IT Management, etc.
Tips that might help:
- Research: Most people who get into tech internships have one thing in common and that is that they started their research early. This research involves checking for companies that fit their skillsets, preparing for interview, reading up on the different policies available, work culture, whether it is paid or not, the duration of the internship and the other requirements for the internship. Knowing all these would save you time. It is also important you know the industry your skillset fits, so you would be able to narrow down your research.
- Follow up on your application: This would enable you to get familiar with your application deadline, so you won’t miss out on the submission.
- Networking: you definitely don’t want to do anything alone or ignorantly, reach out to people on LinkedIn or other academic platforms who have passed through one or more internship stages related to your field. This most times gives you an edge over others.
- Prepare your Resume or Portfolio: Depending on your role, your portfolio could be a link to your Git Repository or it could be a landing page made.
All the tips mentioned above are important when preparing to get an internship opportunity. After following through with everything, it is important to ask questions when you are unclear about something, either from people with experience of how it works or from search engines, which come in handy if you can utilize them well. In summary, when you seek clarification, ask!
Top companies you can intern with:
Meta – https://t.co/J1JqAfafkg
Alphabet(Google) – https://t.co/mdHrNTLcAo
Microsoft – https://careers.microsoft.com/students/us/en
Apple – https://t.co/tYEWhPo2Wd
Andela – https://t.co/pmUr1o3f1p
Flutterwave – https://t.co/1ScBnAM9kB
Amazon – https://t.co/RQtABkX0Lf
Startups like Kuda, Opay, etc. rarely publish the available intern roles on their platform but you can check out indeed.com for information about roles.
Depending on the intern role you are in search of, you could narrow your company search to the industry where your skillset is most relevant.
