Summer of Tech

Summer of Tech (previously Summer of Code) is a Wellington internship programme for Computer Science, Engineering, Business Analyst and Design students. They match up smart and passionate students with innovative companies for a few months of very valuable work experience. And I say ‘smart and passionate’ with a straight face… even though I was one! I know that I didn’t feel smart and passionate at all at the time. Even so, at the SoT launch event for 2011, three of us alumni got up to share our top tips with this year’s students. Here are mine:

  1. Be passionate about what you do - stay up to date with the tech news. Code your own project in your spare time. Love technology and what you can do with it.
  2. Make your own opportunities - you need to get out there and ask for jobs. Turn up to every event that you can, and make the opportunity not only to learn some great stuff but to meet potential employers and get them to remember you.
  3. Employers are looking for team fit above all else, they want to know they can work with you! So be nice. And whatever you don’t know, you can learn, so tell them as much.

 I got my current job because I wanted to go to Webstock so badly that I asked (begged) SoT and WaveAdept for funding, won a ticket, then walked around in a silly t-shirt asking people to talk to me. A guy came up to me and asked me to apply for a job, even though I didn’t have the experience. I took him for a coffee and now that guy is my awesome mentor Nathan (@nathanli). Summer of Tech is amazing, Ruth Mcdavitt and John Clegg are amazing. Go to the Summer of Tech website and be a part of it.