Student Blog
Brought to you from your @GoogleStudents friends. From pre-university to PhD (and beyond), we got you.
Inside ITRP - Brian
January 12, 2012
Introduction: This is the third post in our series about current residents in Google’s
Internal Technology Residency Program
. Today, we highlight Brian Call, who joined the ITR Program in February of 2011.
Where did you go to school? What did you study?
Brian Call:
I attended the
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
, in scenic upstate New York, where I earned a degree in applied networking and systems administration (ANSA). The ANSA program at RIT offered me the unique opportunity to learn through a combination of traditional classes, real-world lab scenarios and cooperative education. The
cooperative education program
gave me the chance to gain valuable experience with several different companies, including
SAIC
, the
Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies at RIT
and
Frontier Communications
.
Brian works on fixing a Googler's machine, which is one
of the many challenges he faces in a day.
Tell us how you found out about the ITRP program.
BC:
I stumbled upon the ITRP program in an email from my school’s career center, only a few hours before the deadline for the application. The multi-component core of the program—training and development, front-line support and internal rotations—caught my attention as a chance to push my limitations and hone my “skills toolbox” in a technologically diverse and highly dynamic enterprise. I also loved the prospect of expanding my horizons through world travel. I took the dive and applied only a few hours before the deadline; The following day, I was pleasantly surprised by an invitation to interview at our college career fair, going on later that week.
What have you enjoyed most about the ITRP program?
BC:
There’s so much I’ve enjoyed about the ITRP program. In particular, the program has given me the opportunity to drive across the country to Google headquarters in California, explore new places, meet new people, work with a diverse group of individuals and technology, and I enjoy it so much that, at the end of the day, I can’t wait to go back and do it all over again (minus the cross-country trip of course).
Something else I find truly unique about ITRP is the dynamic nature of the program. Mirroring the dynamic nature of Google, components of the ITRP program are adjusted based on feedback from each new class, with the goal of making the process as streamlined and enjoyable as possible. One significant adjustment that took place before I joined was changing the training schedule from long, concentrated blocks to shorter, more spread out blocks. The content of the training changed as well. The team is very open to feedback (they love it...the more, the better!) and are more than willing to sit down with us to discuss changes.
Tell us about the front-line support part of the ITRP program. Explain what that means and how you've experienced it firsthand.
BC:
At Google, we’re helping fellow Googlers solve I.T. based technical issues (however, as the neighborhood “go-to” folks, we often find ourselves solving non-technical issues, too). The goal is to get the Googler back up and running as quickly as possible. Throughout the process, we have the opportunity to chat with really neat folks, including everyone from recruiters (they have the best stories to tell) to pivotal figures in computing history, such as Vint Cerf. Front-line support is, in essence, an opportunity to learn new skills, hone old skills, make people happy and network, all bundled into an exciting, fast-paced experience.
Brian had the opportunity to work from our Kirkland office
for a quarter during his internal rotation. This is just one of the
many awesome images he was able to capture.
New skills aren’t just learned on the front-lines. Front-line support and training/development at Google are tied together in harmony. Needing to solve unbelievably bizarre problems on the fly drives a constant cycle of on-the-job training while, more formal, instructor-led training sessions and self-study skills development drive personal growth and efficiency. With front-line support, finding the right solution can involve almost anything, from searching textbooks and Internet sources to building test labs to recreate the problem. To me, front-line support carries a prerequisite to keep an open mind to all solutions, no matter how strange they may seem.
What do you look forward to most during the rest of your time as an ITR?
BC:
I’m really looking forward to doing some international travel. The opportunity to travel the globe while helping out at other offices is an exciting prospect, especially since I’ve never traveled outside of North America.
Posted by Brian Call, Internal Technology Resident
Post a Comment
Labels
A Day in the Life of a New Grad in Google Dublin
7
AdCamp
2
AdMob
11
Ambassador Program
14
APAC
7
Appy Trails
28
Back to School
4
Better Know a New Grad
1
Better Know an Intern
16
Better Know an Office
4
Black History Month
10
Caitlin Talks to an Engineer
9
Chrome Extensions
3
Chromebook
1
College Tips by Google
1
Community
14
Conferences
16
consortium
1
CSSI
5
Day in the Life
2
deSTEMber
1
Development Programs
1
Diary of a Business Associate Intern
1
Diary of a Summer Intern
41
Diary of a Summer Intern - Erika
9
Diary of a Summer Intern - Franklin
3
Diary of a Summer Intern - Jess
3
Diary of a Summer intern - Luke
3
Diary of a Summer Intern - Madelaine
4
Diary of a Summer Intern - Pablo
3
Diary of a Summer Intern - Rio
4
Diary of a Summer Intern 2012
18
Diary of an MBA Intern
2
Education
19
EMEA
44
Europe
7
Events
13
Exploring Design at Google
4
GHC15
6
Going Green
6
Gone Google
2
Google Code University
1
Google Code-in
1
Google Games
3
Google Japan
1
Google Lime Scholarship
1
Google on campus
2
Google Online Marketing Challenge
10
Google Science Fair
2
Google.org
1
Google+
6
Googlers
14
Googlers Beta
11
Grace Hopper
11
GradTips
9
Hangouts On Air
21
Inside ITRP
6
Intern Insights
31
Intern Program
73
Interns Making an Impact
7
Interviews
1
Jobs
5
just for fun
30
K-12 (Pre-university)
14
LATAM
2
Life at Google
17
Middle East
1
My Path to Google
29
My Summer at Google
15
My Summer at Google 2012
10
North America
4
Office Environment
4
Open Source
9
PhD
7
Products
94
Programs and Competitions
116
Recruiter Tips and Tricks
15
Rice Plus
4
Scholarships
56
Search
1
STEM
2
STEP
1
Student Tips
15
Students
13
Summer of Code
1
Teach Parents Tech
10
Tech Students
3
Tips and Tricks
27
Women in Engineering
20
Young Innovators
10
YouTube
2
Archive
2018
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2017
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2016
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2015
Dec
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2014
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2013
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2012
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2011
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2010
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2009
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2008
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Feed
Google
on
Follow @GoogleStudents
Interested in opportunities and programs for students? Visit
google.com/students
.
