I can only speak for myself, but I look for 1) definitely a student, so expectations of going perm don't hit us by surprise, 2) either not too far off from graduation or the ability to work part-time during school 3) interest in the work, has some tie-in w/ the direction they want for their career, and 4) open to the possibility of going full-time upon graduation.
I'd love to have someone making such a transition working w/ us, we actually might have a need coming up shortly. But then again, I'm 37, and we're in SoCal...
One word of caution - make sure the scope of work is locked down. A smaller company might see you as a cheap backup system admin resource since you have background in that (under the guise of "we wear many hats here"), but you really need on the job experience before going full-time in what you want to transition to.
Companies are still desperate for top talent, and for specialized skills at growing firms (tech) that's especially true. We have interns starting with us in the summer at http://www.thinkful.com/ (edtech) and two of them are in or finishing masters' in CS from Columbia.
As long as you're not being taken advantage of by a cheap employer I think internships are a great low risk way to try a job and career.
So I actually have an open req for such an intern at WP Engine (http://jobvite.com/m?3aIqcgwf) and I think a post-grad intern with your experience would be ideal. So there's no way age would be a factor, (and legally, it can't/shouldn't anyway)
On your side, I agree with other commenters that you want a clear definition of work to ensure you get the experience you actually want. You probably want to lean towards more established startups who can create a program of work that really needs your skills. We're almost 4 years old and I don't think we'd have been placed to capitalize on your skills and in return offer a meaningful experience 12-18 months ago just because the type of work your doing is probably not relevant during the 'scrappy years' of a startup.
Good luck!
The second is that if a company is going to spend resources to teach you what you need to know, are you going to want to stick around for a full-time job and contribute back to the company? I don't see this being an issue at 31 years old. I would hire a 31 year old if they were dependable, eager, and committed to staying for the duration of their internship.
I see way too many people not apply for various positions because "degree required" or "3+ years of product x knowledge". I always tell them to apply and make the company say no, don't just take yourself out of the running.
If you meet the hiring manager's qualifications, you'll probably get a call for an interview. Just be sure to be ready to explain why they should take you.
The only way in which I think it will make a difference is if you end up working for a large tech company which has an intern community. It'll be harder to fit in socially, but you won't be the only older intern in general -- some of the PhD interns I worked with were late-twenties, early-thirties -- so you won't be totally alone.
I guess there's no quantity of answers that you can receive to assure you that you won't meet hiring managers down the line who will be willing to deny your application just because you're old but assholes will always exist. Just do what you can do best and you will score.
If on the other hand you are brought on specifically as a grad student info science intern working in a info science team, things may go better for you.
Only an asshole company would do this to a future employee. And only an asshole would allow themselves to be exploited like this.
Guys: work on contract. Get paid. Your lack of self-esteem affects everyone else in the workforce trying to earn a living. Don’t sell yourself--or your peers--short.
definition: less accountability, steep learning curve, short immediate economic returns.
