Carleton’s School of Computer Science and Shopify have started an internship program that allows students to earn a degree while working for the e-commerce platform.
This year marks the first year that 11 students will split their time between Carleton’s campus and Shopify’s downtown Ottawa headquarters.
Students receive a salary, and their tuition is covered by Shopify for their duration in the program, according to Gail Carmichael, manager of external education programs at Shopify.
The program offers students the chance to gain both theoretical and practical experience in computer science, she said.
“What sets us apart is we’re actually taking courses that you would normally do at Carleton and trying to get students to learn it in a practical way here at Shopify, through the work on the teams that they do,” Carmichael said.
Sheryl So, public relations manager for Shopify, said the company had been investigating how to improve the classic model of experiential education, but needed a university to sign onto the experimental format of teaching real-world problems in the industry.
“It was definitely time to shake things up,” So said.
“We dove in head-first and hired university professors at Shopify and started to look for a university partner in Canada who wanted to reinvent co-op and work-integrated learning,” So said.
Carmichael said one of the reasons the company decided to partner with Carleton was due to her long history at the school, having gotten her bachelor’s degree and master’s in computer science from the university.
“We did talk to a few universities, but Carleton was very interested and excited about this right off the bat,” she said.
According to So, Shopify has previously hired university and high school students as interns.
Students interested in the program had to submit a portfolio showcasing their interest in computer science, Carmichael said. Those selected will then go through a series of interviews with the company.
According to Carmichael, it’s not necessary for applicants to have previous coding experience.
“We’re really looking for people to show off how passionate they are about computer science or about learning computer science in the future,” she said.
Owen Craston, a recent high school graduate now majoring in computer science at Carleton, was invited to the internship by the department.
Craston said it seems different from his friends’ day-to-day, but still believes he is a part of regular student life.
“I did Frosh, I still get that first year experience, but I still get up and go to work,” he said. “I feel like I am already part of the industry.”
According to Carmichael, students typically have around 40 hours of work per week at both Shopify and school.
“It’s kind of learning in a totally different way, which for people who learn best hands on, who learn best by seeing the practice first to understand the why of the theory, it works a lot better,” Carmichael said.
Doug Howe, director of the School of Computer Science, said the curriculum represents the best of what Shopify and Carleton have to offer.
“It’s a combination that will reinforce what the students learn and very likely improve their career experiences down the road,” Howe said.
In the future,Carmichael said Shopify is looking to potentially expand the program to include other departments, as well as partnering with other companies and universities.
— With files from Erica Giancola
