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I am a high school student Looking for a career in Computer science/ computer programing is there any advice some one could give me into how to start my career or places i could possibly intern at?

#computer #highschool # #computer-science #technology #computer-programming #Blackteen

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Komal’s Answer

Hi,
I think you should look into participating in a hackathon. Many corporations universities allow high school students to participate in them. There are also hackathons for high school students specifically. It’s a great opportunity to gain exposure in the field, learn about potential career, meet some amazing people, and make professional connections.
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Hummad’s Answer

I do want to point out that there's a difference between computer programming and computer science. Computer science requires education and knowledge related to theory, underlying mathematical concepts, etc. Typically you'll go to college and get a degree in Computer Science, and you may pursue career options that aren't necessarily focused on programming. Computer programming is a "hard skill", where you have skill and capability with one or more programming languages.
Anyhow, let's assume you already know how to program, you're interested in starting a career right away, and you're not interested in going to college. As Shane mentioned, putting together a portfolio to highlight your projects is a great way to showcase your skills and capabilities. If you have trouble finding a paid gig, you may want to do some volunteering for non-for-profits or small local businesses. That'll help build up your portfolio and your resume.
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Toby’s Answer

Kalen, good question ... and some great answers here. Software development is a great career. Depending on your personality and what your passionate about ... investigate a technical career within a software company in a customer facing role. Sales teams who are selling enterprise software to major corporations rely heavily on technical people to customize or interpret their software to customers. If you're a people person and you communicate well then it may be a good fit. It pays a lot better than software development roles because you're not in IT or R&D ... you're in a Pre-Sales sales role tied to revenue and not a cost center. Additionally software companies are typically high growth and they offer stock as part of the compensation package ... this is a very good thing. If this is something that appeals to you, look for software companies in a broad range ... I suggest a minimum of Round D funding (about $300M or larger). If you go with a major player like an Oracle or Microsoft then you'll definitely get better training, but the stock based compensation won't be as lucrative. Whatever direction you choose to go in technology, just try to pick something that is high growth, high demand ... and not just job related ... a high growth product category. This ensures you'll be in demand for many years to come, and well compensated for your contributions. Also smaller high growth software companies offer a lot of upward mobility because of the growth factor ... you can get a lot of great experience relatively quickly and potentially move into management.

Good luck in your endeavors ...

Toby recommends the following next steps:

Talk to as many people at software companies as you can to get a better idea of what you may want to do within technology.
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Shane’s Answer

I agree with Komal that a Hackathon is a great start. I also suggest self-learning programming languages and learning how you can use them. For instance if you play Minecraft, find an online tutorial for Java or Python on how to create your own mods for Minecraft. Compile these as part of a portfolio. Same if you have some options to build simple apps for a phone - ideally cross platform so you learn the differences.

Then look for internships. Large Tech companies have hundreds of intern opportunities - many of which are aimed at college students - but not just. If you already bring some skills (your portfolio) then contact the HR departments and ask for opportunities for summer programs.

Finally - look for coding meetups. Depending on the topic (ML, AI, favorite coding tools...) it may be possible to spend time learning while also building a network.
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