If the tech industry is calling your name, gaining hands-on, practical tech experience is crucial for landing your dream job in this competitive field.

Two ways to build your skills and enhance your resume are through freelancing and internships, whether plan to eventually seek a full-time job in tech or not.

In this article, we’ll explore how to gain tech experience freelancing and find tech internships for beginners, helping you acquire the practical tech experience employers are looking for.

Once you’ve read this, you’ll know how to go out into the job market and find work experience that directly relates to the role you’re looking to land.

The Power of Tech Internships

Tech internships are more than just a summer gig or a line on your resume. They’re a critical stepping stone to your full-time career, offering a unique blend of learning, networking, and real-world application.

That’s not to say a summer internship isn’t valuable, however. You’ll learn and leverage new technical skills like open source programming languages.

Internships provide a structured environment where you can apply learned and earned knowledge to practical scenarios. Often, you’re working on projects that directly impact the company’s bottom line.

One of the most significant benefits of tech internships is the mentorship aspect. You’ll work alongside seasoned professionals who can guide you, answer questions, and provide insights into the industry that you simply can’t get from a classroom or online course.

This mentorship can be invaluable in shaping your career path and helping you understand the day-to-day realities of working in tech.

Moreover, internships often serve as an extended job interview. Many tech companies use their internship programs as a pipeline for full-time hires, with internal recruiters looking to interns specifically. By making a positive impression during your internship, you could secure a job offer before you even complete your program.

This transition from intern or part-time contractor to full-time employee is smoother, as you’re already familiar with the company culture, processes, and technologies.

Securing a Tech Internship at Any Age

Contrary to popular belief, tech internships aren’t just for college students.

Many companies offer internship opportunities for career changers, bootcamp graduates, and self-taught programmers. Here are some practical steps to secure a tech internship, regardless of your age or background:

1. Build a Strong Foundation: Before applying, ensure you have a solid grasp of fundamental programming concepts. Take online courses, earn certifications, complete coding bootcamps, or work on personal projects to build your skills.

2. Tailor Your Resume: Highlight relevant skills, projects, and coursework. Even if you don’t have formal tech experience, emphasize transferable skills from previous roles.

3. Create a Portfolio: Showcase your web design, software development, and other computer science projects on platforms like GitHub. This demonstrates your coding abilities and initiative to potential employers. Participate in hackathons to show your capabilities, and talk about that experience in your portfolio.

4. Network Aggressively: Attend tech meetups, join online communities, and connect with professionals on social media platforms like LinkedIn. Many internship opportunities are filled through referrals.

5. Look Beyond Traditional Internships: Consider apprenticeship programs, which are often more accommodating to career changers. Companies like Microsoft and Amazon offer apprenticeships specifically designed for non-traditional candidates.

6. Be Open to Remote Opportunities: With the rise of remote work, many companies now offer virtual internships, expanding your potential options beyond your local area.

7. Look to Existing Openings for Inspiration: Need help writing a cover letter? Want to know what companies are looking for as you navigate the job search? Looking at existing or prior job postings will give you the inspiration you need to know precisely what employers are looking for. Think of them as templates for creating the perfect application.

8. Learn Skills Employers are Actually Looking For: Does your dream company require HTML & CSS as a skill? What about Javascript? Don’t just go with the popular” option — learn the skills that prospective employers you’d actually want to work for are seeking out.

9. Own Your Prior Experience: You may have years of experience in another industry and find that tech is the next step for you. This prior experience is meaningful and can be more than just a talking point — it can be the thing that gets you in the door.

Freelancing: The Flexible Path to Tech Experience

While internships offer structured learning experiences