Interning under CTO
Posted by LeaveSoggy7830@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 19 comments
So basically, I am currently doing my own internship under the CTO. At first, it looked fascinating and felt like a flex to talk about in front of my friends. But as time passed, I realized I don’t even know what I am actually doing.
I am currently working as an AI Engineer intern, but the only thing I have done so far is create one workflow in n8n where it fetches research emails from our inbox and stores them in Pinecone.
I am really confused because I feel like I haven’t learned anything meaningful in the past 2.5 months. Every day, I travel 2 hours to the office, and since the CTO is my direct reporting manager, I have to ask him for work and get reviews from him directly.
The problem is that sometimes he is not in the office because he has meetings outside. And even when he is in the office, he stays busy the whole day. I understand that he is the CTO, so he has to manage many things, but still…
I feel like I am stuck in the same cycle for the past two months. Whenever I meet him to ask about my work, there is always something completely new or different that he wants me to do. Sometimes it becomes very confusing because he explains things so fast that I cannot fully understand them.
And then I hesitate to ask again about my confusion because his attitude is more like, “figure it out yourself.” I know that can be a good thing for growth, but honestly, I feel like I am wasting my time coming here while learning nothing new.
Is it normal or am I over thinking
Made-In-Slovakia@reddit
Looks like your CTO do not know what to do with you, nor have time to do anything useful with you. Your internship is not even related to c-level of his work.
I would ask to be managed by person who has time for you to teach you and give you useful work that he can also review. At this setup with your CTO, you will not learn anything useful and only waste time on CTOs ideas.
LeaveSoggy7830@reddit (OP)
That's what I am thinking but I don't want to offend him by asking to change the manager
josluivivgar@reddit
how about instead of offending him, you could try asking someone else for work?
like I'm sure he's not the only person over there where you work, when you don't understand something at this point feel free to bother someone else.
and ask them if there's any other work you could do as well, it's your future, you got to be a bit selfish while still playing the game, so put the possibility of annoying him on someone else.
if he hates it that someone helped you and gave you other work, suddenly it's not on you, you just asked!
the employee will be fine most likely, and so will you and you'll get a bit more out of the internship that you would have originally gotten (which tbh wasn't much >_>)
Made-In-Slovakia@reddit
I understood.
If he is not stupid he would see that he can't manage you and if he really cares he will support that. But it can be truth that he see you as cheap work horse for his random ideas. If B is correct that for your own good you should look for change. You still may do work same way as you did until today and still looking for new role in different company and use this just as lesson.
Also you did not specify if it is paid or unpaid internship. If it is unpaid you will lose nothing just same time and money you spend commuting.
LeaveSoggy7830@reddit (OP)
It's paid intenship thats why like I feel guilt like I am getting paid for doing nothing and more than that I am wasting my time
Made-In-Slovakia@reddit
Anyway. I would look for normal employment role instead. These internships are nonsense for programers or software engineers and it clearly shows here. Within normal team and work setup you will learn more and quicker about real work.
Just one disclaimer, advices from strangers on internet should be taken with caution.
idiotiesystemique@reddit
Ask for shadowing opportunities. Being there during some of his meetings for example. Getting to read documentation he wrote or debrief.
LeaveSoggy7830@reddit (OP)
I am doing an internship. I have asked him so many times, "Sir, can I join a meeting?" but he says, "My meetings are different, so you will not understand." Some of his meetings include budgeting for new projects, so he says, "It is not good for every stage in your career; it will corrupt your mind."
idiotiesystemique@reddit
Then hit up the team leads and offer free labour
patternrelay@reddit
Honestly sounds pretty normal for early startup internships. A lot of the value ends up being exposure to messy workflows and figuring things out with limited guidance. The bigger issue is whether you’re gradually getting more ownership or just staying blocked.
LegitimateCopy7@reddit
you're overthinking the CTO title of this company.
LeaveSoggy7830@reddit (OP)
Sorry I don't understand what you are trying to say
HashDefTrueFalse@reddit
I believe they're saying that for someone titled CTO to be directly managing interns the org is probably fairly small with a flat hierarchy. The CTO title means less than it does elsewhere, and being managed directly by them is not the 'flex' you might think it is.
Just keep your head down and learn what you can. You'll know when it's time to move on as you'll start to stagnate as you're starved of the mentorship that interns and juniors typically need to grow.
alxw@reddit
Find a couple of mentors you can latch onto and learn from. Do their donkey work and they’ll be grateful. CTO will see that as using your own initiative.
Fluffy_Ad_9115@reddit
4 hours commuting daily for an internship where the CTO actively keeps
you out of meetings is rough. That alone would push me to start
interviewing elsewhere while still showing up here. You're not learning
nothing — you're learning that this setup isn't it, which is also
useful info. Don't feel guilty about the paycheck, just use the runway
to find something better.
LeaveSoggy7830@reddit (OP)
Actually, that's what I'm also thinking, but the market for freshers is harsh right now. It's easier said than done.
LeaveSoggy7830@reddit (OP)
And also continuously applying for jobs
bootyhole_licker69@reddit
pretty normal for small company internships where your manager is c‑level, they don’t have time and just fire random tasks at you, then expect magic. write stuff down, repeat back what you understood, propose your own mini project. not ideal but still better than sitting unemployed with this market
LeaveSoggy7830@reddit (OP)
I have to meet someone to propose my idea or tell them about my progress, but sometimes it's so difficult. I have to go to his cabin 15-20 times every day to meet him, and when I do, he tells me something even more confusing.