Internships to Build Your Open Source Career

April is internship month, and if you’re looking for a way to build your open source career skills, internships offer a practical and effective approach.

Internships are not just important to career growth, however, they are also vital in keeping open source projects healthy. For example, they can help lower barriers to participation and improve the sustainability of open source projects.

This article from Open Source JobHub looked at Summer of Code-style internships focused on project contributions, including:

Many other types of tech internships are available as well, including international, paid opportunities to learn through student programs. Companies and organizations around the world offer such programs, and the following list includes just a few examples:

• Amazon student internships — Available globally and typically lasting 12-16 weeks. 
• CERN Short-Term Internship — Open year-round to students worldwide. 
• Free Software Foundation Europe — Paid internship and trainee program in Berlin, Germany.
• GitHub Octernships — Fully remote internships open to students in Colombia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• Igalia Coding Experience Program — A grant program for people studying computer science, IT, or free software.
• King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) — Fully paid visiting student internships, lasting three to six months. You can apply all year.
• Major League Hacking (MLH) Fellowship — Fully remote, 12-week internship alternative where participants earn a stipend and collaborate on real open source projects. 
• Microsoft Internship Programme — This paid program is open to international students from any educational background. Applications are open year-round. 
• Reinforcement Learning Open Source Fest from Microsoft Research — A global online program where students work with members of Microsoft’s Real World Reinforcement Learning team.

Research is key when considering any internship. Be sure you review the rules of eligibility and all associated requirements, as well as the code of conduct, for any program that interests you.