Work for free in exchange for experience.

[onktak]

Am a 3rd year student in Australia studying computer systems and would like to gain some programming experience preferably under the supervision of an experienced programmer. Am competent in c and java. I would like to gain solid skills before i graduate and i think working under the guidance of someone experienced could accelerate that process. I would work completely for free to gain some more experience and maybe a reference.

[orev]

Don't sell yourself short. With knowing a few languages there's no reason why you can't get an entry-level programming job that you can get paid to do. You'll get experience and you'll get paid. Giving it away for free doesn't necessarily sweeten the pot.

The real trick is going to be finding a place where you will have a good mentor. You might be surprised to know that many programmers who are employed are not very good at programming even though they get paid for it. You don't want to be learning from someone like that.

Another option might be to talk to some of your professors at school. They might have their own projects going, or know someone who does. They would also better know people who might be good mentors.

[onktak]

I will start off with that to see if i can get anything.I have tried getting part time entry level programming jobs but they require me to do uni part time which i cannot do since am international student and have to be full time. Yesterday i went to a career fair hoping to find some companies that take in international students as interns but very few do. So i thought this might be the best place to ask for best places to get that experience.

[gte910h]

You need to put a email address in the profile notes section of your profile. I was going to send you an email to ask you a few questions.

While it's illegal to not pay someone for useful work in my country (US), if you were a match I'd look into internships and paying intern wages once you showed any capacity to do work we could use after bringing you up to bare competence via starter projects.

[onktak]

I have updated my profile. I have seen a couple of posts looking for unpaid interns so i thought for some companies its sort of routine to actually get people in as unpaid interns then hire them.

[silverlake]

There are tons of unpaid internships in the US. It's not illegal at all.

[gte910h]

You would be mistaken. You can be sued for back wages and be fined if you screw up there. Here is the applicable publication from the national department of labor.

From: http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/scope/er15.asp

--

If all of the following criteria apply, the trainees or students are not employees within the meaning of the Act:

The training, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school;

The training is for the benefit of the trainees or students;

The trainees or students do not displace regular employees, but work under close supervision;

The employer that provides the training receives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees or students and, on occasion, his operations may even be impeded;

The trainees or students are not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period; and

The employer and the trainees or students understand that the trainees or students are not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.

--

Very few internships in the US can satisfy all of these.

[vanillagorilla]

Try again. http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/23795

[silverlake]

I am wrong. It's illegal but never enforced until recently.

[albertsun]

My first reaction on reading the title is that you don't need to work for anyone in order to work for free for experience. Just work on some project of your own. What you want is to work for free in exchange for mentoring.

[jacquesm]

Are you sure you read it ? He's got this in there (or was the text edited?)

> would like to gain some programming experience preferably under the supervision of an experienced programmer.

I think that describes a mentoring situation fairly accurately.

If you can find something that interests you a lot, then contact the lead programmer on the project and see if you are welcome to stick your oar in.

Keep in mind that most people will reluctant to do this because most software guys are under serious pressure to deliver and may not want to take on someone that might slow them down.

If that's their worry make sure you tell them they can nix the deal without hard feelings if they feel that's the case, that might give you an edge on the way in.

[der_ketzer]

OTOH I think it doesn't have the same weight to say I worked with x company and trained my skills in z language. As saying I worked at home on hobby projects for the sake of learning.

Being "under the supervision of an experienced programmer" gives you expierence quicker than working alone.

[subud]

http://socghop.appspot.com/