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Summer of Tech 2018. Myths and reality.
“It’s just for students from Victoria University.”
“Ohh…don’t try…they take only locals!”
“No chance. They don’t take students from WelTec.”
“You have to have A+ in all subjects.”
“You have to have huge experience and technical skills.”
“They already know who they want to hire before they start the recruitment process.”
“Only smart boys can pass.”
“Only beautiful girls can pass.”
These are all real statements of real people, which I have heard whenever I said I wanted to get a place in the Summer of Tech program.
There is some psychological aspect to it.
The same thing happened to me. I told myself I just had to try. Even if I didn’t get an offer, I would get a whole bunch of benefits, such as experience, knowledge, new student and industry contacts, help to improve my CV, etc.
In this article, I want to share my experience of getting an offer in SoT, and I will try to debunk some of the myths.
First, I want to introduce myself.
I am a newcomer to New Zealand. Originally, I am from Russia. I am a mother of three adorable children, and this is why I have a huge career gap, which I tried to close with freelancing. I’ve studied in Moscow State Technical University for six years. My major was IT Security. I graduated in 2009. At the moment of writing this article, it is 2018. So imagine, how far technology has come while I was freelancing at home.
I’m so grateful to the organisers of this Internship program because they are giving really great opportunities for students to gain experience in real companies working on real-life projects!
I got an offer. I am not from Victoria University, my marks are not all A+, and I am not a local. :-)
I just thought that SoT is the best chance for me to restart a career, and I decided to do my best, following every kind of advice Ruth and her team gave us and having the right mindset.
So let’s go step by step and discuss all the comments that I’ve heard from people.
1. “It’s just for students from Victoria University.”
100% of Summer of Code interns in 2006, and 50% in 2017 (see the infographics below), but now it’s 48% of Summer of Tech interns in 2018.
2. “Ohh… don’t try… they only take locals!”
This is also partly true because some employers just don’t want to have some visa issues in the future. 90% of Summer of Tech interns in 2018 are either NZ Citizens or Residents. 10% are on a work or student visa.
3. “No chance. They don’t like students from WelTec (actually, any name could be added here, that isn’t Victoria University).”
Ruth proved that, yes, there is that historical fact and probably stereotype for a lot of employers. Firstly, because SoT generally started from Victoria University and FOR Victoria University. Secondly, because of the reputation.
But reputation is built by the actions of individuals. Ruth gave me an example of a really outstanding intern from Whitireia. How does reputation change? If you don’t try, there will be no change.
By the way, Here’s SoT 2018 institution breakdown (as at 9 October)
4. “You have to have A+ for all subjects.”
This is true for some employers who want to save time and filter students this way, but, as Ruth commented, some of them don’t even look at the marks.
5. “You have to have huge experience and technical skills.”
Huge experience is not a plus for the intern because, for some companies, it is easier to take a fresher and teach them instead of coping with their past experience, which may not be applicable in the new position.
6. “ They already know who they want to hire before they start the recruitment process.”
Sometimes it happens. Nobody is protected from it. This is what SoT organisers are trying to prevent, making the program fair for everybody. However, some hiring managers do fixate on a single candidate, and won’t consider others for their roles.
7. “Only smart boys can pass.”
Yes. There is a tendency, but it is getting better every year. Many employers are consciously choosing a particular type of students, for instance, male, final year, Engineering students from Vic, local, etc. It is a good example of discrimination, but the situation is getting better each year. Here is the percentage from the SoT 2017 Report:
SoT 2018 intern gender stats:
8. “Only beautiful girls can pass.”
This phrase I heard from boys, while the previous one from girls, who couldn’t get a place in the program. I think, and Ruth agreed with me on this point, that the beauty factor is too unpredictable and different for every individual, so this reason may be the last to count.
I have real examples of people from WelTec and other universities, internationals, girls, boys, the diverse people who got offers this year. What makes all of them similar? Probably the attitude, really strong commitment to get an internship, and action.
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