Google Student Blog: March 2013

Taking a shot with Google — an engineer's perspective

March 27, 2013

Nik talks with students at the Google booth
Photo: Mikael Hansson/InfoTech Umeå"

Recently I returned from helping represent Google at the DataTjej conference in Umeå, Sweden. A national conference for female students studying IT, DataTjej has been an annual event for the last 15 years, with lectures, workshops, and networking events for the ~ 120 conference goers.

I was able to spend a lot of time talking to the attendees, both at the Google booth and at the conference dinner, and was regularly surprised during those conversations as person after person told me that they'd be too afraid to even apply for a role at a company like Google, never mind actually going through the interview process.

I told everyone who said this the same thing, and I'm sharing it now in the hope that it might help change your mind if you're feeling the same way.

When you're interviewing at Google, we want you to do as well as you possibly can, so we do our best to make sure that that's possible. We don't ask trick questions, or look for ways to trip you up; our interviewers want to see you at your very best. The very worst that can happen is that we decide not to hire you (or you decide not to join us).

Nik presenting at DataTjej

So if you're at all interested in the opportunity to work on world-changing projects with computing infrastructure that spans the planet then I'd really encourage you to apply (see http://www.google.com/students and http://www.google.com/jobs for details). You've got nothing to lose.

Posted by Nik Clayton, Site Reliability Engineer

Become a Google Student Ambassador at your university in the Middle East and North Africa

March 21, 2013

Cross-posted from the Google Arabia Blog

Google is committed to supporting the education of future leaders and innovators in technology and business all over the world. As part of Google’s efforts to empower students in the Middle East and North Africa - and help them make the best of Google’s technologies and prepare for their future careers - we are glad to announce that the application process is now open for the Google Student Ambassador Program for the 2013-2014 academic year!

The Google Student Ambassador program is an opportunity for active students to enhance their professional development and soft skills, to meet and collaborate with some of the most interesting people in the region, and to have fun introducing Google products to their fellow students through holding events on campus.

Google Student Ambassador applicants should be pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree — all majors are welcome to apply! They should also be passionate about Google technologies and actively involved in their school communities.

We are particularly excited to be working on the Google Student Ambassador program this year - our 3rd year in MENA. The students have unrivaled passion and energy that they can’t wait to share with their colleagues - have a look here at our first GSA summit in MENA.

If you think you have what it takes to become a Google Student Ambassador, make sure to Register Now!

Posted by: Rania Hadi, Outreach Manager, MENA

Applications available for the Google Student Veterans Summit

March 19, 2013

At Google, our goal is to create a diverse workplace that represents our users. We work in teams to do cool cool things that matter and know you do too. Members of the Veteran community have demonstrated a commitment to the core values of impact and collaboration. We want to celebrate this commitment by giving veterans an opportunity to refine, build and practice these skills at Google. With this in mind, our team is pleased to announce that the 2013 application has launched for the Google Student Veterans Summit.

Up to 30 U.S. student veterans will be selected to attend an all-expense-paid program at Google’s Mountain View office from July 15-16, 2013. The summit will feature a professional development curriculum geared towards veterans’ transition into the workplace. Through networking opportunities with Google’s Veteran community and exposure to the business side of a technology company, participants will gain access to our company’s culture of impact and collaboration.

Please review the Google Student Veterans Summit website for more details. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 26, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. PST. All decisions will be communicated to applicants in June 2013.

Questions about the program can be directed to studentveterans@google.com.

Posted by Vic Alonzo, University Programs

Troubleshooting Tech at Google: A Look Inside the Corporate Engineering Support Technician Program

March 18, 2013

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. We need great people like you to help us do cool stuff that matters! That is why we're announcing openings for our Corporate Engineering Support Technician role based in our Ann Arbor, Michigan office.
What does it mean to be a Corporate Engineer Support Technician at Google?

Corporate Engineer Support Technicians are the first responders when Googlers say "aw, snap!". Technicians work on all major desktop and mobile operating systems to support the IT needs of global offices of all sizes and Googlers of varying technical backgrounds. Based in our Ann Arbor, MI office, this is a 24-month, full-time position focused on IT support at Google.

What skills do I need?

We are actively looking for 2013 graduates with IT or help desk experience, who possess strong written and verbal communication skills, and display excellent customer service skills. You'll provide tech support and troubleshoot applications in Linux, Mac, or Microsoft environments via email, phone, chat and remote support. Technicians typically have an AA or BS degree. All majors and degree levels are welcome to apply!

Interested? Here’s how to apply.

Candidates should apply online and submit a resume, cover letter and unofficial transcript. There is no application deadline, but we do encourage you to apply sooner rather than later as spaces are limited.

Interested in the role, but already graduated college? It’s okay! We are open to candidates who graduated from college May 2011-June 2013. So, if you’ve already graduated or have up to 2 years of full-time work experience, postgrad, we are interested in you too.

The online application can be found on our Student Job Site along with detailed information about the role.

Posted by Janet Ikpa, University Programs

PennApps: Largest student hackathon paves the road for innovative apps

March 15, 2013

PennAppsArduino kitsAstoriaMosaicMrs.Coffee

InventoryGoogle APIs

Posted by Baris Yuksel, Software Engineer

Tenth annual Global Code Jam registration opens today

March 12, 2013

Originally posted by the Official Google Blog
Algorithmic competitions are to programmers what tournaments are to tennis players: an opportunity to feel the rush of competition, learn new techniques and face off against their best counterparts from around the globe. Code Jam, Google's worldwide online programming competition, gives developers a chance to use their favorite programming languages to solve algorithmic problems created by a team of contest champions at Google. Our 10th annual global Code Jam kicks off next month, starting with a qualification round on April 12. After three more online rounds, the top 25 contestants will be invited to Google’s London office on August 16 for a final matchup and a chance to win the coveted title of Code Jam Champion.With more than 20,000 participants last year, Code Jam has grown leaps and bounds since it began in 2003*. To celebrate the competition's 10th anniversary, we’ve raised the stakes: the winner will claim $15,000, and will automatically qualify for the 2014 Code Jam finals to defend his or her title.If you’re up to the challenge of solving tough problems and coding elegant solutions (and perhaps debugging less elegant solutions), then register now. Want to warm up for the Qualification Round with a problem or two? How about finding the margin of safety for contestants on a television show, optimizing a tower defense game or swinging through the jungle on vines? You have a whole month to prepare yourself for the first hurdle on Friday, April 12.Posted by Onufry Wojtaszczyk, Software Engineer, Google Code Jam*To the mathematically inclined (all of our competitors), 2003-2013 sounds like enough time for 11 Code Jams. Nevertheless, this one will actually be our tenth global contest: we went through a major format change between 2006 and 2008, and there wasn't a global contest in 2007.

My Summer @ Google: Computer Science Summer Institute

March 8, 2013

Introduction: Earlier this week we launched the application for the Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI), a three-week summer program for graduating high school seniors who are interested in studying computer science. To give you some more insight into CSSI, we're bringing you stories from former CSSI participants through the My Summer @ Google series. Today you'll meet Chyheim, a CSSI alum and freshman at the University of California, San Diego who is studying computer science. If you'd like to learn more about CSSI, visit our website and apply today!

Coming from a high school that did not offer any computer science curriculum, I saw CSSI as an opportunity for me to learn the essentials and to obtain the skills to succeed in college. The majority of CSSI was dedicated towards teaching us the fundamentals of computer science and programming. In order to get our feet wet we started by learning App Inventor, then we dived into HTML/CSS, Python, JavaScript, and eventually the combination of all of those with Google’s App Engine. On a typical day, we would break away from coding and participate in a few activities and workshops. These ranged from tips on creating a resume and on being successful in a technical interview to a Lego challenge and a social with Google interns. One of the best parts of CSSI was the time I got to spend with my fellow CSSIers in the residence halls. On the weekends off from programming, we had trips planned for Saturdays and then Sundays off to ourselves.

Eventually it became time for us to put all that we had learned together and create a product. Essentially, everything the instructors taught was geared towards providing us with the ability to go on our own and build virtually any web application we liked. And that’s just what we did. Throughout the final week we worked to develop our very own web applications. My team created a web application called Gif.it. Using the Python Image Library and several tools in JavaScript, we constructed an application that allows people to upload pictures and generate their own animated Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) image.

Months after CSSI, I have come to realize that I owe a lot of my current success in college to the instructors and the mentors from CSSI. The exposure I had to concepts such as data types, conditional statements, loops, and arrays, has made it easier for me to grasp them in my programming classes. Aside from technical skills, CSSI has provided me with a large network of friends and professional acquaintances. I have made a number of friends that I continue to keep in contact with for support and advice. I have also gained mentorship from different Googlers that I met through CSSI. The bond that was formed between the students and the instructors made it incredibly hard to say goodbye once the program was over.

CSSI is definitely an opportunity you do not want to miss out on. Moreover, my advice for anyone who meets the qualifications is to APPLY. You should still apply even if you doubt your skill level. CSSI is all about giving students the opportunity to learn more about computer science, therefore only having minimum skills is perfectly acceptable. As long as you convey your passionate interest in computer science through the essays and the interview you should be in good shape. Don’t stress it. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain.

Interested in CSSI? Apply here!

Written by: Chyheim Jackson-Burgess, CSSI Participant

BOLD Immersion Program for Freshmen - apply today!

March 6, 2013

The University Programs team is delighted to share that our summer 2013 BOLD Immersion Program for Freshmen application has launched.

Selected freshmen from four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. will participate in an all-expense-paid program at Google’s Mountain View Headquarters from July 23-27, 2013. The Building Opportunities for Leadership & Development (BOLD) Diversity Immersion Program for Freshmen is designed to provide exposure into the technology industry for students who are historically under-represented in this field. Participants will get a rare glimpse into the technology industry, non-technical career opportunities at Google and valuable professional and peer networks. The robust program will also include tech talks, skills-building seminars and, of course, fun!

We encourage students to take a chance and discover what it is like to work at a technology company, particularly those who are pursuing non-technical degrees.

Please review the BOLD Immersion website for more details. The deadline to apply is Monday, April 8, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Questions about the program can be directed to boldimmersion@google.com.

Posted by Vic Alonzo, University Programs

Google AdCamp for current sophomores and juniors - apply today!

March 5, 2013

At Google, you will find smart people, big problems, and opportunities to make a real impact. We look for the brightest in a range of fields, and the University Programs team seeks to help students understand our business, as well as how their passions align with it. With this in mind, our team is pleased to announce that the 2013 application has launched for Google AdCamp.

Up to 30 current college sophomores and juniors attending four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. will be selected to participate in the all-expense-paid program at Google New York from August 4-7, 2013. AdCamp will include a collaborative curriculum focused on Google’s advertising sales and marketing operations, as well as an overview of Google's advertising products and insight into the marketing industry. AdCamp participants will also get the opportunity to meet with Googlers and interns, compete in a case competition and participate in social activities in NYC.

Please review the AdCamp website for more details. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 5, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Questions about the program can be directed to adcamp@google.com.

Posted by Vic Alonzo, University Programs

Application now available for the 2013 Computer Science Summer Institute

March 4, 2013

Are you a current senior in high school? Have you had some exposure to computer science and would like to learn more?
Are you interested in computer science but not sure if it’s the right path for you?

If so, Google’s Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) may be the program for you. Read on to learn more about CSSI and how you can apply.

Computer Science Summer Institute
CSSI is a three-week institute that includes an interactive and collaborative computer science curriculum, as well as a unique residential experience in which students can build a network with other attendees. Up to 60 aspiring computer scientists will be selected to attend one of our all-expenses-paid CSSI sessions.

Qualifications
Candidates must:

Intend to be enrolled as a full-time student at a 4-year BA/BS program in the US or Canada. International students are eligible to apply as long as they intend to be enrolled at a university in the US or Canada.

Intend to be enrolled at a university with a Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or related area department for the 2013–2014 academic year.

Able to demonstrate an interest in and motivation for studying Computer Science.

The program is open to all qualified current high school students, and is committed to addressing diversity in the field of computer science. Students who are a member of a group that is historically underrepresented in the technology industry are encouraged to apply.

Application Materials
If you're ready to apply, please be prepared to submit the below materials.

An updated resume (PDF preferred)

A current unofficial or official high school transcript (PDF preferred)

SAT or ACT scores (if applicable)

The answers to the following essay questions. Each essay should be 300 words or less (PDF preferred).

Why do you want to study Computer Science? What has drawn you to the field? What do you hope to accomplish with a Computer Science degree? Your response might include courses you have taken, projects you have worked on, events you have attended, or other ways you have been exposed to Computer Science.

List your junior and senior math and science classes plus any summer programs, college or junior college math or science classes you have taken. Please also include grades received when applicable.

Google is committed to encouraging underrepresented students to seek degrees in Computer Science. What ideas do you have for ways in which you can help increase diversity in the field of Computer Science?

Important Dates to Remember
The deadline to apply will be midnight EDT on April 7th, 2013.
CSSI Session 1 will take place in Mountain View, CA from June 23 - July 13, 2013.
CSSI Session 2 will take place in Cambridge, MA from July 21 - August 9, 2013.

Ready to apply?
The 2013 CSSI application is now open, please click here to apply.

Questions?
Check out CSSI’s Frequently Asked Questions. If you have questions that aren't answered in our FAQ, please email cssi@google.com.

Still wondering if CSSI is right for you? Check out the Hangout On Air that we taped last week featuring Googlers, former CSSI participants, and rising freshmen who were interested in learning more about CSSI.

Posted by Vanessa Valentine, Student Engagement Specialist

Student Blog