Insight’s Remote Fellows Program
What’s it like to be an Insight Fellow over the internet?
Since launching its Remote Program over 5 years ago, Insight has worked with hundreds of Fellows. Here are some of the ways in which their experience as Fellows looks a little different (and many ways in which it remains unchanged).
1. The content of the Remote Fellows Program is identical to the in-person programs, with the only difference being that the companies in the remote program are located outside of the cities where we have offices (i.e. Boston, LA, NYC, Seattle, Silicon Valley, and Toronto). Instead, they are located in cities all over North America like Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, San Antonio, Denver, Portland, Las Vegas, and many more (even a few places farther afield, like Singapore!). During the session, interactions with these companies are done via videoconferencing and participants in the program can reside anywhere where they can secure a quiet place with stable internet.
2. The Insight Fellows Program is a social learning experience and Fellows spend a lot of their time learning the skills that will make them great co-workers when they join teams in-industry. In the remote program, it can often be even easier to get used to asking for help because everyone is checking the group chat more frequently! When you are looking for help with some aspect of your work, it can sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable to interrupt people in-person. When working remotely, it’s much easier to just toss a question into a group chat channel and wait a bit until someone checks in and offers some assistance. You can then hop into a private Zoom Room without worrying about disturbing others around you.
3. Remote Fellows have access to most of the same resources and opportunities. Most of the tools we rely on at Insight are cloud-based to begin with, so in-person and remote Fellows all get access to the same assets, including computational resources (like AWS or Google Cloud servers), reference and reading materials, interview preparation guides, workshops, and other training sessions. Other opportunities that Fellows have access to, like the chance to consult for a company in their project work or access to alumni for project feedback and mock interviews, are also provided to all Fellows.
4. Lots of companies have distributed teams and/or conduct interviews remotely (especially technical and behavioral screens). Even when Fellows are in the same city as a company during project demos, there are frequently many attendees who join remotely (e.g., they are themselves working remotely or happen to be based in other offices). Having the additional practice from frequently using Zoom, and practicing their presentations via videoconferencing, prepares Remote Fellows extremely well for these types of interviews and presentations. There’s no stumbling with technology, just a smooth interaction from start to finish.
5. Insight is a community. Our process is all about building real connections. It doesn’t matter whether these are developed in person or remotely: either way, we’re fully committed to leveraging every tool at our disposal to create opportunities for Fellows to form genuine relationships with one another, as well as with our amazing network of Insight alumni and hiring partners.
These bonds last well beyond the program, or a first job. For many alumni, these are relationships that carry over into their personal lives and extend well into their careers. Fellows from the remote program sometimes end up working in the same cities and form local friendships that way. Others stay connected over longer distances with events like virtual brunches, where everyone joins with their coffee and breakfast to hang out and catch up.
6. There are definite advantages, particularly in terms of time, to joining in one of our remote programs. Not having to make a daily commute to and from the Insight offices means our remote Fellows have more time available for other responsibilities (like family or other obligations). They’re also able to take breaks more easily when they’re tired, and have more room for special events and taking time to really connect with each other!
When you become an Insight Fellow, you embark on a life-changing experience where you’ll build important relationships while learning key skills that will help you succeed in your new career. Whether this happens in one of our offices or through a remote web connection, the results are still the same. So no matter where you are, we hope you’ll consider applying today!
Are you ready to make a change & transition to a career in tech? Sign up to learn more about Insight Fellows programs and start your application today.
