Introduction

Over the past two months, I've had the pleasure of mentoring a young man named Isaac here at Attrove. After working primarily alone for the better part of this year, I had forgotten how rewarding it is to help grow future leaders.

Isaac reached out to me after his freshman year at the University of Washington, seeking an internship at a startup. He took a chance reaching out, and I decided to reciprocate by taking a chance on someone who'd never held a job before (though he did have an impressive Github commit history). And boy, I’m glad I did.

The Value of On-the-Job Learning

There's much discussion about whether college is worth it these days¹ . A pricy education and a load of debt are no guarantee for a successful career—but there are elements of the classroom which can help. That being said, nothing beats on-the-job learning. This is one of the reasons I advocate for in-person work, especially at startups where so much happens in the informal conversations between official meetings and status updates.

I've always been a huge supporter of internships. I got my start as an intern at Apple, and I believe it's the best "is this a good fit" test that sure beats the traditional one-day interview. It's also a win-win: the company gets outside ideas and some high-energy from young folks, and the intern gets to try out potential career paths for a short duration.

During my time as a manager at Apple, I was fortunate enough to hire many interns—ranging from undergraduates to graduates, from domestic and international colleges. This experience shaped my belief in the power of internships to bridge the gap between education and practical experience.

However, it's important to note that not all internships are created equal. Unfortunately, less than half of interns at technology firms report having good experiences² . This sobering statistic raises an important question: Why is that? Let's take a closer look at what makes an internship truly valuable and how companies can ensure they're providing meaningful experiences for their interns.

Defining the Right Internship Project

Finding the right project that both provides a learning opportunity to the intern and value to the organization is challenging. Typical internships only last 3 months (often during school's summer break). How can you define a bite-sized project so the intern can ramp up quickly, contribute, and then leave without disturbing the rest of the never-ending work?

Notice how the last item on the list is "make sure the intern's work is valuable to the company?” While important, the other items offer much more value in the long term. By focusing on the intern's growth and experience, we're investing in future talent and building a positive reputation for our company.

Unexpected Benefits for Companies

Bringing diverse backgrounds to a company has numerous benefits³ . Internships allow companies to bridge the age gap and bring in perspective from a (typically) younger generation. While your company’s core product may not focus on younger folks as a target demographic, guess who will age into many of these products sooner or later?

Additionally, young outsiders tend to have less experience—which is actually a good thing. Think of all the assumptions (and baggage) employees have after years of work. A newcomer may ask the simplest question (why are you doing it that way?) which may spark a discussion that leads to an improvement. This type of first-principles thinking helps any organization.

For instance, Isaac questioned our UI, which led us to reevaluate and ultimately improve our user interface. His fresh perspective helped us see our product through new eyes.

Lastly, I can't overstate the importance of the energy interns bring to a company. Do you remember the last time you were absolutely jazzed to go into work? The energy (or vibes as the kids these days say) is contagious. What an intern may lack in experience, they almost always make up for in excitement and passion.

Check out these vibes:

The Impact of Mentoring

Mentoring is invaluable for all parties involved, and we should all be practicing more of it. For the mentor, it's an opportunity to refine leadership skills and gain fresh perspectives. For the intern, it's a chance to learn from experienced professionals and build a network in their chosen field.

Conclusion

If it wasn't clear by now, I'm a massive advocate of internships. If you've been thinking about seeking an internship or if you run a company and were toying with the idea of running an internship program (even a small one)—I commend you and highly recommend it.

What better way to prepare the next generation of innovators and dreamers than by giving them a preview of what's to come?

I spoke with Isaac during our goodbye dinner and his overall experience was quite positive. He provided feedback pertaining to coding processes and documentation—areas where we definitely need improvement. Overall, I would consider Attrove’s first internship a tremendous success and look forward to more in the future!

1: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/05/23/is-college-worth-it-2/

2: https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/conversation-starters-internship-satisfaction/

3: https://www.betterup.com/blog/what-diversity-really-means-and-why-its-crucial-in-the-workplace