Getting the Github Octernship
Tags: career, codenewbie, beginners, programming
Published: 2023-03-19 12:30:00

This article is all about [Github Octernship](https://education.github.com/students/octernships)

> The GitHub Octernships program connects students with industry partners in paid professional experiences and mentorship on open source and software development projects.

## Intro

I am [**Pratik Singh**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kitarp29/), a final-year engineering student from Bangalore. I have been alumni of the pilot program of the Github Octernship. Back in 2021, it was called  **[Github Externship](https://github.blog/2021-11-30-github-externships-enabling-indias-next-generation-of-developers/)**. I worked for an organisation  [LitmusChaos](https://litmuschaos.io/)
{% embed https://twitter.com/kitarp29/status/1481262755143643137?s=20 %}

In this blog post, I will describe the program in detail. Also, will tell my application process, the interview process, and my experience working at this company.

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## What is Github Octernship 🤔?

It is an Open source program powered by **Github**, where students get to work at Open Source companies. Yes! it is a _paid_ internship. Different organizations list their set of tasks for the candidates to complete in the given timeline. The selected applicants move on to the interview process. 
Find out more in detail: [Here](https://github.blog/2023-03-06-unleash-your-potential-with-github-octernships-a-path-to-a-thriving-tech-career/)

I was recently part of a Live Stream where we did discuss many aspects of the program. Watch [Here](https://youtu.be/vLeIj7c5SQ4):
{% embed https://youtu.be/vLeIj7c5SQ4 %}

<u>✅ Apply for Github Octernship</u>: **[Now!](https://education.github.com/students/octernships)**

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## Why do Github Octernship?
The reasons to apply for this opportunity are: 
- <u>**Paid Opportunity**</u>

I have been an intern for many companies in the past. In my opinion, an Internship converts a student into a professional. Ask any person in the industry, they will agree it is great to do internships early on. It not only boosts your resume, you learn a LOT of skills on the job. 


- <u>**Current Economic Condition**</u>

This is sad, but the world is going through a sort of economic crisis. It is hard for seniors to keep a job, but even harder for freshers like me to find one. Amidst this cloud of despair, this program is a life-saver!


- <u>**Open Source Job**</u>

Working at an Open source organization is fulfilling at a whole other level. You contribute to something that the whole world can see. It kind of feels like performing on the biggest platform for a developer, where your art is your code.
Moreover, being in DevOps I used to struggle to find people who have the same interests as me. I met many SREs and DevOps folks, from across the world because of this program.

- **<u>Hiring possibility</u>**

Well, this depends on the organization and your performance. But [Appwrite](https://appwrite.io/) did hire one of its interns from this program as a full-time employee. Even if you are not hired, this experience does help you in your next interview. It helped me a lot to crack multiple opportunities.

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## My Advice ✨

Well now that we discussed the _What_ and _Why_, the only question that is left is **How**?

I wish the answer was simple for this question :(
Every Organisation has a different set of tasks, and interviews are also subjective by nature. Can't really give you a solid road map to follow, but some points to keep in mind.
- **Don't** self reject yourself! I did not know anything about Chaos Engineering until the program.
- Select organizations that are relevant to your skill set or at least your future goals.
- Don't forget to take that _extra_ mile in your preliminary assignment. If you have to write a technical proposal you can take reference from [Here](https://github.com/kitarp29/GSOC_failed_Proposal/blob/master/Pratik_Singh_LitmusChaos.md)
- Try to communicate with the mentors of the organization to clarify any doubts about the task.
- I do understand it gets overwhelming to prepare for a such program alongside your college. But again this extra effort one puts down makes you different from others.

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## References
- Official Site: [Here](https://education.github.com/students/octernships)
- Great read from Arkodyuti Saha : [Here](https://github.blog/2023-03-06-unleash-your-potential-with-github-octernships-a-path-to-a-thriving-tech-career/)
- Live Stream on Github Octernship: [Here](https://youtu.be/vLeIj7c5SQ4)


All the Best🤟!
Thanks for reading my article :)