How do I get a paid internship as a 16yo developer?

[uint23]

[DISCUSSION]

Hi,

I'm 16 and I would like an internship but it seems IMPOSSIBLE to find / get one.. I mainly program in C/++ and I am quite proficient in it. I have 2 successful projects hosted on GitHub (700+ stars, 50+stars) which have a large community behind them too but no matter what I have to display, I can't get a job offer due to not having even a High School level qualification other than my GCSE results which are still yet to come.

I have also tried to email people from companies by scraping their email address' but to no avail as I haven't gotten a single response back, which is to be expected I guess.

On places like r/Internships I also see people complaining how unpaid internships are comparable to modern day slavery, which puts me off wanting one. I also have prior experience in a startup with a real job anyways which I got from connections which really made me appreciate getting paid from my labors.

I'd appreciate it if you have any tips to getting any further as I feel like I'm at a dead end.

If you're interested in my repos: github.com/uint23

[GianFabien]

From what you've written I deduce you are living in a rural community in the UK and plan to got to Cambridge uni to study CS. Your GitHub works are both in C.

I see two options:

1. Since opportunities for your skillset are limited in your area, you could seek out project based C/C++ programming remote or gig work. But, I think you'd be up against a lot of competition.

2. Broaden your offering to being a Mr PC FixIt guy. I don't know if GeekSquad or similar operate in your area. You could charge for results instead of the time you take.

I would recommend the second option, because it exposes you to real-world use of computers and provides an insight into how businesses operate. This level of knowledge and expertise is a valuable complement to technical knowledge.

[uint23]

I have thought about this because I do it for my friends anyways by RustDesk but currently it seems all the repair shops (like GeekSquad but in the UK) are just fronts for illegal vape shops - who also do repairs. I also tried to sell the same RustDesk service via Discord but no luck with that either.

I also normally do phone, computer repairs and small fixes for family friends and people I know but it's not that frequent and again I've tried to contact most businesses in my area but I don't think they take me seriously due to my lack of qualifications etc.

Do you know any other options for the second option?

[fzwang]

Some thoughts/comments below. I work with teenagers and young adults who are similar to you, ie. intelligent, passionate about CS, but a bit lost.

1) Think about what you want out of an internship. Money? experience? How does it fit with what you'd want to do/try next?

2) If you live in an area with a small/non-existent tech scene, then you need to expand your social circles. This usually means reaching out to other engineers etc, ask for a face-to-face call. Don't ask for a job (yet), just advice. It shows you're a real person, not just a Github handle, and you'll leave an impression on them. You will get a ton of rejection early on, but if you set your expectations low, you'll still come out ahead. If it's possible, travel to a bigger city to attend events for a weekend, etc. Maybe even give talks about your work/etc.

3) Part of the problem right now is that your so different that people don't know which box to put you in. So you'll have to work harder on signaling to alleviate their confusion. For example, some may think you're likely immature and hard to manage because you're 16. Others might think they can't retain you, so there's no point in investing in you. In some cases, they may even feel threatened by your successes and accomplishments. Try to leave your age out of discussions, and focus more on the objective elements to your experiences/interests.

4) I'd avoid getting your info from social media, as it tends to attract a certain type of users, and their opinions do not reflect real life. This is probably one of the most common problems I have to deal with, which is expanding students information diet and how to critically appraise what they're seeing/hearing.

5) Easier said than done, but don't get too discouraged by the feeling of being stuck. You're actually ahead and just dealing with problems that others will inevitably deal with as well, just a few years/decades ahead haha. The early rejections/setbacks will hurt, but you're actually building resilience in ways that you won't appreciate until you're much older.

Overall, the important thing to work on constantly is to connect with folks who will advocate on your behalf and open doors for you. Good luck and keep at it!

[worldsavior]

You probably can't. There is a lot of competition out there, and I presume people judge that you're a 16 year old and rather work with an adult. You can try submitting, but you're gonna have a very hard time. Don't let anyone sugar it for you.

You can also look for programs that promote teenagers to work in companies (P.S. you will get very little money compared).

You have the skills it seems, but sometimes things just take time. I believe you should enjoy your time you have left as a teenager and code whatever you would like, unless you really need that _money_.

[PaulHoule]

When I was your age I did a data entry and analysis project for my Uncle Bob who was the PR director for a nearby beach. I did all the work with my TRS-80 Color Computer 3 and got enough money to buy a 286-based PC. I found out later how much value my data analysis project created and realized I should have asked for enough money to get a 386-based PC! I also did some software development for teachers in my school: I wrote something in BASIC for the PC and then found out the teacher had a CP/M machine so I used a Z-80 emulator to translate the software to work on CP/M.

So basically I'm saying you should look at people and places closer to you.

[uint23]

Hi, Thanks for the reply! This is basically what I did initially and it did land me a software engineering job at a startup which was owned by my friends dad but that's the extent of it. I had to leave due to approaching exams and couldn't get rehired due to it not doing so well. I live in a quite rural area with not so many people I've basically tried everyone that comes to mind so far.

If you have any other way to contact people I would greatly appreciate it!

[_lvbh]

It's very difficult. If you're in the UK, most uni students are struggling with internships as well.

If you're looking for money, bug bounties may be worth a look. That's what I did 16-17 and it paid for my uni tuition. They look nice on the CV as well.

It used to be that you could do freelancing but these days, low level work is simply handed over to AI.

Another route might be hackathons. I know Huawei's annual Tech Arenas are about to start (UK, Ireland, Munich, etc) and they hire the top 3 teams from each. Interns get paid pretty well but the competition is harsh (mostly attended by PHDs and masters students).

[addaon]

What are your goals for an internship? What are you trying to gain? Just pocket cash? General experience? A trial run with a company you'd consider going full time for? What are your college plans?

[uint23]

Well I'd mainly like experience in something new and something I can put on my CV/Resume. I also would like to gain some money although I don't expect much and I'm happy with minimum wage. I legally can't full-time yet as you are required to be in some form of education until you are 18. After my A-Levels I'm planning to go to Cambridge for Computer Science as I like their course and, well it's quite prestigious but that's well in the future so it can change

[addaon]

The thing to realize is that interns cost companies far, far more in time spent in mentorship than they add in value, even ignoring compensation. The reason to invest in an intern is to help a promising engineer mature, while simultaneously increasing the chance that they choose to go to your company full-time, reducing the (also large) cost and risk of hiring. Trying to find an internship when you're not going to be on the market for 6+ years kind of upsets this value proposition. I'd suggest that if the goal is some pocket money and coding experience, talk to local (non-tech) businesses, figure out what technical problems they have, and offer to fix one of them. Think point-of-sale system integration, etc.

[uint23]

Ah that makes sense now. I will try newer local companies although I have visited most of them as I live in a smaller community.

[rahimnathwani]

When you say you're happy with minimum wage, are you talking about the £7.55 UK minimum wage for people under 18?

If so, have you considered using some of your time for tutoring other students? Many people pay for online tutoring, both one-on-one and in groups. Check out outschool.com for inspiration.

It may not be the ideal experience you want, but it might be a good way to maximize your per-hour earnings, whilst leaving sufficient free time to work on personal projects, study other programming languages etc.

[eajr]

The couple comments you've gotten so far are pretty spot-on. The job market is not good for software engineers in general right now. I'll second bix6's advice to start something of your own. When I was a teenager I got into reverse engineering via an mmorpg that the server executables leaked, and ended up launching a number of private modded servers that netted good income. Make something of your own and you'll learn a lot that will be very useful in your career further down the road. Best of luck to ya

[uint23]

I have also done that and although it may be low, I also made my own externals and skin changers for CSGO a few years ago but sold nothing. Any advice?

[eajr]

Private externals for competitive games can rake in a LOT of money. Its also high stakes because of the kernel-level anticheats these days, but being private makes it slightly easier. Public externals bypass methods are patched pretty quickly. Make something that's interesting to you, and if you like that side of engineering (reversing, bypassing ac's, etc), it's definitely a way to make a lot of money. I know some people doing it for rust (the game) that make a killing.

[bix6]

If you just want experience then intern for free due to the cost issue addaon mentioned. Otherwise why not try and start your own business with your skills? I think it’ll be hard for you to get a paid gig without some sort of referral especially while you’re under 18.

Could you travel to a nearby city that is bigger and get a referral there?

You should also think about your pitch. What value can you provide someone? Why should they take a chance on you? Etc.

[uint23]

I probably could go to a nearby city for cheap but what do you mean by referral?

[bix6]

Like how you got your last job. Someone you know recommends you.

[cedws]

Have you considered an apprenticeship instead? This is the route I took at your age. They can be hard to come by but you’ll stand out among other candidates for sure. Unfortunately it’s already passed this year but I recommend going to Silicon Milkroundabout: https://www.siliconmilkroundabout.com/

[machiaweliczny]

Given you C++ skillset I would look into less obvious "jobs", like maybe creating mods for games (not sure if minecraft mods can make you real money but at least it seems like fun thing to do).

I suggest trying to do some small 2D game like vampire survivors like and publishing on Steam - this is what I would do if I was me at your age today. (but also training competitive programming if you want interesting jobs later)

Or mobile games, like idle games like Idle Iktah, and other clones of RuneScape like idle games are good starting point.

Other idea I have is just make a good voice note taking app using Whisper etc on mobile with some niche use-case. It's easy 1 man job.

Other niche is making Android apps that are very low-resource for old devices that people use in Africa and Asia. In Poland one guy created chess on side and is millionaire from that because it was not using much resources and got popular in emerging markets. Thing very "boring" but popular thing like crossword puzzles, sudoku etc - execution and luck is key there.

Also bots for games are good money but questionable and kinda hard these days, private servers etc. In games it's seems like tough market but you could get gigs easier.

Also freelance platforms but it's mostly web stuff. You can also make side money doing programming tutoring maybe if you like that.

Or just invest your time into winning competitive programming contests and in 3 years get job at FAANG and it's reliable way to get rich still. Money will come to you if you are good don't worry about it too much.

[alpaccount]

I think you'd have a good time doing GSOC, though I think this year's already gone...

Something else that could be done, though I'm not sure how UK unis work, is that you could look for research openings around labs, C is pretty often around legacy research code.

I think the last thing, crypto companies. As someone said, the general market isn't too great right now, crypto bros are the most open minded people regarding employment. Specially if you can contribute to their OSS projects.