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Start a Ruby Internship

Chelsea Kaufman and Adam Cuppy • February 28, 2023 • Providence, RI

The video titled "Start a Ruby Internship" features speakers Adam Cuppy and Chelsea Kaufman, who provide a workshop focused on creating effective internship programs within organizations. They emphasize that a well-structured internship can benefit both interns and senior members of a team, setting the stage for productive contributions from the onset. The discussion covers a systematic approach to establishing an internship program, broken down into four major phases: pre-planning, preparation, execution, and obtaining support. Key points discussed include:

- Setting Expectations: Establishing clear and healthy expectations about internship goals is crucial. They stress that while challenges may arise, understanding common obstacles can facilitate supportive solutions within the community.

- Importance of Planning: Before execution, thorough pre-planning is necessary. This includes defining goals, metrics for success, and logistics that will be presented to leadership for approval.

- Common Goals: Organizations might aim to enhance mentorship opportunities, build a pipeline of early-career talent, and foster a stronger tech community. They advise participants to document their internship goals.

- SMART Goals: The speakers highlight the significance of creating SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives for evaluating intern success. These should be revisited throughout the internship to provide structure and ownership to the interns.

- Project Structure: It’s essential for every intern to work on a clearly defined, manageable project that maintains interest and avoids overwhelming multi-step tasks. Suggestions for projects can include documentation improvements or new feature testing.

- Continuous Feedback: They advocate for ongoing communication between interns and project leads, including reserving time for professional development and reflection on progress.

- Celebrate Achievements: At the conclusion of the internship, it’s vital to celebrate accomplishments and review initial objectives to ensure ongoing support, regardless of hiring decisions.

Overall, the workshop asserts that with careful planning and a supportive environment, internships can significantly strengthen the Ruby community by nurturing the next generation of developers. They encourage participants to engage in follow-up discussions to refine internship initiatives and foster connections within the industry. Takeaways include the importance of structured planning, clear communication, and active mentorship in shaping valuable internship experiences that benefit both interns and organizations.

Start a Ruby Internship
Chelsea Kaufman and Adam Cuppy • February 28, 2023 • Providence, RI

Starting an internship doesn’t have to reduce your team's progress. On the contrary, a quality internship can benefit interns and senior folks. And, it doesn't take much to set up and start. We've done over 100!

You’ll use our established blueprint to draft a successful internship program throughout this workshop. We'll walk through all the planning phases and help you set up the templates so you're ready to make it a win for all involved and "sell it" to management. By the end, your internship program will be prepared to hit the ground running, so your interns will be productive on day one.

RubyConf 2022 Mini

00:00:11.460 Welcome everyone to our discussion about starting a Ruby internship. Depending on your background and what brought you here, we will explore various aspects of setting up and running an internship.
00:00:25.260 It's important to set healthy expectations; while it's tough to cover every aspect of starting an internship, our goal is to identify some of the biggest components that we've identified over time.
00:00:38.880 This workshop is all about effective participation, so here’s how it works. For every contribution or participation, you can earn a duck. They come in different styles and colors.
00:00:50.460 I encourage everyone to focus on participation, so I’d like you to close your eyes for a moment. Imagine waking up to a beautiful day.
00:01:08.220 Picture yourself getting out of bed and excitedly rushing to the window to open the curtains wide. You see the sunshine and, off in the distance, a hill that you've climbed many times before.
00:01:30.659 You run towards the front door, and as you step outside, you catch a glimpse of an animal in the distance. Some of you may wonder if this is your spirit animal, but it's not quite that.
00:01:42.960 Now, I want you to imagine that animal and the sound it makes. Make that sound, and as you do, make it louder. Feel the sound, and give it different tones.
00:02:05.759 This is your confusion support animal. Whenever you feel uncertain, make the sound of your animal, and it will help guide you to clarity.
00:02:49.560 Now, raise your hand if you know what your confusion support animal is. Great! Just remember, whenever you have a suggestion or want to chime in, simply raise your hand.
00:03:21.180 Internships are important to us, and I’d like to hear from you: What’s the biggest reason you’ve either struggled to start an internship, or why are you finding it challenging to run one effectively?
00:03:39.680 Let’s hear from you. Is it a lack of historical experience with the team? Is it difficulty finding support from management or leadership? Confidence around mentorship could be a challenge, too.
00:04:12.439 These are very common concerns, and our community is supportive, especially during conferences. When I attended RailsConf last year in Portland, the contrast between the job boards for senior positions and early career opportunities was striking.
00:05:04.080 We often see a significant portion of attendees raise their hands when asked how many are new to the community, which suggests a conflict between a supportive community and company structures that may not facilitate that.
00:06:22.260 It's essential for us to create change within our organizations, and we must recognize that many care deeply about this topic, even if they sometimes forget those early stages of their journeys.
00:07:35.880 I’d like to introduce Chelsea, our CEO and founder of Learn Academy. We were established in January 2015, and at that time, we were one of the few boot camps in Southern California.
00:08:30.240 Today, we still offer internships as an integrated part of our curriculum. Internships help solidify skills learned in the classroom and provide hands-on experience, building confidence.
00:09:36.420 Our program consists of a 16-week plan: 12 weeks of classroom instruction followed by a 4-week internship with a company. We’ve graduated over 500 students, completing more than 200 internship programs with various companies.
00:10:02.520 Next year, we're partnering with the VA to help transitioning veterans enter the tech industry. We will graduate over 200 students who will undergo 100 internships with multiple companies.
00:10:45.960 Back in early 2015, we attended RubyConf to find partners for students. To our surprise, every company at the table was interested in offering internships.
00:11:52.080 This reflects the Ruby community's commitment to supporting newcomers, which is why I’m excited today to contribute to this workshop.
00:12:01.680 To set up your internship program, we recommend breaking it down into four parts: pre-planning, preparation, execution, and getting support.
00:12:50.040 Many companies jump straight to the execution phase, which can lead to obstacles. We want to emphasize the importance of preparation and planning.
00:13:05.880 Pre-planning is critical as it involves your pitch to leadership. This includes defining your goals, measurables, and logistics, as these are what leadership wants to hear.
00:13:47.919 What is your goal for starting an internship? Why do you want to do it? This should be written down so that you have a clear idea to guide you.
00:14:11.520 Several common goals include developing your senior engineers, building a talent pipeline for the organization, and contributing positively to the tech community.
00:14:52.799 The pipeline for early-career talent is crucial, so if you haven’t already written down your goals, please do so.
00:15:05.799 Anyone else have an idea for potential goals for your internship? Each suggestion is valuable, so please share.
00:15:16.920 As we discuss these common goals, it's critical to align them with the organization's objectives. Employee retention, mentorship, and giving back to the Ruby community are all interwoven with your goals.
00:16:46.499 Moving forward, let's talk about setting measurable goals. In the educational sphere, we often focus on learning objectives as a way to evaluate interns' success.
00:17:49.219 Setting up SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—help ensure clear expectations. For instance, if your goal is to find a new hire through the internship process, clarify how many candidates you aim to interview.
00:18:57.640 Part of these objectives includes discussing what success looks like for an intern and providing them clear benchmarks for their progress.
00:19:54.960 I want to ask you to think together about a smart goal related to your interns' first week and the entirety of their internship.
00:20:58.479 As they progress, it’s important to revisit these goals. At some point, you need to build in a structure that allows interns to feel a sense of ownership over their work.
00:21:37.160 Every internship should involve a clearly defined project. It’s crucial to avoid a culture that is solely about helping because that sentiment runs thin quickly.
00:22:00.920 Your interns should contribute meaningfully. Allow them the experience of working on a tangible project that can sustain their interest and energy throughout the internship.
00:22:31.920 Projects can include documentation updates, adding testing features, or exploring areas that have not received attention. The key is to make it manageable.
00:23:12.920 Avoid multi-step projects that overwhelm interns by expecting them to complete many tasks at once. Each task should have clear input, process, and output definitions.
00:23:41.320 The internship execution phase includes continuous feedback and managing expectations for both the interns and the project leads. Communication throughout the process is crucial.
00:24:20.599 I recommend reserving a portion of Friday afternoons for professional development. In this time, interns can reflect on their week, update their LinkedIn profiles, and review their learning experiences.
00:25:00.960 As the internship wraps up, whether hiring occurs or not, it’s important to celebrate the achievements, review the initial goals, and ensure that support continues even after their work ends.
00:25:52.440 Celebrating the work of your interns strengthens community ties and fosters an environment of continuing mentorship.
00:26:46.000 In summary, while setting up internships may seem daunting, a structured plan with clear goals and a supportive community can create a beneficial and productive experience for all involved.
00:27:39.840 Internships can significantly impact the Ruby community, and we each play a role in nurturing the next generation of developers. With thoughtful planning and execution, we can foster a vibrant internship culture.
00:28:50.400 We want to encourage any attendees to reach out to schedule a follow-up discussion, whether you’re interested in establishing a new internship program or making improvements to an existing one.
00:29:43.440 Thank you all for being here today. Remember that each effort we put towards supporting internships contributes to the growth of our Ruby community. Let’s continue to connect and support one another.
00:30:56.640 Feel free to sign up for follow-up meetings where we can dive deeper into specific topics or projects together, continuing our work towards effective internships.
00:31:40.699 Let’s commit to being advocates for change in our industry, supporting both new and seasoned developers as they navigate their careers in Ruby and beyond.
00:32:30.639 Thank you all once again, and I look forward to continuing these vital conversations.
Chelsea Kaufman
@c-kaufman
Adam Cuppy
@acuppy
Explore all talks recorded at RubyConf 2022 Mini
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