A lot of people venture into different disciplines at a point in their lives but then comes a time when some divert to another entirely different which suits their personality and talent more. Technology is taking over the world, nowadays, everything seems to have a way it could be done with technology and every problem is almost certainly going to be solved after a computer is introduced into the discussion.
A lot of people know this for a fact and that is why the young people of the world, Nigeria inclusive, are now trying to learn and understand the basics and essentials of technology, mostly information and communication-based. ICT and Computer Science are being taught in schools as compulsory subjects, labs are constructed for practical purposes, some of these students tend to go farther with their yearn for knowledge in this Tech field by pursuing a degree, and most times it ends well for the smart and tough-hearted.
All students in Nigerians tertiary institutions who study practical courses are required to partake in at least one Industrial Training program during their overall stay as students of the university, although, the smart ones get to do more as they take up Internship jobs during their long holidays. An Intern is simply a student who takes up a job in a particular field specifically to learn a trade or profession.
An internship is most times a voluntary decision of which the employee doesn’t get paid for what he/she does as the goal is to learn and master the profession while in school for future purposes and also to get good grades. However, some interns are paid and it’s a fact that most students nowadays see no harm in getting paid for learning.
Landing an Internship in the Technology field isn’t a difficult task as there are a lot of Technology companies in virtually all Geographical location of the country, most especially the Urban areas. However, where the work comes in is getting a paid one as this requires a lot more effort and input. In this article, we provide you with tips on how to land a Technology-based Internship in Nigeria.
UNDERSTAND
Understanding is a necessary tool in anything anyone is doing. You need to understand your course, understand your strengths and weaknesses, understand your preferred field and also understand the processes of applying for Internship in various companies and organization. This will make the whole process a lot smoother.
The Application process of getting the internship is very important, first of all, make your research online, learn how to write a resume and cover letter, provide a list of references, get a recommendation later if possible and send out a couple of thank you notes after the interview. There are many sources online where you can learn all these.
START EARLY
As a student, you should know there are a thousand more like you who are interested in getting the same Internship position as you do so it is very good to start the application as early as possible. Some schools aid students in looking for Internships but sometimes you need to make research and apply yourself which means you need to start very early sometimes a year in advance or more and if you wait until the last minute there may be no Tech internship available or the one available might not be the best looking one so you’re advised to begin the hunt as early as possible to get an internship a lot closer to your desired one.
YOUR RESUME
An organization definitely won’t just decide to employ a random person as an intern, you need to tell them things that will make them feel secure while giving you a position. They need to know how serious and passionate you are, how experienced you are at what you do, courses you’ve taken and skills you possess, this will go a long way in landing you that dream position you care about.
And also, one very important things is that you review your resume thoroughly before submitting it to avoid mistakes of any kind. This is a very important factor.
BE PREPARED AND BE POSITIVE
Yes, you should be positive about being picked but the most important thing in this paragraph is the preparation. You know you might get hooked by a couple of activities that may be challenging during your time as an Intern so you need to prepare for these unseen circumstances. For example, a Software Engineering Intern is most likely to face a coding challenge, so it is in his best interest that he/she practices beforehand with through online training courses and solve problems so as to make things easier for him while taking the challenge.
Also, your interview is a very important period in the whole process. You can be skilful in the writing part but throw everything away if you are bad orally or terrible when it comes to confidence or comportment. You should look decent during an interview and sound as confident as possible. One more important thing, be thankful after your interview.
BE UNIQUE
Do something that makes you stand out, the good thing about this part is that you’ll be applying for a tech internship and Technology is one of the widest field known to man. It is highly flexible and it would be a good idea to be creative and make a little project relating to your niche… For example, one can create a personal program, a Developer could create a personal web page, a graphic designer could make a unique design and so many more. This can go very far and will definitely be an extra reason why you should be part of the team. It’s a win-win situation as the practicals done by you is a way of also gaining little experience relating to your work.
These above-stated tips will guide you in getting your desired Technology internship both paid and unpaid. One should know that Internship is more important than it seems as a good Intern with extremely invaluable working qualities can be retained by the organization, hence employment immediately after graduation… Also, it is advisable to get a paid Internship as research shows that paid Interns are twice as likely to land a job after graduation than unpaid ones.
