FAQs

General questions

General questions

1.    What is the HPCC Systems Summer Internship Program?

This is a 12-week mentor-based internship program that runs every summer as part of the HPCC Systems academic program whose aim is to allow students the opportunity to learn skills in big data analytics, machine learning, cloud native frameworks, and more. Complete details can be found here: https://hpccsystems.com/student-wiki 

2.    What is HPCC Systems?

HPCC Systems stands for High Performance Computing Cluster and is an open source, massive parallel-processing computing platform for big data processing and analytics that has been heavily used in commercial applications for almost two decades. More details can be found here: https://hpccsystems.com/ 

3.    What is the HPCC Systems Academic Program?

The HPCC Systems Academic Program supports collaboration with multiple colleges, universities, high schools and institutions of higher learning around the world to help train and develop the future managers of Big Data projects. More details can be found here: https://hpccsystems.com/community/academics/ 

Characteristics of the internship program

4.    When does the internship run?

The internship program runs once a year during the summer in the US. This usually means the period between May and August of every year. In 2024, the start date is May 20, and the end date is Aug 9. If your school break is a different timeframe, let us know and we can try to accommodate personalized start and end dates within a couple of weeks of difference.

5.    Is the internship remote or onsite? 

We are flexible. Most of our students work remotely, although it is possible to arrange for you to be office based, provided there is a LexisNexis Risk Solutions office nearby that can accommodate you. Our main offices in the US are located in Alpharetta, GA and Boca Raton, FL.

6.    Is the internship paid? 

Yes, it's a paid internship. The rates and frequency vary depending on your country of residence and whether you are a high school, undergraduate, master's or PhD student. Please contact us at students@hpccsystems.com so we can evaluate your case individually and provide more precise payment details.

7.    What is the type of work that we execute as an HPCC Systems intern? 

Open-source projects related to HPCC Systems. That being said, you can approach these projects from the perspective of several different roles, such as software engineer, data engineer/scientist, QA and DevOps. For more details, see a list of currently available projects here: https://hpccsystems.com/ideas-list. For the full list of projects completed by previous interns, access:  https://hpccsystems.atlassian.net/wiki/display/hpcc/Previously+completed+student+projects.

8.    This is my first experience as an intern. What kind of assistance is available for me in case I have a difficult time with my project?

Our internship program is mentor-based, which means we will pair you with a mentor from the moment you submit your application all the way through the development of your project. The mentor will meet with you daily to make sure you have all that you need to complete your work and you will also have a designated manager that will provide you some pastoral support.

9.    Where can I know more about the internship program?

We have a very comprehensive student wiki (https://hpccsystems.com/student-wiki) that you can rely on as your primary source of information regarding the internship program. A good starting point is also this blog https://hpccsystems.com/intern. For any questions that you might not find an answer, please email us at students@hpccsystems.com

Eligibility for the program

10.    Am I eligible for the program? 

Any work-authorized student (from high school to PhD) who can work 40 hrs. per week during the 12 weeks of the internship program is initially eligible for the program. Since most of our mentors are in the US and UK, we also recommend a good level of proficiency in spoken and written English.

11.    I am a foreign student under a temporary visa within the U.S. Can I still apply to the program?

As long as your visa status allows you to work, then you are eligible for the program. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide work sponsorship as part of the program.

12.    I am currently a student living outside US, Europe, and Asia. Can I still apply to the program?

We will need to evaluate your case individually. Please contact us at students@hpccsystem.com to provide your citizenship information and country of residence during the internship so we can assess eligibility with our partner hiring agencies overseas. 

13.    Do I have to be an expert in programming to apply? 

No. Although some level of coding experience is always welcome, since this is an internship program the most important aspect would be your willingness to learn the skills required for your project in due time.

14.    I have no previous experience with Big Data and HPCC Systems. Am I still a good fit for the program?

Yes. We are mindful that not every student has had the opportunity to work with Big Data and HPCC Systems before, so as part of the onboarding process, we do offer extensive training material to have you up to speed before the internship starts. We also pair you with experienced mentors during the program to make sure any knowledge gaps are addressed accordingly during the project.

15.    What infrastructure do I need to have in order to participate in the internship program?

A personal computer with good internet access if you are planning to attend the internship remotely. If you are planning to attend the internship onsite, we will provide you with the basic infrastructure for you to complete the project. 

Application process

16.    How do I apply to the program? 

The first step is to decide on a project of interest to you to be completed during your internship. We supply a list of projects (https://hpccsystems.com/ideas-list) or you can think of a project on your own. Once you have chosen a project, you must prepare and submit a proposal that shows how you plan to complete the project. The proposal should be submitted along with your resume before the application deadline via our job posting on the career website.

17.    What is the deadline for the application process?

Usually last week of March. In 2024, the deadline for submitting your application is March 22, 11:59 pm ET.

18.    What does a proposal look like? Are there any templates?

See an example here: https://hpccsystems.atlassian.net/wiki/display/hpcc/Example+proposal. Bear in mind that there is no formal template, however, we strongly recommend that you include at a minimum two main elements:  1) a list of deliverables you aim to achieve and 2) a timeline for each week showing what tasks you would expect to complete. More specific guidelines for writing your proposal can be found here: 
https://hpccsystems.atlassian.net/wiki/display/hpcc/Proposal+content+guidelines

19.    I have never prepared a proposal before, is there any assistance available to me?

Yes, our mentors are available to give guidance and support during the writing of the proposal. We recommend that you contact the mentor of the project as soon as you have a first draft of the proposal for initial feedback. If you are proposing a project on your own, please email us your draft proposal at students@hpccsystems.com and we will search for an appropriate mentor to assist you.

20.    Can I apply to the program as a group for a collective project? 

No, the internship program is targeted for individual projects and the application is per student. However, you are welcome to submit a project idea that interfaces with some other student's project so in case both are approved there will be some level of interaction between the two of you during the program.

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