Ask HN: What should the first day for an intern be like? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What should the first day for an intern be like?

I am currently interning on the other side of the world and after much hassle I arrived at my job (software development) now I dont make more than I pay to be here so Technically im at a loss already. However experience can be valuable and so I hope that this internship will be valuable. Its true that i also pay extra to explore the country and live in a new environment with a different culture so it also can be considered part holiday. Now my question is "what should a first day interning be like?" comes from the fact that today I was welcomed and then 'forgotten about' I felt like they didn't care about me or my efforts at all, which is why im afraid that this internship won't be of much use to me. I'm hoping someone could shed light on this topic so I can maybe make a decision to switch companies if needed.

View on HN

What Country are you interning in?

A few things, well thought out internships will be quite structured and you won't be left to your own without knowing what to do and how to get assistance if you need it. But there are also internships that honestly are fairly sloppy and you need to really seek out your own path and push to learn. To be fair, I'd give it a week to see what shakes out but I would be asking basic questions, just so you stay in the front of peoples minds. In the U.S. I have seen a few startups structure internships to see which of the intern(s) will actively seek out work etc. I frankly think this is a huge mistake, but I don't think they are doing it to be mean, just they themselves are inexperienced and think this is a valid way to see who will make themselves valuable to the company.

My advice, make yourself valuable to the company and make the most of your time there, even if in the end it winds up not being a good company you will learn a lot and people will see value in you which may lead to good recommendations later to other companies/programs. If you just sit back and take it easy then you'll learn very little and people won't respect you in the end (generally).

Im interning in south east asia as a western European. I do wanna give it a week, but if I want a chance to switch I have to be quick as my uni wont allow it later in the program. The thing is it looked like a structured internship when I applied and had my interview. I know things could be much different as I have had previous working experiences as a developer. I dont expect them to hold my hand all day, but having at a team member informed and able to help an intern set up a workstation and area so he can get started seems only logical not only from a helping an intern point but also as a i want to make money point. Right now I have done nothing and I really would rather do something. I asked them about it a few times. Now I work much better in a structured environment and I feel like this will be a very long internship if I dont start finding joy or value in something i know i love doing.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com