The Essential Intern Guidebook
The Essential Intern Guidebook
The Essential Intern Guidebook written by someone who started as a Software Development Intern at Microsoft, followed by two decades of career growth at Microsoft and Amazon, leading multiple Software Development and Test teams. Over the last decade, the author directly coached and mentored dozens of SDE Interns, both at Microsoft and Amazon, and helped them grow their careers through multiple levels, with some growing from SDE I to Principal Software Engineer.
The author started his career at Microsoft, a couple of decades ago, as a Software Development Engineer Intern. He grew from Software Development Engineer I to Principal Engineering Manager, leading the Microsoft Project Desktop engineering team. After Microsoft, the author was hired by Amazon as a Software Development Manager, where he led Software Development and Test teams.
With this book, the author intends to take you on a journey with him down the memory lane, recalling some of his most memorable stories and experiences. From his first role back in 2005 as a Software Development Engineer Intern at Microsoft, the author writes about events as they happened throughout his internship. His intent is to give you the full context, by describing key events from his internship journey in detail, to help you understand the full background behind the insights and tips that he shares with you.
As a reader, I hope my story will inspire you to grow your own career in Software Engineering.
What you will learn after reading this book:
How to land your first internship role?
How to prepare and be ready for your Interview?
How to quickly ramp up on the job once you start?
How to quickly build your network on the job?
What are the three key expectations of a great Intern Project?
How should you approach writing your first Engineering Design?
How to practice Test Driven Development during your internship?
How to level up your Code Writing Skills to match Industry Standards?
What is the importance of the Intern Midpoint Review?
Why is Team Culture important in shaping your success?
Why is Automated Software Testing important and how should you approach it?
How to present your work during the Intern Final Demo?
How are decisions made during the Intern Final Review and the Offer Process?
Additional Resources:
Internship Plan Template that you can use to set the expectations for each week of a 12 week internship.
Engineering Design Template that you can use to create your first Engineering Design.
Definitions of the Key Roles within Software Teams.
Practical Tips that you can immediately apply to become successful during your internship.
Questions to Ask Yourself during the different stages of your internship.