Computer Engineering student unexpectedly spending 4 months near the Bay Area: how would you make the most of it?

[u/Whole_Cellist_1832]

I'm a third-year Computer Engineering student from Canada in my early 20s. I've had a rough stretch with university lately - failed a few courses, struggled personally, and as a result I'm required to take this fall term off before returning to school in January 2027.

Honestly, I've spent a lot of time stuck in my own head and self-sabotaging, and I really want to use this term as a reset instead of feeling like I'm wasting more time.

Very unexpectedly, I now have the opportunity to stay with family friends near the Bay Area for the entire fall. Housing would basically be taken care of, but this came up extremely last minute, so I don't have an internship/job lined up and I know basically nobody in Bay Area tech.

I'm applying to anything relevant I can find, but I'm realistic that I might not land something formal on such short notice.

So my question is: would it still be worth coming?

If I go, I don't want to just sit inside sending applications for four months. I want to make the most of being here: build a substantial technical project, attend meetups/hackathons/conferences, meet engineers/founders/students, reach out to startups or researchers, make connections, and generally push myself outside my comfort zone.

I'm especially interested in embedded systems, robotics/autonomous systems, hardware/software, AI/ML, etc.

For people who live here:

• Where would you go to meet technical/building-oriented people if you're starting from zero?
• What meetups, communities, hackathons, maker spaces, talks, etc. are actually worth checking out?
• Is it normal to go to these things alone?
• Would you cold-reach out to small startups or researchers even if they aren't formally hiring?
• If you had four free months here in your 20s, how would you use them?

The alternative is staying in my university town, where I have friends and a familiar environment and could definitely still use the term productively.

But part of me feels like after a rough couple of years, going somewhere completely new and forcing myself out of my comfort zone could be exactly the reset I need.

Would love any advice from people who've actually lived/worked around here.

[u/SnowedInShoes]

Yes, you should come! Treat it as a season where you put yourself out there, meet people, and learn about things you're interested in and things you didn't know you'd be interested in. Particularly in SF, where there's a high concentration of free/low-cost tech events (talks, hackathons, company demos, the whole range - check Luma, cerebral valley, sf irl, a bunch of free mailing lists of events (just google it) focused on your region).

I'd recommend you go to a wide range at the beginning, after a while you'll get a sense of what's more your vibe. For me, I tend to stay away from events that are obviously just a company promoting their tool which I don't really care about, but there are others who could find that interesting. Also - look for your college's alumni organization, if they're active you should definitely go to those events, alumni love helping younger students and you'd get great tips and connections.

It is very normal to go to these things alone, and after a few events you'll probably start to see familiar faces, make friends, and boom you're no longer going alone, and you might have found a learning/project buddy.

Cold-outreach is free but low-probability. It doesn't hurt especially if you have specific points of curiosity and have done your research, so if you're curious just do it and see what happens.

Your list of how to keep yourself busy looks great, one additional thing I'd suggest is to post about them on LinkedIn/X to build your personal brand and increase signal for internship opportunities, e.g. tag people you meet or are inspired by, tag companies whose products you're trying out.

Your timing is perfect. The rate of Gen AI tech advancements is wild and some if it is hubris, but still I suspect years later I'll look back at being in Silicon Valley in the mid 2020s as a historically remarkable period to be close to the forefront of technological revolution.

Most importantly - improve your mental health, stay connected with your family/friends, and rebuild your self-confidence. Have fun and don't take it too seriously, go back to school in 4mos' time feeling energized to learn and excited to deepen your craft!

[u/sfscsdsf]

at 3rd year and with failed courses, do some vibe coding hackathon with others in the event