- Currently working towards a High School Degree with an expected conferral date between May 2025 and May 2026
- Attend a high school currently participating in CareerWise D.C./CityWorks DC apprenticeship programming model
- Ability to work 16 hours per week after school hours
We are excited to offer a unique opportunity to communities where our customers live and work. The Amazon JumpStart youth apprenticeship program hires high school students to work as part-time employees at our Arlington-HQ2 corporate office to accelerate their future, providing a head start in their educational and career pursuits, beginning in high school. This paid opportunity is offered to participating school districts in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region. Youth apprentices should expect to work after school Monday-Thursday, up to 16 hours per week, typically between 2:00pm-6:00pm ET. Our affiliated partners work with participating schools to avoid scheduling conflicts between work and school Specific team norms around working hours will be communicated by your manager. We believe that youth apprentices are much more likely to understand our unique culture and become part of it if they are surrounded by other Amazonians in person. Therefore, all youth apprenticeship opportunities require in person attendance.
Software Development Engineer (SDE) Youth Apprenticeship: At Amazon, we hire the best minds in technology to innovate and build on behalf of our customers. The intense focus we have on our customers is why we are one of the world’s most beloved brands – customer obsession is part of our company DNA. Our youth apprentices write real software and collaborate with experienced software development engineers (SDEs) who guide apprentices on real-world projects as they learn on-the-job.
As a youth apprentice, you will be matched to a manager and a mentor. You will have the opportunity to influence the evolution of Amazon technology and lead critical projects early in your career. Your design and code may contribute to areas of distributed systems, data mining, automation, optimization, scalability, and security – just to name a few. You will have the opportunity to engage with Amazonians for both personal and professional development, expand your network, and participate in activities with other apprentices throughout your apprenticeship.
We ask that applicants for our Junior Coder (software development) roles have minimum experience with one coding language. Applicants may be considered for several junior coder roles across Amazon teams. Any preferences are based on business availability and are not guaranteed.
Key job responsibilities
Responsibilities will vary from team-to-team but may include:
- Collaborate with experienced cross-disciplinary Amazonians to conceive, design, and/or bring innovative products and services to market.
- Contribute to the design and build of innovative technologies in a large distributed computing environment
- Build distributed storage, index, and query systems that are scalable, fault-tolerant, low cost, and/or easy to manage/use
- Ability to design and code the right solutions starting with broadly defined problems.
- Work in an agile environment to learn and deliver high-quality software
- Attend weekly stand-up meetings with software development teams where/if applicable.
- Demonstrate computational thinking skills and apply them to real-world work scenarios and projects
- Learn new or reinforce previous exposure to coding languages for front and/or back-end web development, mobile apps, or client-interfacing mechanisms (e.g., Python, Kotlin, Swift, C++, CSS, Java, JavaScript, HTML, C#)
- Leverage internal tools Amazon’s builders and customers use every day (e.g., AWS Cloud, services, terminology)
- Exercise professional development skills within a corporate environment.
About the team
The Amazon JumpStart youth apprenticeship program is an education and career options multiplier for students. We believe that a youth apprenticeship should be an accelerant to both education and career success. Whether the next step in your journey is to pursue certifications and credentials, an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or a transition directly into the workforce, the skills and experience gained at Amazon will benefit and empower you. Our model enables youth apprentices to take ownership of their futures as they select the best option to accelerate their career paths, prospects for higher education, and beyond. We accomplish this by working in concert with secondary education systems and offering flexible work options for our apprentices who pursue college.
Amazon recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to education and skill development, and we look forward to working with you, your family, school districts, and higher education partners on your journey.
For example, college-bound students can request a potential reduction in work hours in year 2 of the program to accommodate their class schedules with prior approval from their manager (12 work hours/week min. - 16 hours/week max.). After 1 year, a college-bound student may pursue, but is not limited to, the following options:
1. Attend college/Continue Amazon apprenticeship in DC-region: Stay within your youth apprenticeship and complete a second year while simultaneously pursuing higher education in the DC-region
2. Attend college/Continue Amazon apprenticeship in different region: Attend college outside of the DC-region and explore transferring to another Amazon team more central to your college of choice (e.g., a Harvard student working at Amazon in Boston Metropolitan area)
3. Attend college or work/Exit Amazon apprenticeship: The conclusion of your first year would mark your final year and you would leverage your experience to matriculate to college or pursue other career opportunities.
4. Continue/complete Amazon apprenticeship-only: Students who are undecided on their future education, career prospects, or defer a college acceptance can leverage year 2 to complete their apprenticeship while fielding career-readiness advice from Amazonians from diverse backgrounds
We are open to hiring candidates to work out of one of the following locations:
Arlington, VA, USA
Candidates should meet at least two of the following three requirements (Previous work experience is not required):
- Must be proficient in at least one of the following programming languages: Python, C++, CSS, Java, JavaScript, HTML, C#
- Must have taken at least one foundational course in Computer Science (CS)
- Has at least one programming experience or extra-curricular to demonstrate interest/aptitude in coding (i.e., Girls Who Code)
Amazon is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please visit https://www.amazon.jobs/en/disability/us.
