Google, Inc.

Engineering Practicum Intern

May - August 2019 • Boulder, CO

What I liked

The focus of the internship was learning and supporting younger interns, and I feel that I got a lot out of my summer because of that. Engineering Practicum (EP) interns are in a pod with another EP intern and two managers, all on one larger team of full time engineers. The full team really embraced my podmate and I, helping us and giving career and life advice during our conversations. My manager helped me explore topics I was interested in and integrate that knowledge into my project. In addition, there was a lot of social support. Every EP intern had a mentor who had some connection to their own life (same college, part of same minority group, etc.), and this relationship was super beneficial during my time at Google. In addition to the mentor program, there are many programs for continuing your education, such as mini classes or lecture series, and interns are encouraged to take advantage of these. I got to learn more about ML as well as about cooking and personal finance. Additionally, our project will actually be used by our team, so our team was invested in supporting us. This summer, I measurably got better at programming and reading code and learning how to learn new technologies, and I am much more prepared for my CS classes this year as well as my next internship.

What I wish was different

I think the pod structure was beneficial, and I wish we had pair programmed sometimes. However, I think that is more a reflection on the other interns rather than the internship program--the lack of collaboration culture with the other interns really showed how unique Mudd's CS program is.

Advice

Definitely take advantage of company resources in lieu of working on your project sometimes. So many people want to help and give advice, and your managers are told to encourage this as well. Also, I had a great experience working in a satellite office (instead of the Bay Area or New York), so I recommend this as well.

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Engineering Practicum Intern

May - August 2018 • Mountain View, CA

What I liked

A chance to see all of the new technology that Google developed and get to participate in all company events.

What I wish was different

A different project.

Advice

Apply there as a freshman or a sophomore, and learn about what kind of projects you want to do before going through the project pool.

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Engineering practicum intern

May - August 2018 • Sunnyvale, CA

What I liked

I learned a lot! I had a really great team. The perks are awesome (!). And some of my code was open sourced, which has been a great thing to have on my resume/Github.

What I wish was different

Advice

As an intern, you are there to learn! Don't be afraid to ask questions. Teams host interns because they *want* to contribute to their personal and professional development. It's hard to internalize but so important.

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Software Engineering Intern

May - August 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

My intern host and team members were very helpful during my internship. I got to know them personally, had time to explore the city during weekends, and improved myself professionally. It was a coherent experience. I liked the office too.

What I wish was different

Advice

Always communicate with others and pace yourself so that you will be in the best condition every day.

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Interaction Designer

July 2018 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Lots of learning and growth opportunities, the culture, supportive colleagues, flexible schedule

What I wish was different

more transparency with executives and why + how decisions are made from top level

Advice

Don't be afraid to explore and take risks

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Marketing Specialist

October 2018 • Mountain View, CA

What I liked

The culture is amazing. Everyone is incredibly nice, open, and ready to help you learn to be the best you can. Each team is pretty transparent and collaboration across teams is highly encouraged. Self care and time for yourself are also big values, which is great to hear from managers.

What I wish was different

The role can be a bit stagnant at times.

Advice

Be as research and hypothesis based in your approach to problem solving as possible.

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Recruiting Coordinator

July 2018 • Mountain View, CA

What I liked

I love the perks and positive attitude of all my coworkers

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

I would say to stay active on LinkedIn. Network and get to know people in different fields.

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Software Engineer

October 2018 • Mountain View, CA

What I liked

It's a great place to work once you pass the interviews. Lots of flexibility and there's always something new to learn.

What I wish was different

The cost of living in Silicon Valley

Advice

If you're not happy with where you are keep trying for something new, that's pretty much how I ended up here.

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Software Engineer Intern

May - August 2018 • Mountain View, CA

What I liked

- being able to apply the CS I learned at school - being able to work on a project from start to finish

What I wish was different

- I wish I knew how to manage my time more efficiently - Put more time and effort into my internship

Advice

- Learn how to communicate with your team/bosses.

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Security Engineer

June - August 2018 • Sunnyvale, CA

What I liked

Keeping Google safe from hackers by breaking (and fixing!) systems

What I wish was different

Advice

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Software Engineering Intern

June - September 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I enjoyed the city, the food and perks offered, and the challenge of the work.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have known more people at the job.

Advice

Great experience! Don't be afraid to ask questions.

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Engineering Practicum Intern

May - August 2018 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Great experience, great people at the company.

What I wish was different

Nothing!

Advice

When you get stuck, make sure to ask questions, even if you think you should know it.

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Engineering Practicum Intern

May - August 2018 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

Never stop asking questions and talk to as many different people as possible! The more people you talk to, the better your network is the more opportunities you’ll have in the future.

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Software Engineering Intern

May - August 2018 • Cambridge, MA

What I liked

people were great

What I wish was different

project was okay

Advice

make sure you get a feel for how well the project is scoped during project matching

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Software Engineering Intern

June - September 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

The culture, resources, people, and project were all fantastic. I had the opportunity to meet and learn from so many incredible people and technologies, while working on a complex, impactful project. I grew so much!

What I wish was different

I wish I had more opportunities to speak with other teams and understand the inner-workings of more niche products.

Advice

Be proactive! Google has so many wonderful resources, and your experience will be enhanced dramatically by your own initiatives to reach out to other Googlers, take part in volunteering & other programs, and be more involved with whatever you're interested in.

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