We've moved! Visit
The Keyword
for all the latest stories about
life at Google
and our
student programs
.
Student Blog
Brought to you from your @GoogleStudents friends. From pre-university to PhD (and beyond), we got you.
Better Know a New Grad - Michelle Ferreirae
September 10, 2013
Today we’re featuring Michelle Ferreirae, a Software Engineer on the G+ Notifications team based out of Mountain View. Michelle joined Google full-time in late June, but she made her debut at Google last summer as a Software Engineering Intern on internal tools. Michelle is from San Diego, and graduated in May from Wellesley College in Massachusetts with a B.A. in Computer Science.
Tell us a little bit about how you first got interested in computer science?
I had absolutely zero exposure to computer science before I got to college; I thought I was going to be a political science major. My first semester, I only got into one of the four classes I had originally wanted, so I had to use my backup plans, and introductory CS was my second backup. I adored the class; I hadn’t realized that I could take logical thinking, which I’ve always loved, and apply it to making cool, useful programs. Halfway through the semester, I found myself doing my CS problem set to procrastinate on readings for my political science class, and I realized I should probably reevaluate my major plans.
Tell us about your path to a full-time software engineering role at Google? What inspired you to initially apply to Google?
I’ve always loved Google products... long before I worked here, I convinced my family to switch to Chrome and use Gmail and Google Docs. I wanted to do an industry internship after my junior year, so I applied to lots of places, including Google. I was a little surprised when they emailed me back! After my internship, I got the chance to convert to full-time. I got offers from other companies too, but I was really excited to come back to Google; I’d had an awesome summer.
Were there any particular classes, clubs, and/or activities that you participated in during college that you found especially helped prepare you for an internship/job in the tech industry?
The most helpful thing I did was research. Wellesley has a Human Computer Interaction lab that I joined at the beginning of my sophomore year. Working in the lab let me work on much larger projects than I had seen in my classes, and gave me a much better sense for how to work on a team and deal with a large code base that wasn’t my own. Plus, the projects I worked on were really interesting–applications for tabletop touch screen computers that make scientific research more accessible to students in introductory science classes.
I know you attended a small liberal arts college. Do you have any suggestions for current students at similar types of colleges who may be interested in pursuing opportunities at Google?
Don’t be afraid! I was worried my classes were too theoretical; I knew people at other colleges who were learning things directly related to software engineering, while I was doing theoretical, non-useful computer science. But that hasn’t held me back; I’m able to learn new skills quickly when I need to. Another tip: liberal arts colleges often have strong alumni networks; it can be helpful for finding a job, at Google or anywhere else, to reach out to an alum who works there and talk to them.
What’s your favorite Google memory or ‘Magic Moment’?
This is my second year in the Google laser tag league. We play in between two Google buildings, where we hide behind trees and come up with strategies to draw out the other team. Sometimes other Googlers wander through, unaware that anything is happening... and other times they notice the engineers laughing and shooting at each other. It’s fun, exciting, and silly, which is exactly what I expect from working at Google.
Posted by Cari Bulman, Tech Student Engagement Team
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
15
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
47
Europe
8
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
72
Interns Making an Impact
7
Interviews
1
Jobs
5
just for fun
30
K-12 (Pre-university)
14
LATAM
3
Life at Google
17
Middle East
1
My Path to Google
45
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
21
Young Innovators
10
YouTube
3
Archive
2020
Jul
May
Mar
Feb
Jan
2019
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
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
Follow @GoogleStudents
Interested in opportunities and programs for students? Visit
google.com/students
.
