Industry Experience 1

This course will help you apply, interview for, and succeed in roles in the software engineering industry.



Industry Experience is a form of experiential learning that will let you apply your academic knowledge in a professional context. You will work to build software that meets the needs of a professional organization by completing either

• An approved internship
• A product studio or open-source project



The course is broken up into two parts.



Part 1: Preparing for Industry Experience

During the first part of the course, you will refine your personal brand, and craft effective resumes, LinkedIn profiles and portfolios. You will learn to communicate effectively in behavioral interviews, including how to conduct company and role research, and how to succinctly answer questions and share you background. You will also learn to prepare for technical interviews. Key skills include the ability to walk an interviewer through one’s thought process, craft code on a whiteboard or document, and identify opportunities for improvement in one’s work. Finally, you will learn to prepare to onboard to development job, and understand how to effectively navigate large codebases and organizations to make valuable contributions.



Part 2: Succeeding during Industry Experience

During your industry experience, you will work on tasks that meet the needs of your sponsoring organization. Whether you undertake an internship, product studio or open-source collaboration, your industry experience must include significant, substantial computer science.



In addition to building your project, you will submit bi-weekly written reflections on your personal goals, challenges, and team feedback. At the end of the term, you must obtain written feedback from you organization supervisor. You will also submit a final report which describes the problem statement, approaches/methods used, deliverables, and skills you gained. Industry Experience culminates in a final presentation which is shared as a public blog post.



All materials are provided.



Learning Outcomes



By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Craft an effective professional presence including resume, portfolio and online website
• Apply academic knowledge and skills in new professional settings
• Demonstrate the ability to cope effectively with ambiguous and unfamiliar situations
• Develop interpersonal and professional skills to successfully transition to work
• Reflect on you personal skills, and identify opportunities for further development
• Demonstrate professional and ethical behavior, and ability to maintain accountability for your commitments



Course Structure



Preparation phase



• Each week, you will complete lessons and submit required assignments
• You will also complete live practice interviews and submit self-evaluations and interviewer evaluations



Work phase

• Every other week, you will submit a reflection of how the work experience is going
• At the end of industry experience, you will obtain a written evaluation from your supervisors, and submit a final report



Core Reading List

This course will include readings from the following sources. The readings will be introduced throughout the lesson at the relevant time along with additional resources in video, audio, and other formats.



• Bolton, G. and Delderfield, R. (2018). Reflective practice: writing and professional development (5th edition). London: SAGE.
• Hudak, Kasey; Kile, Alexandria; Grodziak, Eileen; Keptner, Elizabeth. Advancing Student Interview Skills: Incorporating Virtual Interview Technology into the Basic Communication Course. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, v13 n1 Article 3 2019

• Northeastern University (2020). Job Search Guide
• Personal Brand Workbook (2015). PricewhaterhouseCoopers

• Rollag, K. (2015) Succeed in New Situations. Harvard Business Review