Summer of Bitcoin Internship Program: Why it is More Valuable Than Gold

NOTE: This article discusses the Summer of Bitcoin program and its benefits. It’s not advice to invest in any cryptocurrency or financial product. Please do your own research before making any investment decisions. Also, you should be aware of illegal activities in your country regarding cryptocurrencies.

THIS ARTICLE IS FOR LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM, ITS BENEFITS, AND TECHNICAL THINGS RELATED TO SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ONLY. NOTHING IS RELATED TO CRYPTOCURRENCY TRADING OR INVESTING HERE!!!

Introduction

In recent years, we have seen multiple jumps in the cryptocurrency and blockchain world. A few months ago, Bitcoin was the 5th most valuable asset in the world when it hit $122,000. Investment in this field is very high, with many opportunities for developers and low competition. It’s time to take your first step as a Bitcoin/blockchain developer!

As students (especially in 3rd world countries), we spend a lot of time finding an internship or a job, but the result in the end is nothing. A lot of changes have happened in the last 5 years. It’s not easy to find a chance to get experience and be paid. The market worldwide has decreased significantly. But at the end of the darkness, you will find the light! There are many opportunities you may have heard about and may not. Among these opportunities, the most famous program about open-source is Google Summer of Code. A lot of people know it, but few know that there are many programs like it that can help you gain experience and get well paid too!

Among these programs, there’s a program we’re going to discuss: Summer of Bitcoin!

So, What is this Program?

Summer of Bitcoin Guide: Summer of Bitcoin is a global, online summer internship program focused on introducing university students to bitcoin open-source development and design. Students spend 12 weeks during the summer contributing to an open-source project, earn bitcoin as a stipend, and put their summer break to good use.

This is a brief description from the Summer of Bitcoin Guide. If you know Google Summer of Code, you will understand it clearly, but if you don’t, it’s simply an internship to work on real-world open source projects, but for the blockchain and Bitcoin world. There are many technologies like helpful libraries, protocols, wallets, etc. that are developed to enhance the blockchain community and make Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies easier to use with better privacy and lots of features.

If you don’t know about Google Summer of Code, I suggest you read this article: Why Google Summer of Code is a Golden Opportunity. This article inspired the title :)

Bitcoin is an open-source project that started with a research paper by an anonymous person called Satoshi Nakamoto in October 2008 to create an electronic cash system. Here we see the power of open-source: no one can control it, no one can stop it, and no one can change it. It’s a decentralized system that is run by the users. The code is open for everyone to see and contribute to. From this idea, many projects were created to enhance the Bitcoin and blockchain world, and the Summer of Bitcoin program continues this mission!

Read the paper for more details: https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf

Why is it More Valuable Than Gold?

From my experience in the program, I can say that it’s very valuable for students and developers. You will gain a lot of experience in the blockchain world and Bitcoin specifically. You will work on real-world projects that are used by thousands of people. You will learn many new technologies and tools that are used in the blockchain world. You will also get paid in Bitcoin, which is a great opportunity to start your journey in the cryptocurrency world. The amount of the stipend is based on your country. This is a great opportunity to earn some money while learning and gaining experience.

Check the stipend amounts for each country: Is it a paid internship?

In addition to the experience and money, you will also get a chance to network with industry professionals and other students from around the world. Also, they will provide you with many opportunities and grants while giving you referrals to get a full-time job in blockchain companies. They won’t let you down after finishing the program. They want you to continue your journey in the blockchain world and will help you find a job in it, and you will find many opportunities after finishing the program!

Also, you will get some cool swag (a T-shirt, a stainless steel bottle, and a cool backpack). These things are very useful and you will be proud to wear them because you earned them through your hard work :)

They will also send you a cool hardware wallet called Jade to store your Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This is a great opportunity to get a hardware wallet for free because its price is around $100.

I feel like I’m a salesman for the program xD But seriously, I am very happy that I joined it, and I am very thankful to the mentors and org admins for their help and support. I learned many new things, and I am still learning. If you are a student, I highly recommend that you apply for this program. It’s more valuable than gold!

How it Works?

If you’ve joined Google Summer of Code before, you will find similarities between them, but there are some differences too. The program is for students only, and you must be a student (high school, college, or university).

The program offers two main tracks depending on your skills and interests:

Developer Track: This is for students who love coding and want to build technical solutions. You’ll work on things like Bitcoin libraries, protocol implementations, wallet backends, Lightning Network tools, or mining software. If you’re comfortable with programming languages like Rust, C++, Python, or JavaScript, this track is perfect for you.

Design Track: This is for students who are passionate about user experience and visual design. You’ll work on making Bitcoin and blockchain technology more accessible through better interfaces, user research, wireframes, prototypes, and visual designs. If you love Figma, user research, or creating beautiful interfaces, this track is your path.

Both tracks are equally important because Bitcoin needs both powerful technology and great user experiences to reach mainstream adoption. Whether you’re a coder or a designer, there’s a place for you in the Bitcoin ecosystem!

There are 3 main phases in the program: Application Form, Bootcamp, and Proposal Round. We will discuss each phase in detail.

Application Form Phase

This phase is the first phase in the program and is very simple. You need to fill out a form with your details and submit it. The form is available on the Summer of Bitcoin website. The form is very simple, and you need to provide your name, email, country, and a link to your GitHub profile. They will review your application, and if you are selected (and you will be), you will receive an email with the next steps.

Note: Check your spam folder if you didn’t receive any email from them after a few days, and check your university email, because you will submit it there, and sometimes they send the mail to it instead of your main email.

Bootcamp

This phase is the second phase in the program, and it’s a learning phase. You will learn about Bitcoin and blockchain technology. They will provide you with many resources to learn from. This phase is very important because it will help you understand the basics of Bitcoin and blockchain technology. This phase will take about 4 weeks, and you receive an assignment each week to complete. You will need to pass each assignment before the week ends, or you will be out of the program.

Proposal Round

Congratulations on passing the Bootcamp and finishing your assignments! Now, the real work has started. This phase is very similar to what happens in Google Summer of Code. You will find a list of organizations, and each organization has some projects. You can choose up to 3 projects you like to work on, and after that, you will need to write a proposal that explains all the details about completing this project and implementing it. After that, your proposal will be reviewed by org admins and mentors. This is the last phase in the process. If your proposal is good enough for the mentors, you will be accepted and start working on your project with the help of your mentors.

How to Pass the Proposal Round?

The proposal round is the most important phase in the process. Whether you will be accepted or not depends on it, and it needs a lot of work. I will provide you with some advice to pass it.

Try to Understand the Project Well!

If you read the project description for the first time, you may not understand it well. That’s normal, don’t worry about that. You need to research it and use tools like Google or LLMs, and I suggest LLMs because you can ask anything you don’t understand, and they will explain it in detail. It will be helpful if you add statements like “Hey Chat! I am a 6-year-old kid. Explain this project to me!!!”. With some effort and good research, you will have the main picture in your mind about the project, and step by step, you will fully understand it.

Make it clear and straightforward

Don’t yapping a lot in your proposal and about your idea directly without adding unnecessary details. Most people make LLMs generate a proposal for them, and they just copy-paste it. This is not a good idea because the proposal will be generic and not specific to the project. You need to make it clear and straightforward. You can use LLMs to help you in writing, but don’t rely on them fully.

Prove that You Can Do it and Understand Well!

This is the most important thing in your proposal. You need to prove that you can do it! You can do this by providing links to your previous work, GitHub profile, or anything else that can prove that you are a good developer and can complete the project. Also, it will be helpful if you can make a small demo if that’s possible for your project. Small demos will prove that you understand the project very well and that you have already done something similar to it. In addition to that, using code snippets and diagrams to explain your plan and implementation idea will be very helpful!

Communicate and Contribute!

Communication between humans is a magical thing. We are all regular people, not machines or anything else without emotions. If I am a mentor and I know you very well and I find that you are very active in the org, like participating in our discussions and letting us get to know more about you, I will choose you 100%!

By making some contributions, you will prove that you are a good developer with good skills. So, this will play an important role in being accepted into the program.

After Acceptance

Hi, Mohamed,
We’re excited to share that you have been accepted to Summer of Bitcoin 2025 for the project “Event Loop Library for Efficient I/O Management.”…

Congratulations! This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. When I got this email, I couldn’t believe it at first. After all the hard work during the application process, you’re finally in!

Don’t worry about what comes next. You’ve already proven yourself by getting this far. You have 12 weeks to complete your project, which might sound scary, but it’s actually plenty of time. I remember being worried about my semester exams too, but here’s the thing: your mentors get it. Most of them were students once, and they know how stressful exam periods can be. Just talk to them early about your schedule. They’re understanding and will work with you.

You will face some challenges during the program, but don’t worry, that’s normal. Just keep pushing forward and don’t give up. You got this!

How to Prepare for Next Year?

If you’re thinking about applying next year, let me share some practical advice based on what I’ve learned from the program and what I’ve seen work for other successful applicants.

Start with Bitcoin basics, but don’t overthink it. I remember feeling overwhelmed when I first read about blockchain technology. There’s so much information out there! But here’s what worked for me: I started with the basics and built up from there. You don’t need to become a Bitcoin expert overnight. Just understanding how transactions work, what mining is, and why decentralization matters is a great start.

Get comfortable with Git and GitHub. This one is huge. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen brilliant students struggle during the program because they weren’t comfortable with version control. Start contributing to any open-source project. It doesn’t even have to be Bitcoin-related at first. The important thing is learning how to fork repositories, make pull requests, and work with others’ code.

Practice your craft, but stay curious. Whether you’re going for the Developer or Design track, don’t just focus on technical skills. What really impressed my mentors was that I showed genuine curiosity about the problems we were solving. If you’re a developer, try building a simple Bitcoin wallet or transaction parser. If you’re a designer, think about why most crypto wallets are confusing and sketch some better solutions.

Start contributing early, but start small. Look for “good first issue” labels on GitHub, fix documentation, or help with translations. The goal isn’t to make huge changes. it’s to show you’re part of the community and understand how open-source collaboration works.

Join the conversations. This is where the magic happens. Join the Summer of Bitcoin Discord and several Bitcoin developer channels. Don’t just lurk. ask questions, share what you’re learning, help others when you can. Community engagement is really valuable, and mentors notice active community members.

Pro tip from my experience: Set up Google Alerts for “Summer of Bitcoin applications” so you know the moment applications open. Don’t miss the deadline like many students do each year!

The best advice I can give you? Start now, stay consistent, and don’t be afraid to ask questions that might seem stupid. The Bitcoin community is surprisingly welcoming to newcomers who show genuine interest in learning.

Conclusion

Summer of Bitcoin is a great opportunity for students and developers to gain experience in the blockchain world and Bitcoin specifically. You will work on real-world projects, learn new technologies, and get paid in bitcoin. You will also get a chance to network with industry professionals and other students from around the world. If you are interested in blockchain and bitcoin, I highly recommend you apply for this program. It’s more valuable than gold!

Useful Resources

Here are some useful resources to learn more about the Summer of Bitcoin program:

• Summer of Bitcoin Website: The official website for the Summer of Bitcoin program. It contains all the information you need to know about the program, including how to apply, the timeline, and the requirements.
• Summer of Bitcoin Guide: The official guide for the Summer of Bitcoin program. It contains all the information you need to know about the program, including how to apply, the timeline, and the requirements.
• Summer of Bitcoin FAQ: The official FAQ for the Summer of Bitcoin program. It contains answers to common questions about the program.

In addition to that, here are some useful resources to learn more about Bitcoin and blockchain technology:

• Bitcoin.org: The official website for Bitcoin. It contains a lot of information about Bitcoin, including how it works, how to get started, and how to use it.
• Mastering Bitcoin: A comprehensive book about Bitcoin. It covers everything from the basics to advanced topics.
• Bitcoin Developer Documentation: The official developer documentation for Bitcoin. It contains information about the Bitcoin protocol, APIs, and libraries.
• Bitcoin Stack Exchange: A Q&A site for Bitcoin developers and users. You can ask questions and get answers from the community.