I got an AI internship in college by posting a coding fix to a company's Facebook. Now I'm a full-time engineer at a startup.

Navigating the job market in the AI sector can often feel daunting, particularly through traditional methods like submitting cover letters and hoping for a response. However, I discovered a more effective strategy: targeting companies I was genuinely passionate about and showcasing my interest by contributing directly to their projects. This approach not only helped me land an AI internship during my college years but also paved the way to my current position as a research engineer at the startup, Artificial Societies. My fascination with coding began at the young age of ten, when I received a Raspberry Pi for Christmas. It came equipped with Python, and though my parents were hesitant about my gaming interests, they encouraged me to create my own games. I started with small coding projects but soon transitioned to machine learning after reading about it online. My primary motivation was to address the challenges I faced as a student, such as sharing notes with classmates, which drove me to learn programming through resources like YouTube and Stack Overflow. During my high school years in London, I balanced my interests in math and politics, unsure of my career path. The idea of finance seemed tedious until I found a unique undergraduate program at University College London that merged social sciences with data analysis—exactly what I was looking for. Enrolling in 2021, I seized every internship opportunity available, especially in tech and AI, where I witnessed a justified surge in excitement surrounding the field. While at university, I stumbled upon CoLoop, a company that utilized AI to condense research articles into PDFs. I found its summarization tool invaluable for my studies. When I noticed an interface change I didn’t appreciate in 2022, I took the initiative to code a fix, sharing it on CoLoop’s Facebook group. The founder noticed my contribution, leading to an internship in the summer of that year, a testament to my genuine interest in their product. At CoLoop, I collaborated with fellow intern James He from the University of Cambridge, and together we co-authored a paper published in the British Journal of Psychology in 2023. Our research examined if AI chatbots could replicate human-like collective behavior, a concept that ultimately inspired James to co-found Artificial Societies in 2024. While pursuing a master's degree in social data science at the University of Oxford, which I meticulously applied for, I stayed connected with James. After graduation, he invited me to trial with his team. If that opportunity didn’t pan out, I had plans to explore positions at other AI startups or more prominent firms. In September, I was thrilled to accept a role at Artificial Societies as a research engineer, where I work on building AI models and simulating their performance. For those looking to break into the AI industry, my advice is to focus on startups that genuinely resonate with you. While many aspire to join giants like OpenAI or Google, identifying a smaller company that aligns with your passions can make it easier to demonstrate your enthusiasm. Engage with their community, suggest new features, or develop small tools to showcase your skills. Even if an internship doesn’t lead to a full-time position, you’ll connect with like-minded individuals who could present future opportunities. Authentic interest and passion are irreplaceable assets in the job market, and they are crucial for success in securing a role in AI.