Grace Hopper Celebrationhttps://ghc.anitab.org/

The Grace Hopper Celebration is a massive conference (tens of thousands of attendees) for women in technology. It’s a great place to network, learn, and connect with employers at the conference’s large career expo. It takes place in the fall, with applications to attend becoming available a few months before (usually in early July). There’s an online option for attending the celebration if you’re not able to attend in person.

Resume Database

When searching for an internship, one of the major benefits of the conference is the resume database. Many companies will search through resumes and reach out to schedule interviews before or during the conference. Make sure to get your resume in the database as soon as possible to give yourself the best chance of being seen by employers.

GHC-Specific Postings

Companies may post Grace Hopper-specific internship postings, which you should be on the lookout for. Applying through these postings will flag your application and fast-track you to an interview at the conference.

Tickets

Tickets can be expensive, with an Academic In-Person ticket costing $749 and an Academic Virtual ticket costing $449. However, the conference does offer scholarships for students to waive this fee. 

Tapiahttps://tapiaconference.cmd-it.org/‍

The Tapia conference is a prominent conference held in the fall. This event celebrates diversity in computing. Student tickets cost $575, but there’s also a scholarship you can apply for to cover those costs. 

School FundingTickets to attend conferences can be expensive, and the scholarships to attend are competitive. Reach out to your school’s career department to see if they can reimburse you for the cost of attendance (and also flights, lodging, and meals). 

Getting Interviews at ConferencesThe timing of these conferences coincides with the recruiting process for the upcoming summer’s internships, which gives you an incredible opportunity to network and interview. Before you attend, do some research to figure out which companies are attending the conference. Watch the social media channels of these companies to see if they’re posting about their presence at the conference and if they’re hosting any events or opportunities.

Even if you haven’t been in contact with any of these companies beforehand, you can still interview with them during the event. Make sure to visit your top choices on your first day so they’ll have time to schedule an interview during the conference. 

These events can be stressful, but extremely rewarding. If you’re able to receive a scholarship or get school funding, it can be an amazing opportunity to get in contact with dozens of companies, get interviews, and land offers.