Software engineering interns are overwhelmed with information about how to be the perfect intern; how to have the most eye-catching resume, what buzzwords to use in your LinkedIn, how many hours to practice LeetCode problems every day, etc. The non-technical obstacles that many people face in the process of applying, interviewing, and working as an intern in a tech company are often overlooked. Some of these obstacles that new interns face include feeling like they know nothing, being cautious to ask questions and appear stupid, and feeling terrified to be discovered as a failure. I want to also address colleagues and managers of interns and offer some ideas of how to best support a new intern. These aren’t topics that are commonly talked about or even acknowledged in software engineering and I believe it’s beneficial to people in all roles to start this discussion.
