Google Student Blog: Caitlin Talks to Our Africa Trainee Interns!

Caitlin Talks to Our Africa Trainee Interns!

August 20, 2010

I recently had the chance to meet Kobla, Derick and Doudou (Doug) - Google’s Africa Trainee Interns! These three computer science students work with our Africa Development team, researching, planning, coding and implementing new mobile features and applications for the African region and users world-wide. Kobla (from Ghana), Derick (from Kenya) and Doug (from DR Congo) are spending three months at our Zurich, Switzerland engineering headquarters before returning to their studies this Autumn. I asked the guys to share some thoughts on their experience so far...Caitlin: Hi Kobla, Derick and Doug! How did you learn about Google internship opportunities and what got you interested?Kobla: I participated in Code Jam Africa, a regional coding competition run by Google earlier this year. After the competition, a recruiter got in touch and asked if I’d be interested in applying for internships.Doug: The same for me, actually. I took part in Code Jam Africa and there it was: a check box that said ‘I want to be contacted by Google for internship opportunities’. I thought, why not give it a go?Derick: I took part in Code Jam Africa as well - it was a very interesting experience for me! I’m also friends with one of last year’s Africa Trainee Interns. She told me about her experience and encouraged me to apply.Caitlin: Now that you’ve been here a few weeks, what would you say is the coolest part of working at Google?Derick: There’s a very laid-back environment at Google. Everyone from your fellow engineers to senior management are eager to help answer your questions or provide guidance. Three free meals a day is also a big plus! Another interesting thing is that it's not a traditional 9 to 5 job. You can come into work or leave at any time so long as you’re getting the job done and meeting your deadlines.Kobla: There are a lot of good things about working at Google. The slide to the canteen, the game rooms and Guitar Hero (which I’m actually pretty bad at) are all great examples. However, the coolest thing about Google is working together with some of the most talented and creative minds on the planet. And, like Derick said, they are always ready to answer any question you throw at them.Doug: I agree. The free food is great, but the coolest thing is that there’s no such thing as hierarchy. You don’t know whether the guy you’re playing pool with is a senior manager or a new recruit!Caitlin: Yup, even senior managers enjoy a bit of pool. So, what do you think is the hardest part of working at Google?Doug: The learning curve. There are lots of new things to get used to.Kobla: Yes, the hardest part of being a Google intern is the first few two weeks. There’s a lot of information coming at you from many directions. Luckily, as we said before, everyone here is always willing to help and answer questions. My team is great and they make it pretty easy for me.Caitlin: What advice would you give to future interns?Derick: Work on your computer science fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, math and set theory). These areas are really key - not only for getting through interviews but also for growing as a computer scientist!Kobla: When you get to Google, you should take advantage of every opportunity and learn as much as you can from your team and other interns. They are ‘think tanks’ and have loads of experience within their fields of expertise.Caitlin: What do you guys do when you’re not being Google Interns?Doug: Well, I get lost around Zurich a lot!Derick: We all do! I also love listening to rock music, reading thriller novels and following tech trends. Kobla: I like to hang out with friends and talk about very random things. I also love 3D modelling and developing games in my spare time.Caitlin: Finally, I was hoping you could share a few words of wisdom from your home countries with our readers?Derick: Sure! Mtaka cha mvunguni sharti ainame. In Swahili, this means ‘If you need something that’s on the floor, you’ll have to bend to pick it up.’ In other words: ‘there’s nothing free in life, you have to work for it!’Kobla: Here’s one from Ghana in the Akan language: Nyansa nnyƐ sika na woakyikyir wodze esie. This means ‘Wisdom is not like money to be tied up and hidden’ or, more simply: ‘wisdom is to be shared.’Doug: I like this one, in Lingala: Nguba bakalingaka yango na soni te. Literally: ‘Don’t pretend to toast a peanut if you don’t know how to do it.’ Basically, this means that you shouldn’t pretend you know how to do something when you really don’t. If you’re stuck, ask for help!Caitlin: That’s a very important thing to remember - particularly at Google. Thanks for talking with me today, Africa Trainees!