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.
Diary of a Summer Intern - Franklin
August 22, 2012
Not too long ago, I arrived here in Zurich, and on August the 31st I am to leave Google. During the last three months as an intern at Google, I have gained years of practical and theoretical knowledge that has made everything I’ve learnt over the past four years at university a lot clearer to me. I found myself reflecting upon my “younger” days when I would sit through an entire lecture and at the end of it I walk out of the lecture room having learnt something; something that I had a slight recollection of months later. Honestly, like most of my other colleagues, I kept wondering,
“How is this applicable in real life?”
Over the course of my life as a software developer, I have had to interact with other software developers, say, in a team working on a project. Looking back at the code we wrote, frankly speaking, I am so embarrassed to think that I termed it coding! At Google, before the code you’ve worked on has been submitted to production, it goes through a release process that is thorough. This means that before the actual users can see the change that you have made, rigorous sanity checks have been done to ensure the users are not remotely affected. Code reviews is one such way of ensuring code is at production quality. My first code review was littered with comments on almost every line, either informing me of a better way to write a code segment or some condition to take care of that might break the system in the long run.
The saner side of the Zurich street parade,
thousands of people marched those streets!
As I conclude my internship and get ready to leave Google, I know I’m leaving as better person than I came -- a better person in all aspects of the word. My Google experience has brought much of my theoretical knowledge acquired to life. I have been faced with numerous occassions where I needed to directly or indirectly apply a concept I had learnt at some point in my undergraduate. Previously, I used to think to myself,
“How is this applicable in real life?”
but currently, my thought process has been enhanced to,
“Which concept can I apply to best solve this problem?”
. Here at Google, I have learnt best practices, I have learnt to optimize, I have learnt to secure, I have learnt to design, I have learnt foresight, I have learnt teamwork, I have learnt to pay attention to detail. I've seen my code improve tremendously throughout the summer thanks to this review process. Basically, I have learnt to code like the professionals, like a real programmer. Can I call myself a software engineer now? Well, I’m still working on that :-) Yesterday I submitted some code for review, and the response I got from my manager read:
At Mt. Titlis with my team on a cable car,
talk of a Wednesday well spent!
“The code quality looks very high this time. Great improvement!”
Talk of an ego boost! :-)
Saying goodbye to Google is going to be hard. Like I told my colleagues, Google is my first real work experience and it has “ruined” all my future employment opportunities because Google is unmatched. My current aspiration would be to secure a permanent position at Google. I came, I saw, I learnt....still waiting to conquer!
- Franklin
Fun Google Fact:
Just when I thought I had exhausted seeing every Google employee in the Zurich office, I always end up seeing a new face I don’t recognise.
Posted by Jessica Safir, University Programs
Diary of a Summer Intern - Franklin
July 24, 2012
Currently, I am half way into my internship. At this point in time, I can confidently proclaim that I am a much better computer scientist. I spent a better part of my first month doing a lot of learning. A good craftsman must surely know his tools, right? I have learnt a lot of new technologies, especially the ones that are directly relating to my project. I have had a very interesting learning experience. My new found knowledge didn't just come on a silver platter, but it came with a price. Whenever I conversed with my fellow team mates, maybe to make a technical inquiry, I normally got an answer that made me realize just how much I barely know the concept. The software engineer probably mentioned a technical term that I had no clue about, meaning I had to do more research to understand the answer. As a result, I was constantly digging for more knowledge.
My internship in Google is not only a learning experience, but also a time to make some significant contribution to Google. Apart from learning, I have also been working on my intern project. I assumed that I would be given numerous miniature projects and bug fixes as part of my internship, but my manager actually gave me the task of adding a single feature to the system to span the duration of my internship. At this point in time, I have completed my project awaiting to demonstrate it to the team and get some feedback, before submitting my code for review. In my mind, I keep thinking, "What if my project is accepted and becomes an integral part of the system in production?" That would mean millions of people around the world will be able to use it at one point.
It is such a fulfilling feeling knowing that you can actually contribute something positive to a company such as Google, something that can potentially enhance the lives of millions of Google users throughout the world. I finally understand what motivates Google employees to be Googlers. With that kind of a motivation, waking up on a daily basis to go to work cannot be much of a problem. Recently, I had a chat with a friend back in Kenya, and I mentioned how the office is full of cool stuff like the micro-kitchens, games and other recreational facilities. The next thing that came from her mouth was, "So when exactly do you guys work?" At that time, I didn't have a solid answer to this question so I ended up saying that people just get work done because you have to be productive. What I should have answered saying is, "When you are passionate about what you are doing, nothing will stop you from working..."
In Google, you never have Monday blues.
Fun Google Fact
- Every Friday, there is TGIF where Google provides free drinks at the office and all have a fun theme.
Posted by Jessica Safir, University Programs
Diary of a Summer Intern - Franklin
July 9, 2012
June 3rd is a day that will go down in my history books. It is not only the day when my internship commenced, but it is also the first time I stepped outside the boundaries of my country Kenya. From the onset, I knew it was going to be one hell of an experience. My imagination ran wild not knowing what to expect in a different country (Switzerland), much less my first real work experience at an amazing company such as Google. Just like most of the interns, I had watched the videos on YouTube about life at Google so I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy myself.
At the airport, I met up with another Google intern from Kenya called Victor and we sat next to each other the entire duration of the two flights to Zurich. Just as we were about to land in Zurich airport, the aerial view of Zurich was breathtaking. Seeing how green it was and the “tiny” buildings, coupled by the very well laid out roads, I could not help but take pictures. Victor just had to whip out his video camera too.
I could feel the cold penetrating all the way to my bones despite the fact that I was dressed like a polar bear; if that was summer, I thanked God I wasn't around for winter! As I was taken to my room, for once in my lifetime I got to board an electric train. The speed at which it could go fascinated me! All the while, my eyes were fixed outside staring at everything in general because they were all new to me and was all so nice and clean. It was a rainy evening on a weekend when I arrived, one of those days when you just feel like staying in and laying around in bed. I guess that’s why there wasn’t many people in the streets as I went to my place, but then it was like that almost all subsequent days. I thought to myself... "I could get used to walking around without having to bump shoulders every now and then...”
The next day, I made sure I left as early as I could. Who would want to be late the first day at work at Google! Considering I couldn't remember the route I used to get to my place, I left 2 hours earlier so that I could allow myself some time to get lost a couple of times yet still make it to the office on time.
My first two weeks at Google were so eventful. I made sure I attended all the talks because each talk I attended made me realize how much I have to learn and conceptualize before I become a full-time Googler (my ultimate goal). I must have listened in on countless conversations by the Googlers around because there is a lot of brilliance flying around at the office and Google facilitates this by bringing employees together multiple times. All the employees are undoubtedly intelligent and knowledgeable. I remember once having sat through a conversation whereby an engineer was talking about the project he was doing, and he happened to mention about 7 concepts that I only heard of in theory. I have never been challenged that much.
It's now been about a month into my internship, and yet I still have to make inquiry to get my way around the office. It is enormous and well designed. By the time my internship comes to an end, I promised myself to have taken pictures of every corner of the office. It’s not just the office, but it’s the people in the office that impress me most. Just from the look on everyone's faces, you can be able to tell with certainty that all the employees are gratified. Everyone is cheerful and ready to say “Hi” to a fellow Googler or Noogler (new Googler).
Each and every day at Google poses exciting new challenges that I strive to overcome, while at the same time learning from. I have no doubt that by the end of my internship, I am going to have a hard time saying goodbye to Google.
-
Franklin
Fun Google Fact:
In the Google office in Zurich, you can slide all the way down to the main kitchen :-)
Posted by Jessica Safir, University Programs
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
.
