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What are some ways I can seek experience in CS in college? I know a lot of companies highly recommend prior CS experience even for internships, so how should I build my portfolio?
I'm currently a high school senior, looking to pursue CS.
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5 answers
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Chris’s Answer
Hey Jessie,
I think an important place to start would be to ask yourself; what am I interested in? Computer Science is a very broad term that encompasses many different aspects and potential paths. Before I started doing exploration when I was in high school, I had assumed that Computer Science was all about writing code, and a day-in-the-life for a "Computer Scientist" only meant that I would be writing code all day. I did not know that actually writing code was just a small part of the process for creating technology.
Computer Science gives you many options to explore, but it tends to focus more on the software side of things. If you think you would prefer to pursue something that is hardware focused, I recommend checking out something that is more Computer Engineering based.
If you want to pursue software, Computer Science is a fantastic place to look. Your courses will start broad to introduce you to the fundamentals of programming, and will then start to introduce new concepts that are crucial to the entire process (often referred to as the SDLC, Software Development Life Cycle).
I recommend that you stay curious, and don't limit yourself to only information learned through classes. College courses are great to introduce concepts, but the best way to practice and understand is by trying these concepts for yourself. You can learn more through books, online resources, personal projects, seeking out internship programs, asking professors for additional undergrad work to develop concepts, etc. Technology is all about staying involved and curious, so the more time you spend engaged, the better off your experience will be. Once you get to the point where you are looking for internships/junior positions out of colleges, companies are looking for people who are willing to take the initiative and grow alongside the usual coursework.
I hope this answer helps! Best of luck to you!
Chris
I think an important place to start would be to ask yourself; what am I interested in? Computer Science is a very broad term that encompasses many different aspects and potential paths. Before I started doing exploration when I was in high school, I had assumed that Computer Science was all about writing code, and a day-in-the-life for a "Computer Scientist" only meant that I would be writing code all day. I did not know that actually writing code was just a small part of the process for creating technology.
Computer Science gives you many options to explore, but it tends to focus more on the software side of things. If you think you would prefer to pursue something that is hardware focused, I recommend checking out something that is more Computer Engineering based.
If you want to pursue software, Computer Science is a fantastic place to look. Your courses will start broad to introduce you to the fundamentals of programming, and will then start to introduce new concepts that are crucial to the entire process (often referred to as the SDLC, Software Development Life Cycle).
I recommend that you stay curious, and don't limit yourself to only information learned through classes. College courses are great to introduce concepts, but the best way to practice and understand is by trying these concepts for yourself. You can learn more through books, online resources, personal projects, seeking out internship programs, asking professors for additional undergrad work to develop concepts, etc. Technology is all about staying involved and curious, so the more time you spend engaged, the better off your experience will be. Once you get to the point where you are looking for internships/junior positions out of colleges, companies are looking for people who are willing to take the initiative and grow alongside the usual coursework.
I hope this answer helps! Best of luck to you!
Chris
I am really grateful you took the time to answer this question.
Jessie
Updated
Dexter’s Answer
Hi Jessie,
I would recommend volunteering with nonprofits that are looking for programming help (on a site like http://catchafire.org) or giving back to open source projects. In my opinion, both are great ways to build experience that looks great on future resumes. The former is a little better for your soul, and the latter is a little better for real-life experience.
Hope this helps!
--
Dexter
I would recommend volunteering with nonprofits that are looking for programming help (on a site like http://catchafire.org) or giving back to open source projects. In my opinion, both are great ways to build experience that looks great on future resumes. The former is a little better for your soul, and the latter is a little better for real-life experience.
Hope this helps!
--
Dexter
I will use this advice as I prepare for my career.
Jessie
Updated
Ajay’s Answer
Hey Jessie!
One thing I wish I knew earlier in college is getting involved in undergraduate research. Many professors are willing to take on students with little to no experience to help with their research projects, and it's an easy way to get involved outside of traditional computer science classes. I got involved with research my junior year but I know people who started their freshman year just by looking up projects that professors are working on and emailing them asking if there is an opportunity to help out.
One thing I wish I knew earlier in college is getting involved in undergraduate research. Many professors are willing to take on students with little to no experience to help with their research projects, and it's an easy way to get involved outside of traditional computer science classes. I got involved with research my junior year but I know people who started their freshman year just by looking up projects that professors are working on and emailing them asking if there is an opportunity to help out.
Thank you so much, Ajay!
Jessie
Dan Wolf
Retired Electrical/Software Engineer and part-time College Professor (BSEET and MS Engineering Management)
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Dan’s Answer
You can gain a lot of computer knowledge on your own. Computer Science (CS) typically relates to business type computer usage while Computer Engineering (CE) relates to engineering, scientific, or manufacturing type usage. Depending on your interests, you might want to look at both of them. You should also think about the difference between a hardware and software focus.
Talk to your instructors and fellow students (especially those that already have technical jobs) and ask them to explain what they are doing. Everyone has different exposures and experiences and you can grow simply by talking with others. Look into work study or intern positions that should be available at your university.
In general, you can write code on your own. It doesn't matter what your software does because any application will expose you to new software concepts. The more exposure you get, the quicker and easier it will be to learn more (and the easier it will be in your classes).
I like to suggest the use of the Raspberry PI (for CS) and Arduino (for CE) platforms because they are inexpensive and will expose you to unlimited options and concepts. Both have a huge amount of support and example programs available on the internet.
The Arduino UNO can be purchased from www.aliexpress.com for about $3 or an Arduino UNO with a small kit of parts and wires costs about $10. Google "Arduino projects" or "Arduino tutorials" to see your many options.
Take computer classes that your High School offers.
Many Community Colleges (and likely 4-year universities) allow High School students to take college classes for full credit.
Microsoft allows you to download free versions of their programming environments. I suggest the Java, Visual Basic, or C compilers as good choices.
There are many free computer language tutorials available on the internet via a Google search. Some are better than others so take time to review a few of them before selecting one.
You can purchase a Raspberry Pi computer board which can be used as an actual computer or it can be configured for many different dedicated tasks. The Raspberry PI Zero W is only about $10 (but is hard to find due to parts shortages). The Raspberry PI 4 starts at $35. Both choices will also require a few cables and power supply.
Talk to your instructors and fellow students (especially those that already have technical jobs) and ask them to explain what they are doing. Everyone has different exposures and experiences and you can grow simply by talking with others. Look into work study or intern positions that should be available at your university.
In general, you can write code on your own. It doesn't matter what your software does because any application will expose you to new software concepts. The more exposure you get, the quicker and easier it will be to learn more (and the easier it will be in your classes).
I like to suggest the use of the Raspberry PI (for CS) and Arduino (for CE) platforms because they are inexpensive and will expose you to unlimited options and concepts. Both have a huge amount of support and example programs available on the internet.
The Arduino UNO can be purchased from www.aliexpress.com for about $3 or an Arduino UNO with a small kit of parts and wires costs about $10. Google "Arduino projects" or "Arduino tutorials" to see your many options.
Dan recommends the following next steps:
Thank you!
Jessie
Updated
Lindsay’s Answer
I support Dexter's ideas of volunteering with nonprofits or contributing to open source! Anywhere you can get hands on experience is valuable.
Additionally, don't be afraid to do self learning and create projects on your own that solve some everyday problems in your life. A previous colleague of mine built a web app that helped him and his wife track their baby's diaper changing needs which started as a joke, but it was a real life technical project he was able to talk about in interviews!
Additionally, don't be afraid to do self learning and create projects on your own that solve some everyday problems in your life. A previous colleague of mine built a web app that helped him and his wife track their baby's diaper changing needs which started as a joke, but it was a real life technical project he was able to talk about in interviews!
Thank you, Lindsay!
Jessie