How to Prepare for Your First IT Internship as a Beginner

 Beginning to Learn About an IT Internship

A lot of first-timers will experience their first IT intern experience in school. The intern aspect of getting an IT intern is typically the first time students truly understand how an IT department works after being taught about Programming, Networking, Database Management and Cloud Services in their universities. An intern is a formal position that is an opportunity to see how an employee of an IT business uses their training to produce a working piece of software, test a programme, manage a network, secure data, and provide service to customers.

This can be intimidating for new interns, as they believe that a company is looking for someone who knows everything. However, a company's goal in hiring interns is to find individuals who are simply looking for a learning opportunity rather than an opportunity to use their knowledge base. Companies look for candidates who demonstrate an ability to be curious, a desire to learn and grow, and a desire to develop their skills.

Overall, the main purposes of an internship are to give interns a chance to see how a company operates in the IT industry, to expose interns to the various roles available to them, and to develop the necessary skills and knowledge needed for future employment in the IT industry.

How to Lay the Right Technical Groundwork Before Starting Out

The first step to preparing for an IT Internship is to prepare technically. By having a proper strategy in place, even the newest of applicants can prepare themselves for an internship. Whether you are applying for an internship in Development, Software Testing, Data Science, Networking or Cybersecurity, you need a basic understanding of what is involved. You should spend considerable time reviewing the basics of one Programming Language (Python, Java or JavaScript) and create simple projects (Calculator, Login System, CRUD Application, Small Website, etc.).

If you are applying for a Cloud or DevOps Internship, you should review Linux basics, Git, and the basics of Cloud Services (Amazon EC2, Storage, etc.) to give yourself an advantage. Regardless of your area of interest, creating a Portfolio demonstrating what you learned will be very beneficial. A portfolio can include GitHub Projects, Mini Applications, Dashboards, Scripts, or Documentation and provides examples of your work. Recruiters will not expect you to have completed Advanced Work, just that you have practised your Skills. In addition to Technical Skills, it is important to learn how to use the Tools that are common to the Technology Industry.

Tips for Improving Your Soft Skills and Professional Behaviour Before Entering the Workforce

There is much more to being successful throughout the internship than the ability to do the job technically. The soft skills of a new employee, just like the technical skills, are just as important, if not more, in determining if a new employee will be successful at an organisation.

Many individuals entering into a new workforce environment are unaware of how valuable and necessary to their success within an organisation is the development of effective communication skills, having a positive attitude, and developing strong work relationships with coworkers. By remaining quiet and passive, new interns are limiting themselves from learning from other workers. A new intern can increase their communication ability by being part of group teams, by talking with others on a regular basis in English, and/or by using simple language in teaching, training and explaining to others.

 Preparing Your Resume, Portfolio, and Mindset for the IT Internship

Show what you know. List the programming languages and tools you actually use. Point out those small projects you’ve built—those count. Add those to your projects section. That’s the kind of experience employers like to see. Practising debugging, building a simple networking configuration, creating a database, or automating a business process will also be excellent bits to put here.

Including certifications from platforms such as Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, and free government-sponsored platforms such as NPTEL and Skill India is also beneficial because it demonstrates your desire to learn.

Making the Most of Internships Through Learning, Connections, and Opportunities to Grow in Employment

Growth during an internship occurs after a new employee has completed the onboarding process and continues while interns continue to learn.  Interns need to take responsibility for their development and future education and attend to that development and education to have a more successful internship experience.

Unquestionably,​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ an internship is more of a learning experience from the moment you are beyond the introductory and orientation sessions. This is when it gets more interesting- when one is actually in the middle of the action, doing real work every day. If you are determined to gain something from it, then you should simply go for it. Do whatever comes your way as if it were the most interesting or the most challenging thing in the world. Don't cast aside the simple tasks, and do not let difficult ones discourage you. People know more than just what you are capable of-they see how you deal with the problems and how keen you are to figure them out.

 Investigate, take out references, and try to solve the puzzle yourself. When you encounter a problem, try it sincerely before you seek assistance. Let it be evident that you have laboured some. If you are still confused, then seek assistance. That is the thing which really facilitates your ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌development.