Hello. Thank you very very much for opening this post. Let me introduce myself. I am a 3rd-year international student studying CS at a university in the UK. Peers around me are all applying to summer internships, and so I thought I also have to. However, to be honest, I am still a very beginner as a programmer and I do not think I am able to work for a company as an intern yet. Well, I have gotten decent grades in all the courses so far, but my programming skills are very basic. I am currently taking web/app development courses aside from school to become a full-stack javascript developer, and I just started the Leetcode today. I know that it is so stupid that I suck at programming even though I am a 3rd-year undergrad, but now I am more willing than anyone to do programming very hard from now on and become a decent programmer so I can work for FAANG in the future with high salaries or create almost any software I want to create. So, here are my QUESTIONS: What things could/should I do in my last 2 years in university to become good enough so that I can get a job at FAANG right after I graduate? I am willing to do anything. Will it be okay to spend my summer vacation on improving my programming skills rather than doing an internship? Is it possible to skip the internship and get a job as a software engineer at FAANG? Thank you very much, and your advice will be really really helpful and appreciated. Thank you.
Why do you think your skills are too basic if you've gotten good grades? It's possible you're suffering from imposter syndrome.
Also you're not expected to know everything before starting an internship. You'll learn on the job. If you pass the interview you're qualified.
Thank you for your message. But I do not think I am good enough to pass the interview because I looked at exemplary internship interview problems and I had no clue :( And I think it is stupid for a 3rd-year undergrad. Can you recommend me anything I do in my last 2 years in university? Thank you again for your reply.
Get internship in US. EXPERIENCE always is worth more than any schooling.
I think I can get an internship in the UK but not in the US yet due to visa issues :( Can you recommend me anything I do in my last 2 years in university? Thank you.
Thank you. When you say "practicing the interview process", what else can I do aside from doing Leetcode?
Thank you very much!!
Doesn't matter where you do your internship but I think it's absolutely a necessary experience. You will be able to apply code to real world situations/problems. Don't let your perspective of your ability put you off of doing an internship. You will be expected to work hard (and party hard) BUT you will not be expected to know evertything. Also, the world is not FAANG - plenty of great opportunities out there, but most importantly, don't discourage yourself from an internship opportunity. You will learn a lot, and that's the whole point. Good luck!
Thank you very very much for your message. Thank you :)
Why not do both internship and personal project on the side? Unless you’ve got a ton of personal obligations it should be possible. Also FAANG is fine but think about the long-term picture, you definitely want to always be learning and challenging yourself with any course or job you take. Take theoretical courses, the hardest you can, because you’ll learn the practical stuff your entire career. So don’t take courses like web/mobile development or software engineering. OS/compilers/databases are a must though. Algorithms courses will stretch your mind incredibly and those problem sets will more than prepare you for FAANG interviews.
Thank you for your message. It really helps.
If I work my ass off both in programming and theoretical courses from now, so I get confidence in both and I get all A's in my 3rd-year first-semester courses and create a few decent personal projects that can impress you, will you be able to refer me to Uber for a 2020 summer internship? I really want to work as an intern for Uber. The deadlines for most 2020 summer internships are December of 2019, and I do not think I can become good enough to pass the interview by December. But if you can refer me around February, I will make sure I am good enough I can pass the interview. Thank you.
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I will try to get a job in the US after I graduate :) Can you recommend me anything I do in my last 2 years in university? Thank you.