Daphne Boston ⋅ Charlotte, NC ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Luis,

Congratulations on pursuing your degree at ITT Tech. I would recommend becoming a member of the Association of Information Technology Professionals and start going to their chapter events and national conferences, they have a chapter in Dallas. https://www.aitp.org/ You'll meet a lot of IT professionals at all levels in their companies/organizations who will have information on IT careers in general, in addition to internships. Membership in professional societies and associations are a great way to network and meet people in your field and it adds depth to your resume as well. You may even consider starting an ITT Tech student chapter in your area. ITT Tech currently has two student chapters in Georiga.

todd moore ⋅ Terre Haute, IN U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 4 years served

To those who are trying to defend the "for profit" schools, I think it is disingenuous. These schools have been notorious in how terrible the quality of the education their students receive. My aunt went there and her textbook for trigonometry was from the "for dummies" series.

The reputation is bad for a reason. They are papermills. Now for ITT tech graduates making 5 figures, chances are they have significant certifications that allow them to command a high salary, along with connections.

Calling up the HR department will get you nowhere. They will just refer you to "apply online". Calling up the department is not going to let you in the door. CEOs are not going to bother meeting a nobody. Furthermore, we do not even know what his circumstances are. Saying to have him try and sweep the floors for free hoping someone will give him a job is completely idiotic and antiquated.

The best strategy for indeed/monster is to look at the listings on the site and then apply at the actual company website.

todd moore ⋅ Terre Haute, IN U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 4 years served

My honest advice is to drop out of ITT-tech. They are nothing more than a BS institution. Even if they have great courses(not likely), most employers will toss you resume in the trash due to for profit schools having horrible reputations. Dont waste your gi bill on that place. See if there is a programming bootcamp near you.

Deb Yeagle ⋅ Tampa, FL Plan To Win, Inc. ⋅ 39 years experience

Hi Luis-
Thanks for your service!
If you are just looking to gain experience through an internship then you might want to consider unpaid internship opportunities in a volunteer capacity. In other words, if you know of any local charity organizations, churches, etc. that might need IT support, then inquire about becoming an IT volunteer intern. I did this for the Red Cross and gained some invaluable database development experience earlier in life. It's a great way to add experience to your resume and also provides you with the satisfaction of "giving back" to an organization in need.
Good luck!
Deb

Luis Arteaga ⋅ Garland, TX U.S. Marine Corps, Corporal ⋅ 14 years served

thanks for the responses, I have done all those site and still no luck. ITT does have a career service offer it for students more advance in their course.

Ed Haugh ⋅ Westminster, MD U.S. Air Force, Master Sergeant ⋅ 20 years served

Look at joining a staffing agency for IT. There are lots of them out there. The benefits are not great, the pay is sometimes okay. What it gets you is experience and a network of others in the industry. You may start out doing mostly labor, but hard work and good communication skills will open your doors. Many companies hire via temp labor. I have hired most of my engineers thru temp agencies. Brought on for short term projects of just a few months, and carried onto the next project. After 6-12 months hire them on permanent. Makes it a lot easier to hire someone who has been there on a trial basis than the unknown that just walked in your door.

Sumit Sachdeva ⋅ Bridgewater, NJ AIG ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Luis, I have found that the companies I work for have targeted universities from which they recruit interns for. However, if your university is not on many of these large company's target lists, I would suggest using a temp agency (like ManPower) which I've found do a good job of getting short term positions that could serve as an internship like experience.

I see a lot of 'chatter' on this stream about the strength of the ITT for profit school. The fact of the matter seems to me that that decision has already been made and that's the cards you have in your hands. My advice: leverage what you have both from your school's offerings and what you can find for yourself.

Jose Roman ⋅ Norfolk, VA Old Dominion University ⋅ 4 years experience

As someone that started working at a university career center while using my GI Bill I have to say, start there. The whole purpose of their existence is to load you up with the information To prepare you to transition to your career. It's ridiculous to think they're not a resource for you until your a senior or whatever their criteria is. Your a student there. They should be supporting you. The whole purpose of university career centers is to find employers, internships and externship opportunities and the distribution of info. Doing that doesn't cause anything extra.

* Use your Linkedin connections to find people to do information interviews with. People in companies that you are interested in and are 2nd tier connections to places where you want to work.

* Maybe ITT career center isnt doing the best job that's ok. Connect with your local community college or university and find out when they're postin intern and job fairs. We host veteran specific job fairs and programs to find veterans in technology. If your in VA or willing to move let me know and I can connect out with Virginia resources.

* State Veteran transition programs that connect veterans with employers

* Connect with SVA (Student Veterans of America) to network your next career. My last SVA conference was hosted at Google in NY. Tech companies are screaming for veterans. A great network to find employers.

Clifford Gardner ⋅ Gordo, AL Fresenius Kabi USA ⋅ 9 years experience

Hi Luis,

First off, I think the responses concerning the lack of education quality with "for profit" schools like ITT are somewhat dated and company specific. Although I did not attend such a school, I have several colleagues who started with ITT who are now pulling 6 figures.

Secondly, from my experience, Rob is right on point. Personal connection is what gets you hired. If all that you are doing is corresponding with folks via online methods, you will have a tough go of it. You are just one of countless applicants in a pile. There's no smiling face or personable demeanor to go along with the application. It is also in these cases that a "for profit" education might not stack up against a more reputable school.

Pick 5 or 10 companies in your are that are in line with your desired career goals. Then, just pick up the telephone. Find the "gate keeper" and find a way to get past them. This is usually easier than it sounds. Call the building and ask for the department. You're likely to get a secretary or admin person. Simply ask for the name of the department head. Be friendly, tell them you are in school and looing for internship opportunities, and then ask to speak with or for the contact information of the department head. Use this to set up a time to just drop by and speak with the folks there. Most people, even busy CEO's, love to mentor and offer advice.

Use this technique to set up a few volunteer visits. It doesn't matter if you only get to tote boxes or sweep the floor. This is their chance to see you in the appropriate attire, to see that you know how to act in a professional environment, and that you know how to show up on time. Build rapport with the employees; especially prior veterans. After each visit, take notes of the equipment you were exposed to and had the opportunity to work with. This will be good for a resume. Never ask for a job. After you have spent a little time with the folks there, you should ask some of the more senior people how you should go about looking for a job or if they are aware of any openings in the area.

Now, if a position is open with this organization or one comes up in the near future, you are fresh on their mind. Having spent a little time with you removes a lot of anxiety present when hiring someone off the street. Furthermore, you have some friendly acquaintances to use as references on future job applications. I also had very good luck listing unpaid internships on my resume just like any other job.

Hope this helps!

Cliff

David Eastman ⋅ Gresham, OR Gamma Therapeutics, Inc. ⋅ 35 years experience

Luis,

Great industry with lots of upside for making a good annual salary. I have a friend who graduated ITT-Tech about 5 years ago and now making over $120 K a year.

First I would check with ITT-Tech about paid internships. I would be very surprised that they would not have big IT organizations contacting them every month about students and internships, both free and paid. I would go for a paid internship, because it usually opens a good pathway for a job.

I also would used Linked In and find contacts in the IT industry. Also, put your resume up on Monster and Indeed and online job search engines and then put in a "job hunter" that will send you job updates weekly.

Good luck with your search.

David Eastman, CEO, Gamma Therapeutics, US Navy ASW, 1967-1971, Vietnam Era

SIDDHARTH ( SID) SAPOLIA ⋅ Kennesaw, GA IBM ⋅ 20 years experience

Luis, Thanks a lot for you service .Send me your resume and I will talk to my HR . My company hire Interns with IT certifications and diplomas. Best Regards Sid

David Moore ⋅ Spokane, WA Realtime Associates ⋅ 35 years experience

I agree that the "for profit" schools are a waste of time. I'm not familiar with ITT but they make a lot of claims. Check with some graduates and companies who have hired their grads. Try Community Colleges with programming courses or IT certificate programs. They will certainly be cheaper. Network everywhere you can. Let the world know you're looking. Don't be shy about asking for help.

David Moore ⋅ Spokane, WA Realtime Associates ⋅ 35 years experience

I agree that the "for profit" schools are a waste of time. I'm not familiar with ITT but they make a lot of claims. Check with some graduates and companies who have hired their grads. Try Community Colleges with programming courses or IT certificate programs. They will certainly be cheaper. Network everywhere you can. Let the world know you're looking. Don't be shy about asking for help.

Jim Jones ⋅ Getzville, NY Fidelis Care ⋅ 35 years experience

Hi Luis, Besides the advice given, I too would suggest seeking a not for profit in your area that could use an extra set of hands in its IT area. That could be a church, food bank, community center, etc. Keep asking and circle back to those you may have contacted in the last 60 to 90 days, there needs may have changed.

David Daugerdas ⋅ Palatine, IL IBM ⋅ 36 years experience

Thank you for your service. My company offers both paid and unpaid internships. Contact me offline directly and I can share the webpage for the listings with you.

Rick Russell ⋅ Fort Worth, TX ⋅ 30 years experience

Does your local ITT campus have a career center? A lot of companies will advertise thru the college career centers. That's where I got my internship from. Good luck and Semper Fi

Amy Coty ⋅ Berkeley, CA The Berkeley School ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Luis:
Great question and great plan! Here's a suggestion:
Reach out to the IT Directors at private schools in your area. Why them?

1) They are people who value education - teaching and learning. Period.
2) They can always use an extra set of hands and don't usually have the budgets to pay (non-profit)

If you need help figuring out what schools and point people, let me know.

Amy

Cyril Reif ⋅ Mckinney, TX Sun Microsystems ⋅ 41 years experience

Hello Luis,

In addition to the suggestions from Rob, you might try the following websites to help you find an internship. There are also others......
https://www.usajobs.gov/StudentsAndGrads
http://www.internships.com/

Best of luck,
Cyril Reif

Rob Huey ⋅ Atlanta, GA NASCO, LLC ⋅ 14 years experience

Hi Luis -

In the companies I've worked for the internships come from 2 main sources. They are employee referrals (children, friend's children) and alumni affiliation. Companies target certain schools knowing they produce the type of resources the company needs. I would recommend networking with friends/family to find any acquaintances in the field or company you may be targeting.

Does ITT Tech have a career counseling center? Many schools do and that's where companies generally work with to announce internships and job openings.

Good Luck!!

Rob Huey