Life of a Google Intern

Above: My name tag. I was promoted to Intern 1 after washing my host's car.

What's it like to be an Intern at Google? In one sentence: Being at Google is like going on a cruise with a desktop computer and two 24-inch monitors that for some silly reason you can't take your eyes off of.

Why is working at Google like going on a cruise? Well, because at Google, you have easy access to all of life's necessities, just like on a cruise. I was within a minutes walk from free ice cream, sushi, salads, breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, an espresso machine, ping pong and foosball tables, bathrooms, and even couches and beanbags to sleep on (although I never used these). Working at Google is also fun. For example, I played ping-pong, juggled, and even played board games with my fellow co-workers, and could freely joke around with my team. I even managed to wash my mentor's car (just for fun, of course). But what's surprising is that despite all of these comforts, I still spent most of my time in front of my computer at work.

Google did an exceptional job of providing me with plenty of comforts so that I could focus completely on the problems that I was solving. And because these problems were very interesting, I spent most of my time at work trying to solve them. I did not work an 8 hour work day. Usually I worked at least nine hours a day, and oftentimes more than that. I remember days when I came in at 9:30 am and left at midnight. But nobody forced me to stay this late. I wanted to keep working, because I was interested. In fact, almost every day I or others had to force myself (me) to go home, knowing that this was best for me.

I will not lie, working at Google is hard. But so is skiing, and juggling. And I love both. Similarly, I loved working at Google this summer. Yes, now it is the end of the summer and I am completely exhausted. But, my summer at Google will be an experience I never forget. I completed two projects, learned to make a good mocha, started another juggling group, and made some new friends. I am honored to have had such a privlege.