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MLH Fellowship

Major League Hacking (MLH) is an international student development community that began in 2013. It organises events such as career fests, workshops, and hackathons to help a large number of student developers and engineers all around the world. When COVID-19 hit and a pandemic broke out throughout the world, the IT industry took the brunt of the damage. Many organisations were not set up for remote work, and students, particularly those searching for summer and fall internships, were the ones who suffered the most. During this difficult time, Major League Hacking (MLH) devised a Fellowship Program that offered hope to students seeking real-world experience among the upheaval.

The MLH Fellowship is a 12-week internship that seeks to provide students real-world experience by allowing them to contribute to open-source projects. Mike Swift, CEO and Co-Founder of MLH, hailed the fellowship as "The Future of Tech" during Github Universe.

Students in this programme will work on Open Source projects that connect their own interests with industry demands. MLH provides three distinct programs, each of which aids in various ways in levelling up.

The following are the programs provided by MLH:

  • Explorer - By working in small groups on a series of short hackathon sprints, you may build up a portfolio of various personal ideas and try out new technologies.
  • Open Source - Contributing to big projects on GitHub, which are utilised by many organisations across the world, will help you learn how to be a great Open Source contributor.
  • Externship - This program seeks to offer students with real-world software engineering experience by allowing them to collaborate on projects with MLH's partner businesses.

Furthermore, before participating, you must confirm that you meet the following qualifying criteria:

  • To participate in this program, you must be at least 18 years old or 13 years old with parental consent.
  • You must be able to code.
  • It is necessary to have access to a high-speed Internet connection.
  • Must be a citizen of a nation that is not embargoed by the US.
  • Able to devote the minimum weekly hours to this program.
  • Excellent English Speaker

Accepted students who require a stipend in order to participate in the fellowship can apply for a need-based stipend of up to $5,000 USD.

Application Process:

  • You must complete an application form that details your eligibility, experience, and motivation for participating in the program.
  • If your application is chosen, you will be requested to participate in a 10-minute video interview during which the mentors will ask you some basic questions in order to assess your personality.
  • If you are chosen after the general interview, you will be subjected to a technical interview in which you will be asked to explain a piece of code that you produced before.

If you are rejected, you will not be able to apply for the same batch again, but you will be able to apply for subsequent batches. Your refusal will have no impact on future interviews. Also, keep in mind that you will not be able to make modifications to your application if you make mistakes, so fill out the application form carefully.

Benefits of MLH Fellowship:

  • Expert Mentorship- If you are chosen, you will get full-time engineering mentorship. You will study a variety of industry best practises that will assist you in becoming a better software developer or engineer.
  • Real-World Experience - During your fellowship, you will work on a variety of real-world initiatives that will provide you with invaluable experience. This is also something you may include in your CV. Working hours are flexible, so you may work whenever you choose during the day.
  • Expands network - Because MLH is a worldwide community, you will meet many great minds from all over the world during this fellowship, which will help you extend your network.
  • Stipend - Stipends of up to $5,000 USD are available through this program.
  • Intriguing Lectures - Because MLH is such a large community, you will hear a variety of interesting talks from a variety of people during the program.
  • Other fun activities - MLH hosts a variety of events such as hackathons, coding competitions, and other competitions on a regular basis. You may take part in those activities and win a variety of prizes.

So, whether you've lost your job or internship as a result of the pandemic, or if you're looking for a quality internship position, the MLH fellowship is one of the finest options. It will assist you in learning new skills, which will allow you to expand your portfolio. However, obtaining an MLH fellowship is a difficult undertaking that requires additional work - you must enhance your development and communication abilities in order to obtain an MLH fellowship.