An internship is a work experience related to the career you are planning to pursue. Internships in CS may be the most highly paid and frequently available internships at Boise State. While time and duration varies, many interns work ~15hrs/week while in school allowing adequate time for studies and then full time during breaks. Beyond the financial opportunity, internships provide experiential learning that allows students to employ concepts and theories in the real world. Interns have an increased opportunity to network in the professional community and get a good feeling for the culture and workplace at different companies. Additionally, you may choose to receive general elective academic credit for them although it isn’t required. When it comes to finding a place of employment after graduation, completing internships is one of the most important things you can do!
Finding Internships and Jobs
A survey of Boise State CS students found that by their Junior year, 80% of them had secured internships.
“I’ve been involved in hiring at Clearwater Analytics for over 7 years, and one thing stands out as an indicator of how well a recent college graduate will do in an interview: Have they had a meaningful internship? That one factor is a better predictor of how a student will do in our interview process than the school they are attending or their GPA. It’s one of the main reasons we have a strong internship program each summer. It is the best preparation for students to excel outside of the academic world. Nothing will better prepare you for your first “real” job than a meaningful internship, where you contribute alongside everyone else. You learn a LOT, have a lot of fun doing it, and the best part is they pay you!” – James Price, Head of Development, Clearwater Analytics
Explore the BSU Internship Information site for details
Refer to the CS Internship page for additional CS Department Information
How to Find Opportunities
CS Student Mailing List
We forward many internship and full time job opportunities to enrolled CS majors via our CSStudents google group to their u.boisestate.edu email addresses. If you do not check this email account regularly, we encourage you to set up forwarding so you don’t miss these or other important announcements from the CS department.
Explore Local Tech Companies
Research and identify local tech companies on your own. Send them your resume along with a cover letter identifying why you’d be interested in being an intern for them. You can find a great list of local software companies using the Boise Software Ecosystem map , however, increasingly every company is relying on computer science talent.
Career Fairs
A large number of companies are present at the three annual Boise State career fairs to recruit students. You should attend these even if you aren’t actively looking for a job as you will make connections and learn about opportunities. The Boise State Career Center holds a fair in the spring and fall while the College of Engineering holds an Engineering Specific Fair in the fall.
Handshake
Check the Handshake website regularly for another source of job posting for students.