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Nayagam P P |11031 Answers |Ask -Follow

Career Counsellor - Answered on Jan 16, 2026

Nayagam is a certified career counsellor and the founder of EduJob360.
He started his career as an HR professional and has over 10 years of experience in tutoring and mentoring students from Classes 8 to 12, helping them choose the right stream, course and college/university.
He also counsels students on how to prepare for entrance exams for getting admission into reputed universities /colleges for their graduate/postgraduate courses.
He has guided both fresh graduates and experienced professionals on how to write a resume, how to prepare for job interviews and how to negotiate their salary when joining a new job.
Nayagam has published an eBook, Professional Resume Writing Without Googling.
He has a postgraduate degree in human resources from Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Delhi, a postgraduate diploma in labour law from Madras University, a postgraduate diploma in school counselling from Symbiosis, Pune, and a certification in child psychology from Counsel India.
He has also completed his master’s degree in career counselling from ICCC-Mindler and Counsel, India.
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Question by Sneha on Jan 08, 2026Hindi

Hi sir. My daughter is studying in VIT for BTech Computer core 2nd semester. She has 2.5 months of summer vacation after 2nd sem. Please guide how to utilise this time effectively for career growth ? Is it too early for internship

Ans: Sneha Madam, Internship is feasible at the 2nd-year level; programs like Microsoft Explore, Google STEP, and Microsoft Engage recruit 2nd-year students, though a CGPA ≥ 6.0 and no backlogs are typically required. The optimal 2.5-month strategy for your daughter divides into three phases: skill foundation (Month 1), project development (Month 1.5), and applications (Month 0.5).

Phase 1: Technical Skills (Weeks 1–5) prioritizes Data Structures & Algorithms through 3–4 daily hours on LeetCode or HackerRank, solving 2–3 problems progressing from easy to medium difficulty. Mastery of one programming language (Python or Java) through object-oriented programming practice is essential. She should dedicate 5–10 hours to operating systems concepts (processes, threading, and memory management) and SQL database queries, as these appear in coursework and interviews.

Phase 2: Portfolio Project (Weeks 5–10) requires building one polished project—either a full-stack web application using HTML/CSS/JavaScript and Node.js/Django, a Python data analysis tool with visualizations, or a 50+ problem competitive programming repository with documentation. Quality matters more than quantity.

Phase 3: Soft Skills (Weeks 10–11) involves recording 2–3 technical explanation videos (5–10 minutes each), conducting 3–4 mock technical interviews, and creating a 1-page resume highlighting coursework, projects, and platform achievements.

Internship Options for 2nd-Year Students (2026): Google STEP (12 weeks, May–August, underrepresented groups) and Microsoft Explore (8 weeks, June–August, any background) accept 2nd-year students with minimal experience; Microsoft Engage (4 weeks, CGPA ≥6.0) offers pre-placement interview opportunities; Samsung Parichay (2 months) requires a coding portfolio; IIT Research Internships (1–3 months, highly competitive) provide cutting-edge research exposure; and VIT's Centre for Functional Materials (CFM) offers campus-based research (May 12–June 11, application deadline April 25). VIT's semester internship program provides alternatives if summer internships are unavailable.

Implementation Timeline: Immediately verify CGPA and register on LeetCode/HackerRank; complete Phase 1 by mid-February, Phase 2 by early April, Phase 3 by mid-May, then begin internship. This balanced approach ensures a long-term career foundation for your daughter. All the BEST for Your Daughter's Prosperous Future!

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