Internship Program

Software Builders Cotton Systems, Inc. is pleased to announce our 2013 Internship Program.  Beginning in June 2013, two six-month internships will be available in Lubbock, Texas.  The internships are unpaid, but interns will receive a $300/month stipend to assist with expenses and housing will be provided for those who live outside commuting distance.

About Us
We are a software company and our main product is GinPro, a Windows software package for cotton gins.  We serve customers across Texas, handling all aspects of GinPro including programming, marketing, deployment and support.  We also have some web properties targeted at cotton-related enterprises, and a list of these is available at sbcotton.com .

In addition to our cotton work, we are developing some non-cotton related internet properties.  We are developing various web projects which employ cutting edge web technologies to provide the best possible user experience.


What We Need
The main task of our interns is technical support via phone.  We are looking for high-character, self-motivated individuals who are comfortable and professional on the phone (or are motivated to become so), familiar with modern computers, and who possess sufficient writing and typing skills for logging phone conversations.


What We Offer
All interns will be trained in the skills they need to provide technical support, including the particulars of the high-quality customer service that we provide and a working knowledge of GinPro and the cotton industry in general.  In addition, depending on the interests of the intern, we can focus on one or more of the following areas:

• Web Development - Today's web toolkit starts with HTML/XHTML and CSS, so that's where we start too.  More advanced interns may get into JavaScript and JavaScript frameworks like jQuery and Knockout.
  
• Programming - While we work in Delphi (Object Pascal), which is the system used to build GinPro, an intern focused on programming will learn concepts that are foundational to most modern programming languages such as C++, Java, JavaScript, Basic, C# and PHP, among many others.  If you are interested on writing programs that run on a PC or even in server-side web programming this is a good place to start.
  
• Entrepreneurship - If you think you might like to have your own business, this is your chance to see one up close.  SBCSI is a Texas corporation, and an intern may take a hands-on role in paying sales and payroll taxes, paying bills, balancing the checkbook and managing the budget.  For someone who needs a real-world, hands-on chance to try running a business without actually starting one, it doesn't get any better than this.

An additional benefit is that interns will be exposed to a smorgasbord of useful web tools that we use to make our enterprise more productive.  Experience with tools like Highrise, various Google services, Git and others may well be valuable in future positions as well.


Why Are We Doing This?
Our Internship Program, which began in 2007, was designed to allow two interns to replace one employee.  Our main staffing need is for technical support during the fall, when most of our gin customers are active.  Outside of that time there is little or no phone support work to be done.  While there will be training specific to our company, because of this timetable we expect interns to spend between a third and half of their total time learning and participating in projects in their chosen areas of emphasis. 

Our business is seasonal; hiring enough people for our busy times tends to leave too many people and too little work for our slow times.  Our hope is that interns will be able to use quieter times to learn and grow in their areas of interest and then function as phone support when that time comes.  This provides a benefit to the company as we save money by avoiding unnecessary year-round employment; the interns receive the benefit of personally tailored initiation and education in sought-after fields of employment.


CollegePlus!
We are excited to partner with CollegePlus! to provide our internships to students pursuing college degrees using their innovative program!  Our internships are very flexible, allowing students to continue to focus on their college studies through the internship.   If you are interested in CollegePlus!, please contact us for information regarding discounts and other special options.


Other Details
While we enjoy a relaxed office atmosphere, interns will be treated as adults.  Lodging may be provided in a family home or in an extended-stay apartment/hotel room to be shared by the interns; adult supervision will not always be available.  Interns must possess the maturity to behave appropriately when on their own.


Interns will be responsible for their travel between lodging and office as well as any personal travel; a vehicle is highly recommended.


More Questions?  Ready To Apply?
Thanks for your interest!  If you are interested in these internships or have further questions (including references from former interns), please contact us.

Peter Lambert
President
Software Builders Cotton Systems, Inc.
1114 13th St.
Lubbock, TX  79401

806.763.6686
peterl@sbcotton.com