An internship is work experience offered by a company. This can be for a short period of time or long period of time. In my experience are typically 4 months and offer a great learning experience and adds to your resume!

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That's fine There are always different ways to communicate your passion for technology. When I started off my resume consisted of a skills section (with technologies I am familiar/confident with), a large project section with different technical projects I worked on (and github/web links), and applicable rewards and clubs.

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You can google something like 'software engineering internship summer 2023' and lots of results pop up! You can also directly reach out to recruiters or people you meet in-person or on a platform like LinkedIn. Your school may also offer a co-op program or work placement experience. I also strongly suggest going to a career fair in your school or hackathons! These are all great places to network and talk to industry professionals. I remember going to Hack the North 2020 and networking with multiple recruiters and software developers. I gained lots of insight and connections.

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An interview process typically starts with an 'Introductory call' where the recruiter tries to get to know you better! They may ask behavioural questions and questions about your past work experience. Practise explaining relevant information on your resume and behavioural questions that the interviewer may ask you. Also, practise your literal introduction of who you are! I found it most helpful to practise with a friend in-person or in an online meeting. It better prepares you rather than practising by yourself.

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Once you have passed the intro call you will most likely have a technical assessment for the company to decide whether or not you are fit for the role. This may be in a leetcode-style, takehome project, or peer programming-based format. You will most likely be told what to expect and if not, you should probably ask. If it's a take-home project, you will be given a deadline and project to complete. If it's a leetcode-style, then it will be a live interview setting where you will try and solve a question that involves algorithms. If it's peer programming then this can vary. In my experience, peer programming interviews were a live format focussing on debugging and understanding a codebase. There can be multiple technical rounds/interviews.

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Practise & study. Do not leave preparations to the last minute no matter how experienced or confident you are! During the interview be sure to COMMUNICATE. I remember having an interview with Shopify during high school and one point of feedback was to communicate! You should be actively communicating with your interviewer about what you're doing. Do not stay silent and just code away. The technical interviewer is looking for someone that can articulate their thoughts and thinking process clearly.

This may vary. In my experience, I had another meeting with the recruiter to talk about what I'm going to work on, the team, and any questions I have (so come prepared with questions you may have). There may also be something called a 'reference check,' where the interviewer will ask you for a reference from a previous employer or person. This is just to make sure that you weren't an asshole in your previous internship.

Depends. If the company has hard-set internship rates then negotiating will probably be pointless because they have a budget. If you have the leverage (like other higher offers), you can definitely negotiate because you have something to lean back on. However, if you have no leverage then it's a little risky. I suggest you think it over and practise how you are going to go about explaining it. One thing I don't recommend is asking for a value WAY higher than the one offered because that can scare away the recruiter and they'll reject you. In my experience, I was a returning intern and negotiated my offer higher because this was a return offer. I already knew how the company operated and had a positive prior experience with them.

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Unpaid internships are 'alright' as long as you are learning. If you can't get a paid internship and you are just getting started, then something like an unpaid internship might be worthwhile and open more doors in the future.

When I started, I definitely felt like I wasn't the most qualified but who cares! We're here to learn. I feel like everyone has experienced imposter syndrome to a certain degree and you're not alone. It's ok to feel this way but don't let it demotivate you or undervalue you. Stay confident and continue to work on your craft! Your mindset determines your success.