• Calvin (Engineering Intern)
• Yelena (Usability Analyst Intern)
• Enrique (AdSense Online Ops Intern)
• Chris (Engineering Intern)

Calvin (Engineering Intern) Mountain View, California Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah Education: San Francisco, CA University: MIT Degree: BS Computer Science Year you interned at Google: 2005 Why did you decide to intern at Google? It's Google! Really, what more would you need to convince you to try an internship here? Why do you like working at Google? There's always something new to learn every day. Everyone in the company is so smart, and it's awesome to be able to work in such a giant, concentrated knowledge base. The work itself is always interesting because it seems that engineers have a lot of freedom to choose what they work on, rather than having to do what they're told all the time. What is your favorite perk/benefit about working at Google? Charlie's Cafe definitely cannot be beat. Being able to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner there - and actually *wanting* to do so most of the time - means a lot. Google is a great place to try an internship at, not only because of the interesting work and company perks, but also because the organizers of the program do such a wonderful job in making sure the interns are enjoying themselves during their summer in sunny California. Whether it be a small picnic on company grounds or a scavenger hunt in downtown San Francisco, you will definitely NOT be spending all of your days at Google simply coding away (unless, of course, you insist on doing so).

Yelena (Usability Analyst Intern) Mountain View, California Hometown: Wakefield, MA University: Georgia Tech Degree: MS Human-Computer Interaction Year you interned at Google: 2005 Why did you decide to intern at Google? There were lots of reasons, and here are few: To get to work within a team of full-time usability researchers (they're hard to find); -With the established internship program, I knew I'd be meeting other HCI students, having fun, and would have something productive to do, and I've always wanted an excuse to live in San Francisco! Why do you like working at Google? I get to work with a dedicated, smart and fun set of people. Plus, the Usability team works with products across Google, so I have the chance to be involved in any stage of any product while we help improve its usability. It's a thrill to see something I've worked on go live. What are your goals at Google - what are you working to achieve? While I'm here, I'm refining my idea of what I'd like to do in my career, improving my moderation and study design skills, and getting a better idea of how HCI methods are applied when there's a team working together. I've also learned some serious latte-making skills--don't worry, they're for me. What's been the biggest surprise about working at Google? Interns are treated like full-time employees in almost every way -- even down to the 401k. It's great to feel trusted and valued for my contributions.

Enrique (AdSense Online Ops Intern) Mountain View, CA Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico University: UCLA – Anderson School of Management Degree: MBA Year you interned at Google: 2005 Why did you decide to intern at Google? I have a tech consulting background and prior to starting my MBA I already knew that I wanted to continue my professional development in the tech industry afterwards. Out of all the potential options, Google was the most appealing to me for a variety of reasons. First of all, Google represented a dynamic-entrepreneurial environment where I could challenge myself and instill change; something uncommon in many large tech firms. Secondly, Google’s reputation for hiring the smartest, most passionate people meant that I would have the invaluable opportunity to learn from the very best. Finally, Google’s commitment to individual development and growth was imminent when I was given the chance to choose a project that I was passionate about and in which I could effectively contribute from day one. I could not have asked for a better summer internship experience. Why do you like working at Google? The work environment I’ve seen at Google is like no other I’ve encountered before. From the start I knew that my experience would be unique. The primary factors that drive me to enjoy working at Google are the people, the learning experience and the culture. First of all, people are really passionate and smart, providing a very challenging atmosphere that encourages innovation and creativity. Secondly, the learning experience at Google is exceptional. During my summer I learned to interact and challenge ideas across very different areas, such as product development, operations, finance and sales. I learned to develop and sell business proposals within the organization, and to better understand how to envision an idea and take it all the way to implementation, all in a short 12 week period. Finally, the most compelling reason why I like working at Google so much is its culture. I was looking for a growing company that maintained its early startup entrepreneurial spirit. Google’s culture not only fosters risk taking and motivates people to envision and create, but also empowers people to take on these challenges. For people who are entrepreneurially driven and love change and innovation, there is no better place than Google. What has been the most amazing experience or day you’ve had at Google thus far? One of the privileges of being part of Google’s internship program is that we have the opportunity to meet very interesting people within the organization. On one occasion, we had the incredible chance to have a very special conversation with Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt. Having Eric talk to us so openly about his perspective on business and the key factors that have made Google so successful, was a truly amazing learning experience. We additionally had the chance to ask him all sorts of questions ranging from organizational structure to strategy to competition. The irony of this is that Google is about this type of amazing experiences day in and day out. Over the summer I had the chance to meet key executives within Google, participate on various conferences with industry leaders, hear firsthand about new product developments and most importantly, develop key skills that will help me continue my professional career after my MBA.

Chris (Engineering Intern) Mountain View, California Hometown: Highland, Utah University: BYU Degree: PhD Year you interned at Google: 2005 Why did you decide to intern at Google? Since entering graduate school, I have discovered a passion and aptitude for research, especially in an environment where people are friendly and encouraged to break away from their bread-and-butter topics once in a while.  The experience has been mind-expanding and very enjoyable, and in that way has contrasted sharply with my previous experience in industry.  Before graduate school, I spent several years working as a programmer, then as an engineering manager, and finally as a chief architect.  That experience, while fun and interesting, taught me a great deal about how to make web company succeed or fail, and it was all about the treatment of the engineers.  I was frustrated that, even when in positions of power, there was always someone higher who felt that, though my leadership style was very successful and we produced very good work, it was too loose, unconventional, and chaotic.  Eventually the powers that be would tighten the noose, sucking the fun and productivity out of the work.  That's what drove me back to graduate school and it has been a very different and wonderful experience. I had heard that Google was different and wanted to see for myself whether it was really true.  It seemed impossible to me that a company as large and mainstream as Google would have the foresight and patience to make "engineering at the edge of chaos" work at a grand scale.  I had also heard that it was a very academically friendly environment, encouraging publications and new ideas with their policy of letting engineers spend 20% of their time on projects unrelated to their normal work.  I decided to intern at Google because I had to see it, and I figured it wouldn't hurt my CV, either.  It has proven to be better than I thought possible Why do you like working at Google? I can't throw my Google beach ball without hitting someone who is brilliant.  I look around me and see high-profile researchers and open source contributors who could go anywhere they please, and they choose to work here; clearly they must enjoy it.  People are generally kind and friendly, and there is no shortage of interesting work to be done.  I also like the fact that full timers get moved around frequently enough that they never get bored with what they are doing.  It is a very fun and flexible place to work where people never mention their titles and nobody cares anyway. What is your favorite perk/benefit about working at Google? Although the amazing cafeteria food ranks pretty high on my list of favorite perks, I think by far the best side benefit comes from the almost daily "Tech Talks" given at Google.  People from all over the world come to give presentations.  Many of them are researchers from whom we can learn things that help us in our work, but many of them are just plain fun and interesting to listen to.  Among my favorite outside speakers so far are Burt Rutan and Lawrence Lessig.