The Software Engineer Internship Survival Guide
Landing a software engineering internship at a top company is an incredible achievement—but for many students, it also brings a new wave of anxiety: How do I make the most of this? What if I mess up?
This course will help you walk into your internship with clarity, confidence, and a game plan. We know how much is riding on your performance, especially if you’re aiming for that coveted return offer. This course cuts through the noise and focuses on what actually matters during your internship—both technically and interpersonally.
You’ll get practical insights and guidance on how to approach the internship experience holistically. By the end, you’ll understand how top-tier internships really work, what’s expected of you, and how to set yourself up for long-term success. This course will help you:
- ⛰️ Understand how internships work at top companies
- 🧠 Establish the right mindset to succeed
- ⚙️ Clarify technical skill expectations
- 🗣️ Know the critical, underappreciated soft skills interns need
- 💪 Generate a list of concrete action items to prepare and improve
Whether you’re feeling unsure about what to expect or just want to give yourself the best shot at thriving, this course is here to support you every step of the way.
Your instructor, Rahul Pandey, brings a rare blend of real-world engineering experience and heartfelt mentorship to this course. As a former Staff Engineer and Engineering Manager at Meta, Rahul has not only written and shipped code at scale, but also led teams and personally mentored interns navigating their first steps in the tech industry. He’s also guided interns at Pinterest, giving him a clear perspective on what differentiates those who thrive from those who struggle to secure a return offer.
What makes Rahul especially effective as a mentor is that he’s been in your shoes—more than once. He interned at four different companies, including:
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Shop It To Me, a small startup where he got his first taste of real-world coding
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Marin Software, a mid-sized company where he gained more structure and guidance
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Walmart, where he navigated working in a large org
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Meta, where he earned a return offer—but only after a rocky start
Rahul knows what it's like to feel overwhelmed and unsure as an intern. In fact, he barely scraped by during his Meta internship. That experience is exactly why he's passionate about helping students avoid common pitfalls and walk into their internships with the clarity and confidence he wishes he had. With years of technical leadership and mentorship under his belt, Rahul is here to be the guide he never had.
I was feeling overwhelmed when I got an internship offer for this summer, unsure of what I should expect or how to prepare. But with the help of this course, I feel like I have a clear and actionable game plan even before onboarding with the company. Also, the advice in this isn't just generic advice you get from a random youtube video but rather, Rahul talks about specific things that you should do in order to make the most of your internship. I feel much more confident now, thank you for this course!
