Frequently asked questions

How the hub works, who it is for, and how you can trust (or improve) what you read.

Straight answers about who we are, how to use the hub, and how content gets made. For mission and story, see About.

Quick answers

Who is Navigate Tech Hub for?

Primarily Black and Latinx computer science students at Northeastern, especially underclassmen figuring out recruiting, classes, and community. The guides and directory are written with that lens. If you are at another school or further along, much of the content still applies, but some links and context are NEU- and ColorStack-specific.

About the project

What is the point? How do I actually use this?

Think of it as a curated map, not another link dump. Start with the Start Here guide if you are new. Use Browse for student-written guides (interview prep, projects, hackathons, and more). Use External Resources for vetted tools, communities, and recurring programs. When you find a gap, suggest a link or see Contributions to help fix the hub.

Browse guides

Are the articles human-written?

Yes. Internal guides are researched and written (or heavily edited) by students, with editorial review before publish. We may use AI as a drafting or research aid on some pieces, but a human sets the structure, voice, and final call on what ships. If something reads off or outdated, report it via GitHub or email. We treat that as a content bug.

Report a content issue

Getting oriented

Is this an official Northeastern or ColorStack website?

It is a student-led project affiliated with ColorStack @ Northeastern. While we may link to official resources and opportunities, this hub is independently built and maintained by students in the chapter.

ColorStack (national)

Is it free?

Yes. Reading guides and using the directory costs nothing. External links may have their own sign-up fees (courses, conferences, etc.). We try to say that upfront on program cards when we know.

I am not at NEU. Can I still use this?

Absolutely! We promote general CS career and interview content. However, do note that some community links, course references, and chapter-specific notes are Northeastern-specific. National ColorStack and many external programs are open to students elsewhere.

How is this different from searching Google or Reddit?

We save you from rebuilding the same “what should I do?” thread that many students go through. Instead of having to search yourself, we bring the search to you. We like to think of it as a launchpad into your career in tech: you start here, and branch out everywhere. Guides are ordered and scoped for our audience; the directory is curated (roughly 30+ high-signal tools and programs). We are trading completeness for signal and honest seasonal notes. P.S. We still definitely advise subreddits like r/csmajors :)

Where do I go for resume help?

See the dedicated Resume page for sample resumes, templates, and a path you can follow without internship experience. Trust that you will not regret it.

Resume resources

Internal guides

What do the guide categories mean?

Interview Prep, Classes, Projects, Hackathons, and Community are meant to represent all the different domains a CS student has to manage. The best of the best tend to have excelled at all five! This hub is how you can start. Open Browse to search across all guides or pick a category hub from the menu.

Browse all guides

Do you use AI to write guides?

Yes — AI is definitely utilized to assist with the research, outlining, synthesis, and fact-checking of information provided in guides. However, we want to make it clear that the actual information provided in the guides came as a result of the experiences of dozens of students that filled out surveys expressing their challenges with CS as underclassmen. We do not publish raw AI output without human edit. Guides that depend on fast-changing facts (recruiting timelines, tool ToS) get reviewed when things shift.

A guide looks outdated. What should I do?

Open a GitHub issue with the guide name and what changed, or use the fix-content path on Contributions. Small fixes often ship within a few days; bigger rewrites get scheduled like any content project.

Fix or flag content

External directory

What is the difference between guides and external resources?

Guides are articles we host (how-to, strategy, NEU-specific navigation). External resources are links to other sites: tools, communities, fellowships, insight programs, with short context and seasonal notes. Some guides link to matching directory entries when a program pairs with an article.

Open directory

Is the directory every program and tool out there?

No, and that is intentional. We list high-signal, student-relevant links and recurring programs, not every internship board. For breadth, we point you to better-maintained aggregators inside the directory itself.

Are application dates and seasons always accurate?

We add seasonal notes and last-verified hints where we can, but companies change windows. Treat dates as a starting point. Always confirm on the official program page before you plan around a deadline.

Contributing

Do I need to code to contribute?

Not at all. You can suggest links, report typos, suggest features and improvements, or pitch a guide topic without touching the repo. Code and UI changes go through GitHub pull requests. See Contributions for step-by-step lanes.

Ways to contribute

What happens after I submit a suggestion?

Suggestions become GitHub issues labeled for triage. Maintainers decide accept / needs info / not a fit. Accepted external links get added in Strapi; guide pitches may become outlines or draft folders in the repo. You can watch the issue for updates.

How do I propose a new internal guide topic?

Use Pitch a topic on the Contributions page (GitHub issue with the internal-resource-suggestion label) or email me at odubiyi.a@northeastern.edu with a working title, audience, and 2–3 outcomes the reader should have after reading.

Pitch a guide

Still stuck?

How do I reach a real person?

Email me at odubiyi.a@northeastern.edu. Or open a GitHub issue for bugs or content, or talk to ColorStack @ NEU at chapter events.

Contributions & contact

What do you do with my data when I use the suggestion form?

The form sends what you type into a GitHub issue in our public repo (resource name, URL, your optional contact). Do not submit secrets. We do not sell data — there is no need to! There is also no ad tracking on the hub itself.

Last reviewed: May 2026. Questions missing? Email us from the footer or open an issue on GitHub.

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