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Ask HN: Internships for a 13-year-old?

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Ask HN: Internships for a 13-year-old?

#1
I’m Lachlan (@lachlanjc on Twitter), a 13-year-old with skills in Rails, React, Front-end, and UX. I’ve built Noodles (http://www.getnoodl.es/), a cooking app, and helped build Helpful.io (http://helpful.io) with the community on Assembly (http://assembly.com).

I’ve been looking for internships this summer at startups/larger companies, but most require having already studied CS in college or something along those lines. Has anyone heard about good internships (most likely in NYC) for this summer?

Re: Ask HN: Internships for a 13-year-old?

#2
No one is going to publicly solicit someone as young as you. If you really want to find work, you're going to have to hustle for it. Start tracking down emails and contacting people personally.

Surely someone will appreciate your ambition and give you an opportunity, just don't expect it to fall into your lap. No one is listing internships with the expectation that someone pre-college will fill the opening but don't let that deter you. I say this as someone who landed an internship at 17.

Re: Ask HN: Internships for a 13-year-old?

#4
No US company can legally hire you. The only exception I know of is working for your parents.

http://www.youthrules.dol.gov/know-the-limits/under14.htm

You can legally work as a computer programmer once you are 14, but there are strict restrictions on the number of hours you are able to work.

Re: Ask HN: Internships for a 13-year-old?

#5
I started professionally when I was about your age. But back then internships were a very different thing. And so were startups and large companies to be honest. Unfortunately most of the large companies I have worked for have rules about hiring or even having people younger than 18 on premise for work purposes due to insurance and liability reasons. Many of the start ups would not hire anyone under 21. They state it is for the insurance and liability reasons but in actuality it is due to the fact that many have a "beer fridge" or go out drinking quite a bit and do not want the liability of an under aged employees.

With that said, there is hope. First off, many companies are lax in their HR departments and you might just slip through if you have the right connections. This means hustling as has been suggested: getting emails for employees, showing them your ambition and character and drive, and getting a foot in the door. This may turn into a frustrating endeavor as you might be rejected a few times, but it could work with perseverance.

Second, what makes you think you need an internship at all? You have skills, start something yourself. Maybe you want to freelance for a while, this could make for a lucrative summer experience and you will learn amazing skills that will stick with you the rest of your life. Maybe you have another app you'd like to build and grow. Again, this would be a fantastic learning experience.

Re: Ask HN: Internships for a 13-year-old?

#7
post #2

No one is going to publicly solicit someone as young as you. If you really want to find work, you're going to have to hustle for it. Start tracking down emails and contacting people personally. Surely someone will appreciate your ambition and give you an opportunity, just don't expect it to fall into your lap. No one is listing internships with the expectation that someone pre-college will fill the opening but don't…

Don't go around asking companies to do something illegal for you. I agree that hustling is good, but not when you put the burden of your success on someone else.

Re: Ask HN: Internships for a 13-year-old?

#8
Maybe not the most popular opinion here, or maybe it will be, but advice from a father of two boys:

Enjoy your childhood for the remaining 3-5 years before worrying so much about your professional career. You have decades of working in software ahead of you, if you continue on that path. Just enjoy your childhood, go out and play, or even just work on projects you enjoy. Once your childhood is gone, you'll regret not spending more time "not working."

You sound like you already have the work ethic, now make sure you focus on why you need it.

Re: Ask HN: Internships for a 13-year-old?

#9
I don't think we could get you an internship due to liability mentioned in other comments in this thread, but I'm from NYC and also started looking for internships around that age so I am familiar with your challenge.

The first time I had an internship the person I was working for insisted on calling my mom when I showed up because he didn't know how young I was haha. One place you might be able to have success is Eyebeam http://eyebeam.org/ I did an internship there when I was in college, but as a non-profit learning center I think they might be more likely to have something for you, check em out. You might also try contacting the High School for Engineering http://www.afsenyc.org/ and see if they know of anything or have any opportunities.

Also, if you'd ever like advice about working/interning in the NYC tech scene (or programming in general) feel free to email me, contact info in profile.

Re: Ask HN: Internships for a 13-year-old?

#10
post #8

Maybe not the most popular opinion here, or maybe it will be, but advice from a father of two boys: Enjoy your childhood for the remaining 3-5 years before worrying so much about your professional career. You have decades of working in software ahead of you, if you continue on that path. Just enjoy your childhood, go out and play, or even just work on projects you enjoy. Once your childhood is gone, you'll regret not…

It's easy to romanticize "carefree childhood", but I think that's baloney. I've loved working with computers for literally as long as I can remember. When I was 13, working with computers was playing! Getting paid to play would have been a dream come true for me at that age.
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