I’m currently in my second year of computer science and wondering if my skills are enough to get a backend internship. I’ve been working with Express.js and Java Spring for about a year now and feel pretty confident with both frameworks. My main project is a distributed system with 6 separate services that work together, plus I set up automated testing and monitoring tools. I deployed everything using Docker containers on a cloud platform.
I’ve also learned some DevOps stuff like container orchestration, setting up build pipelines, and basic infrastructure management. For system architecture, I’ve implemented things like load balancing, request throttling, event-driven patterns with message brokers, and caching layers using in-memory databases.
I have one machine learning project where I built a document search system and I’m still learning more about AI. My weak spot is definitely coding challenges so I’m practicing algorithms daily and participating in programming competitions.
Do you think these skills give me a decent shot at landing an internship this recruiting season? Any advice on what else I should focus on?
nice tech stack! but what sort of companies are you targetting? startups and big firms have different expectations. also, how’s your resume and portfolio? you could have all the skills, but if you can’t showcase them, it might be tough to get noticed.
Your tech skills look solid for internship applications. That distributed system you built shows you understand far more than most students coming out of coursework. I recommend brushing up on database concepts if you haven’t already, as backend interviews often focus on SQL optimization, database design, and the distinctions between relational and NoSQL databases. Additionally, prepare to discuss your projects in detail, focusing on challenges you faced while building the distributed system and your solutions. Your hands-on experience with modern tools and architecture will make you competitive, particularly if you can articulate the reasoning behind your technology choices during interviews.
you’re def ready! that distributed system project is impressive - many interns dont even see docker or devops. maybe just review some basic system design concepts since they come up in interviews. and having ml experience is def a cool plus!