Internships: how to get one and whether it's worth it

Why it's the best entry for a beginner

The only channel where lacking experience isn't an obstacle but a precondition. The company knows in advance it's taking someone inexperienced and budgets time for teaching.

On top of that: a mentor, comprehensible tasks, and no expectation that you already know everything. A first job may offer none of that.

How it differs from a job

Fixed duration. Usually one to six months.

Pay below market. Sometimes nominal. Unpaid internships exist too — treat them warily, though if the company is serious and teaches, it can pay off.

Simpler work. Real, but not critical.

A mentor. The main value.

No guaranteed outcome. Some interns get an offer to stay, some don't. The proportion varies by company, and it's worth asking directly at interview.

How selection works

Usually several stages:

Application and form. Sometimes with a cover letter or a "why us" question.

A take-home task. A small piece of work over hours or days. This is where most people are filtered out.

A knowledge check. Algorithm exercises, questions on language fundamentals. The format varies: a test somewhere, a conversation elsewhere.

A technical interview. Discussion of your task, questions on fundamentals, sometimes live problem-solving.

A conversation about you. Motivation, teamwork, plans.

The process takes two weeks to two months. That's long, and it needs patience in reserve.

Improving your chances

Apply to several companies. Recruitment comes in waves, usually spring and autumn. One application is a lottery.

Take the task seriously. It decides more than anything else. Not just "it works" but comprehensible code, setup instructions, a tidy commit history. Many submit working code with no explanation whatsoever — against that background, careful work stands out.

Meet the deadline. A late submission is a common reason for rejection that nobody mentions.

Have something to show. A finished project in your application significantly raises the chance of reaching the task stage.

Prepare for fundamentals. Internship interviews ask the basics: data types, loops, functions, basic database work, simple algorithms. Not subtleties.

What to expect inside

It'll be baffling at first. That's expected and nobody will be surprised.

You must ask. An intern who says nothing for a week is regarded worse than one who asks daily.

The work may be dull. Small fixes, odds and ends, reading old code. That's normal: nothing serious is handed to someone here for two months.

You're being assessed constantly. Not only on code: on how you ask questions, take feedback, and whether you finish.

If you're rejected

Ask why. Some companies answer honestly, and it's the most useful feedback available anywhere.

Try the next intake. Reapplying is routine, and in six months you're a different person.

Don't conclude you're unsuitable. An internship at a well-known company can run like university admissions: several thousand applications for a few dozen places. A rejection there isn't a verdict.

Take the ordinary route. An internship isn't the only entrance. Small companies hire beginners with no multi-stage selection at all.