I think a major part of any job search is having a clear cut definition of exactly what you are looking for. This does not mean that one should expect to get into a Google or Facebook their Freshmen year. However, a goal of getting a full time offer from a Google or Facebook after 4 years of undergrad is far more realistic. For me personally, I knew I wanted to work for a big tech company, I didn’t particularly care which one at the time. However, I knew that getting an internship with a top company within my first 2 or 3 years wasn’t very practical, but I did believe that if I paid my dues and worked my way up that there was a chance I could end up at a dream company. I was very fortunate that my plan did come to fruition. My Freshmen year I started working remotely at a small company called JourneySales as an unpaid intern. Then I wrote some test cases for a start-up called DeepLearn, recently renamed to Auger.ai, during the school year. That following summer I interned at Kaiser Permanente, and I had my big break the summer of 2018 interning at Salesforce. Ultimately, I converted full time with Salesforce and will be joining later this year.
I am very lucky and fortunate that this worked out, and I know that I would probably be nowhere without the help of my many mentors along the way. However, if I had one thing you take one thing away from this it is: I hope you deploy patience. Accepting an unpaid internship during my Freshman year didn’t necessarily feel that great at the time, but I knew it was the best option that I had. Looking back, this experience was very important for me because it gave me work experience that I desperately needed. I strongly believe that I would not have gotten my next internships at DeepLearn or Kaiser without first having worked for JourneySales. I know that internships at Salesforce would not have been possible if I didn’t have any prior work experience beforehand. When you first start out, never consider yourself too big for any role. Everyone needs to start out somewhere, and one opportunity will ultimately lead into the next one.
It is very easy to look over your shoulder and see your friend already at your dream company and feel inadequate by comparison, and that is something I was definitely doing early on. As I grew professionally, I learned that jealousy has no place here. Instead, don’t be jealous; congratulate them! Simply, stay the course, be patient, and most importantly believe in yourself! The longer the journey the more rewarding it will be when you reach your goal!
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Prabh
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