I'm a junior studying computer science at UT, and internship hunting season is in full swing and I am STRESSED. I've been applying everywhere - indeed, LinkedIn, Handshake, company websites - but I'm running into a specific Austin problem.
Every tech internship I find in Austin pays like... $18-$22 an hour. Which sounds fine until you realize that a single bedroom apartment in this city costs $1500+ now. Even with roommates, summer sublets are insane. I did the math and if I work 40 hours a week at $20/hour for 12 weeks, that's $9600 before taxes. After taxes, maybe $8000. Rent for a summer sublet near campus or downtown? Easily $4000-5000 for those 3 months. That leaves me with like $3000 for food, transportation, and literally everything else for an entire summer.
How do y'all do it?? Am I looking in the wrong places? Are there internships that pay more? Should I be looking at companies outside of Austin and just commuting? (Commuting from where? Round Rock? San Marcos? That's its own cost.)
Also, some of these "internships" are unpaid which is just... insulting. Like, I can't work for free. I have to pay rent.
For CS students who've done internships in Austin, where did you work? What did they pay? Was it enough to survive? Any companies known for treating interns well AND paying a living wage?
I'm also open to remote internships with Texas companies if anyone knows good ones. Honestly at this point I just need to make enough money to not go into debt over the summer.
Any advice would be so appreciated!
Every tech internship I find in Austin pays like... $18-$22 an hour. Which sounds fine until you realize that a single bedroom apartment in this city costs $1500+ now. Even with roommates, summer sublets are insane. I did the math and if I work 40 hours a week at $20/hour for 12 weeks, that's $9600 before taxes. After taxes, maybe $8000. Rent for a summer sublet near campus or downtown? Easily $4000-5000 for those 3 months. That leaves me with like $3000 for food, transportation, and literally everything else for an entire summer.
How do y'all do it?? Am I looking in the wrong places? Are there internships that pay more? Should I be looking at companies outside of Austin and just commuting? (Commuting from where? Round Rock? San Marcos? That's its own cost.)
Also, some of these "internships" are unpaid which is just... insulting. Like, I can't work for free. I have to pay rent.
For CS students who've done internships in Austin, where did you work? What did they pay? Was it enough to survive? Any companies known for treating interns well AND paying a living wage?
I'm also open to remote internships with Texas companies if anyone knows good ones. Honestly at this point I just need to make enough money to not go into debt over the summer.
Any advice would be so appreciated!