Enough Is Enough: Documenting My Journey from Rejection to Internship

The journey to finding an internship since the summer of 2024 has been... well, let's just say it's been a learning experience. While I've kept busy with freelance prompt engineering at Outlier.ai, the search for a more traditional internship, including those at larger companies, hasn't been as smooth as I'd hoped. It's been inspiring to see friends and peers securing roles at places like Meta, Amazon, and Shopify, and honestly, it's also brought its share of moments where I've felt a little disheartened. But instead of letting those moments define my journey, I've reached a breaking point – a moment of clarity where I realized that simply applying and hoping isn't enough. This isn't just another application cycle; it's a commitment to actively pursuing my goals, documenting the process, and hopefully, connecting with others who are on a similar path. It's time to turn frustration into action, and this blog is where that transformation begins.

The Breaking Point: Why This Blog, Why Now?

Beyond just chronicling the ups and downs of my internship applications, this blog serves a more significant purpose for me as a developer, a point that really resonated with me after watching Adrian Twarog's video on why programmers should blog. Like he eloquently argued, a blog acts as a dynamic portfolio for developers. It provides a space to articulate my thought processes, document the technical challenges I encounter (and hopefully overcome!), and showcase my problem-solving abilities in a tangible way. By writing about my journey, inspired in part by Adrian's insights, I'm not only holding myself accountable but also solidifying my own understanding of the concepts and skills involved in the internship search and the field itself. Ultimately, this blog is an investment in my growth as a developer, a way to build my online presence, and a platform to connect with the wider tech community, echoing the importance Adrian Twarog so clearly laid out.

My Internship Mission: Defining My Goals and Field

One of my biggest goals this time around is to level up my networking skills. I still remember a moment that haunts me to this day.... a friend was standing next to me at a career fair at Hack The North, Canada's biggest hackathon, and when I started talking to a recruiter, she visibly cringed. Honestly, looking back, I don't blame her. I was awkward, scattered, and clearly unprepared.

This time, that's going to change. I want to approach networking the same way I approach learning anything else: deliberately and with consistent practice. Whether it's small talk, sharing my experiences confidently, or following up meaningfully, I'll treat every conversation as a chance to get better.

At the same time, I know I can't just "talk" my way into an opportunity. I need to back it up with real technical skills.

That's why another huge focus for me will be improving how I solve problems. I'm committing to 1–2 LeetCode problems every day, without fail. Not just mindlessly solving, but understanding the patterns, the why behind the solutions, and truly getting better at thinking through problems. I want to build up my muscle memory for coding interviews the same way athletes build theirs — slow and steady, consistent, day in and day out.

I'm also making a promise to myself that I won't lose who I am in the middle of this job hunt grind. It’s easy to get obsessed, to tie my entire self-worth to interview results or recruiter emails. I’m not going down that path.

I'll make sure to balance hard work with hobbies, side projects, learning for fun, and just living life. Because if I'm not happy and healthy along the way, what's the point? This time, I'm not just hunting for a job, but also building the future version of myself I can be proud of.

Beyond Wishing: My Commitment to Active Effort

For the longest time, I found myself wishing things would change. Wishing that the job market would magically open up. Wishing that my résumé would stand out without much effort. Wishing that somehow, some way, I'd just stumble into an internship.

But now I realize more than ever that wishing doesn’t move the needle. Effort does. This time, I’m making a clear commitment: I'm replacing hope with action. Instead of waiting for opportunities to appear, I’m going to create them. Instead of blaming the market, I’m going to make sure I’m the kind of candidate who can break into any market.

That means:

• Practicing conversations and building confidence every time I network, even if it’s awkward at first.

• Consistently sharpening my technical skills by solving problems daily, not just cramming before an interview.

• Staying disciplined, but also staying human — making time for hobbies, side projects, and moments that remind me who I am beyond the job hunt.

It’s easy to get lost in frustration. It's harder but far more rewarding to get lost in the process of getting better. From today onward, I’m not just hoping to land an internship. I'm working for it. I'm earning it. I'm building towards it, brick by brick. And this blog will be my proof that I didn’t just dream about it, I did something about it.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve made it this far, I just want to say thank you. I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. It means more than you know that you took the time to read my story and my commitment.

I hope you’ll come back to my blog for updates, and maybe even walk this journey with me.