internships
I started the Fall with rapid firing internship applications. I went into that haze. But it didn't sit right.
I wasn't sure why. I come from a profession in need of employees--especially with one of my specialization being special ed. So it's a shift back to 1 in a thousand applicants mentality. I also do not know the tech industry beyond what I read online. Last, so many--actually nearly all--internship application processes and qualifications read like SDE I positions: prior start-up experience, prior internship experience, prior experience in Docker, CI/CD, Terraform..., prior consulting experience, and on and on.
The truth is I've barely scratched the surface of computer science as a craft. There are so many ways to go, and I'm just doing my best outside a production/industrial/commercial level environment. I mean why would I need Terraform for any learning project.
(That and I'm still weary of some web frameworks--but I can't see the bigger picture enough to say clearly why. I digress.)
After all, I do have interests and criteria:
I'm still very much interested in education as a craft. Coincidentally, gen llm has exploded discussions around learning.
I want to find mentors in an internship--not be a contract worker. Great mentors is how I was consistently held as an excellent novice teacher when plopped into a room and all other adults leave the room (and thankfully I felt like less of a novice by year 3). Great mentors is a grounding - a set of hands that say, "Hey, the ladder is still here for you, the newcomer, also. Join us."
Small, full-time in-person or hybrid team. Relationships matter to me. I mean we're not building Hello World modules.
I care about computer science as a craft. I want to learn. I want to build.
This is the ideal world. It exists in my head. Just like in education, I hope idealism is as vital in this new industry I want to join.