The 2026 Summer Internship Plan I Made for My 16-Year-Old Daughter

My 16-year-old daughter is in tenth grade now, with two more years to go before college.

Before the summer started, she was looking for part-time jobs at fast-food joints, restaurants, and retail stores to earn some pocket money and gain social experience.

I thought it was a great idea and felt proud of her. I said it’s valuable to have this kind of internship work because you can learn communication and cooperation in a real work environment, and earn income through your own efforts.

Of course, the value of such internships might just be limited to that.

Right now, we’re in the middle of an AI boom. Compared to the value of a physical store internship, I think spending a summer seriously and thoroughly learning practical AI will have a more profound impact on the next two years of high school, future college studies, and career direction.

So I suggested to her that she could intern with me, and I’d pay her a salary. Of course, there would be detailed assessment goals. So we made this summer internship plan.

For her, it’s a challenging plan, requiring her to step out of her comfort zone in many places. For me, it’s equally challenging.

There’ll be certain economic costs. For instance, I need to equip her with a new MacBook Pro and pay her intern salary. Time-wise, since this is essentially mentoring an intern, it will inevitably slow down my work speed and efficiency.

But I think it’s a great investment. A short two months could have a significant impact on her future development path.

Here’s the internship plan (maybe a reference):

Time: June 8, 2026 - July 23, 2026, totaling 34 workdays.

This is a family summer internship plan, not a formal employment relationship (as per US labor law).

The purpose of the internship plan: Use several real projects to let Linda practice using AI, advancing a product, public speaking, learning, and summarizing. In these processes, she’ll learn how to learn, face challenges, setbacks, failures, and of course, success.

Overall Goals

The internship is divided into four parts:

1. Work hours and professional habits
2. Learning plan
3. Public sharing plan
4. Work results

By the end of the project, I hope Linda completes at least these tasks:

1. Read 5 books. Take study notes and share them.
2. Complete a daily log every workday.
3. Record and publish a 5-minute video based on the daily log on platforms like Xiaohongshu, Douyin/Video Account.
4. Complete 1 English course project.
5. Complete 1 AI Coding product project.

Work Hours

The project days are set from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with a 1-hour lunch break and necessary rests. The focus is not on sitting the entire time but gradually getting used to the rhythm of a workday: setting goals before starting, syncing during, and reviewing at the end.

Daily Rhythm:

1. 9:00 daily check-in: confirm the day’s goals.
2. Brief noon sync: confirm the morning’s progress and afternoon’s focus.
3. 5:30 PM daily review: show the day’s output, record problems, confirm the next day’s plan.

Rules for tardiness, leave, and temporary adjustments:

1. Within 9:05 is considered on time.
2. 9:05-9:15 is slightly late, recorded once.
3. More than 15 minutes is late.
4. Request leave a day in advance and arrange make-up, no deduction from base participation allowance.
5. Temporary absence on the day requires explanation and a clear make-up plan in the daily log.

We can adjust task priorities based on project progress. However, any new tasks must clearly state which old task they replace and cannot keep adding until the list is endless.

Project “Salary” and Performance Rules

The target total amount for this project’s “salary” is $2000.

The final payment is composed of three parts:

Base “Salary”

The base “salary” is $1400, calculated over 34 project days.

Each day must meet:

1. Attend daily check-in on time or explain adjustments in advance.
2. Clear tasks for the day.
3. Visible evidence of the day’s work, such as GitHub PRs, screenshots, demo videos, reading notes, course documents, publication links.
4. Complete daily log for the day.

If there’s an unjustified absence, no make-up, and no visible evidence for a day, that project day doesn’t count toward the base “salary.”

If it’s just low efficiency, mediocre results, encountering bugs or external obstacles, it doesn’t directly deduct from the day’s base “salary” but is assessed in the weekly performance.

This rule is crucial: issues, bugs, failures, and external obstacles are acceptable. What’s not acceptable is the lack of explanation, records, or remedies.

Weekly Performance

The total weekly performance is $400, paid over 7 review cycles:

There’s a 30-45 minute review every Friday. Week 7’s review is on project end day.

Weekly scoring uses a 0-5 point system:

Weekly scores look at five things:

1. Progress in AI Coding product.
2. Progress in English course project.
3. Absorption of reading and learning.
4. Continuity in building in public.
5. Professional skills: planning, reviewing, handling issues.

These five dimensions aren’t for nitpicking but to see if the week genuinely moved forward. Slow progress and encountering problems are fine, but we need to see processes, evidence, and adjustments.

Final Presentation

The final presentation part is $200, paid based on the final presentation at project end:

Learning Plan

Need to read 5 books during the internship.

Value Investing

Not everyone needs to or is suited to financial investment, but everyone should understand the mindset of investing. This book will of course make the child understand some basic principles of economics, finance, and investing (though reading it might be quite boring), discern truly valuable things, distinguish price from value, and form a sense of value judgment. A person’s life involves many choices: what major to choose, what job opportunities to take, who to live with, what lifestyle to have, etc. Behind these choices, you need judgment.

A More Beautiful Question

Chinese version “How to Ask a Good Question.”

In the student phase, kids seem to always be answering questions, answering teachers’ questions, parents’ questions.

They’re consistently trained in “how to answer questions,” but there’s rarely a course or opportunity to be trained in “how to ask a good question.”

It’s almost common sense: good answers come from good questions. In the age of AI, information and knowledge have become devalued and readily accessible. The value of a person, or rather the most important aspect of human-AI cooperation, is how you ask a good question.

The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

Chinese version “The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking.”

Similarly, how to think effectively? How to view mistakes? How to apply knowledge? These are relatively overlooked by school education and may also be neglected by parents. This book is to fill that gap for kids.

Elon Musk

Chinese version “Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future” by CITIC Press.

At 16, about to enter college and the real world. Learn about the leader behind the world’s most innovative companies, see how he thinks, how he faces failure, and how his lifestyle and thinking differ from others. This can be quite enlightening for kids at this stage.

Every Good Endeavor

Chinese version “Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work.”

The entire society has this atmosphere: on one side, working for money, on the other, wanting to escape work as soon as possible. Work seems to become a curse, but it wasn’t originally like this. Work itself is meaningful.

Ordinary people spend 40 years, from age 25 to 65, working over eight hours a day. If work is just a curse, something one wants to escape, that’s a huge regret for a person’s life.

At 16, starting to engage with society, beginning to encounter job opportunities, reading a book about work is very suitable.

Each book requires output:

1. 5-10 core notes.
2. 3 ideas applicable to projects or life.
3. 1 oral recitation, explaining the most important content of the book.
4. Above content, video share;

Reading isn’t to hit 5 books or write a fancy reading note. The focus is: after reading, can Linda articulate it in her own words, can she apply one of the viewpoints to projects or life.

During weekly reviews, Linda needs to choose a viewpoint from a book, explaining how it influenced the week’s work.

Public Sharing Plan

Every workday requires writing a daily log and recording a 5-minute video based on it, talking about what was learned or accomplished today. Videos are posted online (Xiaohongshu, Douyin/Video number).

Daily log must include:

1. Today’s Plan: What was originally planned for today.
2. Today’s Output: What was completed specifically in App, courses, reading, video.
3. A link: GitHub PR, video, document, screenshot, reading notes, or course materials.
4. A Problem: Where you were stuck today, how you handled it.
5. Tomorrow’s Plan: What’s the smallest next task for tomorrow.

The focus of “building in public” is not to appear perfect but to continuously record genuine progress. Clearly articulating what was done today, where you were stuck, and what the next step is, is important in itself.

(Videos should not expose family privacy, school privacy, account information, income details, API keys, or any personal sensitive information)

Work Outcomes

English Course Project

Goal: Complete 1 English course project and attempt real sales or user validation. The income target is 7,000 RMB (if above 5,000, Linda can take a 50% income commission), but income isn’t a rigid deduction standard.

Rigid outcomes:

1. Course positioning: Who it’s for, what problem it solves.
2. Course outline.
3. Sample lesson: At least 1 demonstrable lesson.
4. Sales materials: Course introduction page, signup form or promotion copy.
5. User verification: Collect at least 3 real feedbacks, or attempt one public sale.

If it doesn’t achieve $7,000 RMB income eventually, it’s not automatically a failure. The focus is on whether the course product was completed, whether real market validation was done, whether feedback and next improvements were recorded.

AI Coding Product Project

Goal: Complete 1 AI Coding product project. Current direction is a Teleprompter App for iOS / iPad.

Core outcomes (tentative):

1. Can input or paste scripts.
2. Can display prompt text in large font.
3. Can auto-scroll.
4. Can adjust scroll speed and font size.
5. Can pause, resume, reset.
6. Can display in full screen.
7. Can mirror display.
8. Can countdown.
9. Can save scripts.
10. Supports iPhone and iPad.
11. Supports Chinese, English, and 4-5 additional languages.
12. Progress as much as possible to TestFlight or App Store submission stage.

The focus here isn’t on Linda writing code solely, but learning to use AI to build a product bit by bit. Each time, clarify: what to do, how to judge completion, how to verify, where it failed, how to change next.

Daily Acceptance Standards

At the end of each day, need to submit:

1. A daily log.
2. A link or screenshot as visible evidence.
3. A public sharing video around 5 minutes.
4. The most important learning point of the day.
5. Tomorrow’s smallest next task.

Work without evidence isn’t counted as complete. Not because evidence is more important than effort, but without evidence, it’s hard to know what exactly happened, and it’s hard to review.

Weekly Review Template

Fill out during weekly review:

1. What was completed this week.
2. Which acceptance criteria were met.
3. Which tasks failed and why.
4. What was the biggest issue.
5. The 3 most important things for next week.
6. Linda’s self-assessment score and one reflection.
7. Parents’ score and one piece of feedback.

Final Presentation

At the end of the project, there will be a formal presentation:

1. 10 minutes: Present the AI Coding product.
2. 5 minutes: Present the English course project.
3. 5 minutes: Present the Build in public record.
4. 5 minutes: Talk about the impact of 5 books.
5. 10 minutes: Review how AI was used, what failed, and how it was resolved.

The final presentation isn’t just about results. It’s about whether Linda can clearly explain: what the goal was, how the process was advanced, what problems were encountered, how results were validated, and what the next steps will be.