Internship in computer science?

As a freshman majoring in computer science, which is a better choice for an internship - Google Engineering Practicum Internship or Microsoft Explorer Internship?

  • Answer:

    I had some computer science exposure in high school and landed the explorer internship during first semester freshman year. I accepted it, and I honestly don't think I could have had a better summer. I highly recommend it and I'll list a few reasons why: + Rotating through disciplines: This was the key standout for me that I personally think makes this program more special than Google EP. As a freshman, I knew I was interested in software engineering, but I really wasn't too sure what it was, let alone what a program manager (PM) was or software developer in test. By experiencing what each discipline would be like over the course of a summer, I found that I loved software engineering and being a program manager. + Mentorship: For each discipline, you get one mentor (for a total of 3, and 1 manager) and you grow so close to each and every one of them. I think having that mentorship was key to my own personal growth and being able to have that support during my first internship was awesome. + Being in a explorer pod: I liked that I wasn't alone-- I liked that I could turn around and ask one of my teammates about a problem that I wanted to brainstorm and think through, and we'd be able to work together on it. Because we were all working on the same project, there was definitely a lot more team-work necessary. In contrast, I know that in EP, some "teams" have partners work on completely different aspects, making working together a lot harder. + Social Activities: The Microsoft Explorer recruiters will take care of you. There are almost always bi-weekly prizes, intern social events (we went kayaking, electric boating, glass blowing) and always so so much stuff to do in Seattle over the summer. I can't say that I didn't have any gripes with Microsoft, but I think that the explorer internship in particular, is very unique to Microsoft and is a fantastic program in general. I benefited a lot from it and the internship definitely helped shape my direction and interests in computer science.

Molly Long at Quora Visit the source

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Speaking from experience: the ideal scenario is to ask to be considered for a full-fledged SWE Internship at Google. There are few enough underclassmen hired that there is a marginal level of distinction attached, above and beyond being a regular intern. It will help greatly in moving to other companies or more prestigious teams at Google in the future, should you decide to stay (and do well enough the first time!) If that's not an option, do the Google Practicum. Why Google and not Microsoft?: Transferable Skills: While Google has its own fair share of internal-only infrastructure and tooling (I'm looking at you, Borg, Blaze <3), many projects will have you writing fairly generic C++, Java, JavaScript, or Python, and you'll be given a Linux workstation and forced to become comfortable with shell scripting, the terminal, etc. These are far more widely used than C# (as nice as it is...), PowerShell, or – the worst – batch. If you already develop on a *nix system, no having to learn the vagaries of Windows development, so you'll get more done. It seems minor, but being able to say you've worked with these things in a large-scale production environment makes you a far more viable candidate in the future. Prestige: A few niche groups excepted, Google is more prestigious for an internship than Microsoft. It's widely thought to have a higher hiring bar, more "interesting" internship projects, and better engineering practices. Having worked at both, the average intern at Google was more technically and academically accomplished, attends a more highly ranked school, and is, all in all, a 'better' peer. There is a definite sense that MS is struggling with their university recruiting pipeline. This ties into the next pro: Networking: Those aforementioned highly qualified interns are likely to go out and work at other companies that might interest you after this summer. Should you desire to work for one of them in the future, you'll be able to get an inside referral, information on the workplace, or maybe just free lunch and a tour at the company offices. There were numerous 2x and 3x interns at Microsoft, and Seattle's density of tech companies is far lower than the Valley; even if you network more broadly to compensate, you'll still be exposed to a smaller number of opportunities. Transparency: Google is incredibly open. The amount of available material on the design and implementation of its systems and products is incredible, and people are usually happy to answer questions or meet for lunch if you're particularly interested. My roommates and I spent countless hours after work and on the weekends digging through internal material and are far better engineers for it. Additionally, when it comes to arranging future internships, it makes finding a team you'd be excited to work for much easier. Mailing Lists: Google has an awesome mailing list culture. I now know far more about washing machines, gender politics in plumbing, and the history of Unix than I ever expected to thanks to the wonders of eng-misc. Microsoft only had one large active intern group, and I've had more intelligent insights come out of piping "echo -en '\e'; head -c 1 /dev/random" to my keyboard buffer at random intervals than anything on internz@. Fun: My building at a Google had a firepole down to the wall of NERF weaponry and microkitchen, and electric scooters available to take to lunch. My office at MS had a faux plant. And, since I sound like a total fanboy, I ended up taking a full-time position at Microsoft. They had far more interesting (to me) work and a compelling vision for the future. If you know the project you'd be working on at one is way, way more interesting to you than the other, take that position and everything else will work itself out.

Nick Barnwell

Personal opinion: Go to a startup instead and learn more. But aside from that, I would go to Google. Google gets the best talent and you'll be surrounded by the brightest minds. I hate to say it, but Microsoft isn't a hotspot for engineers anymore. They're no longer attracting the top talent and it's definitely where the less talented engineers at my school end up at. Google still has the "WOW" factor. Plus Google will open doors to more opportunities in the future.

Anonymous

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