The Quest for the Right Internship: Entry Level Computer Jobs

Unfortunately, in this day and age, stellar grades alone are not enough to get you the job of your dreams. Whereas a few decades ago, simply having a college degree was enough to open doors, the modern entry level jobseeker has a few more hurdles to clear before landing that first, satisfying job. The key, of course, is to have the right type of job experience. The way to get said job experience is through internships.
Internships can be valuable for any type of career. Even people in IT and computers can benefit. For instance, in the past you were pretty much guaranteed a job by majoring in computers. However, nowadays with outsourcing and the increasing number of people who have these degrees, college graduates in this field need to go above and beyond to distinguish themselves from everyone else.
Case in point: a friend of mine recently graduated from a state school with a computer science degree. Despite his level of intelligence and work ethic, he was unable to find a job. Not to be discouraged, he ended up joining the Navy. He is now working as a computer specialist, adding valuable experience to his resume, which will undoubtedly help him get a job when he gets out of the Navy. This is not an internship per se, but it is equally valuable in that it will add several years relevant work experience to his resume.
If you don’t think the miltary is for you, there are other ways to get computer science experience. If you belong to a local church or social organization, you can offer to program their website, or set up and maintain a database for them. At the very least, you can network with people who may provide you with valuable job leads. There’s also a thing called Open Source, in which computer programmers release versions of computer code online, and allow other computer programmers to help them correct and improve upon it. Or, you could just take the initiative and come up with your own innovative website/computer program. After all, if Harvard graduate Mark Zuckerberg can come up with a revolutionary website like Facebook, then so can you!
Lastly, there’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned Google web search to point you in the direction of potential job opportunities.