Looking for someone who can come out to my place once a week in the grass growing months and weed whack, edge, mow, and blow my lawn. I also have some larger projects like re-grading and a retaining wall that need doing. Who can do it, and is trustworthy not to half-ass it?
Research. Perhaps I am biased, attending an R1 research university, but internships seems like the less desirable path. Work debugging code and pushing meaningless PRs, or try and push the boundaries of computer science as we know it. Seems like a no brainer. Both are look appealing to hiring departments. I got hired to red team billion dollar AI models, all because I concentrated on AI research, defining the boundaries where AI fails.
You can do it too. Find a subject within computer science, and look for a way to advance it. I got second place in a research poster competition this year, I am preparing my paper to submit to NeurIPS today, and I have never been paid so much in my life. Struggling with internships? Try research.