The following is a guest blogpost written by PeerForward Managing Director of Development, Amanda Hale:
Ever wonder what a “day in the life” at Google is like? A group of remarkable students from Cobble Hill High School got to visit Google’s NYC headquarters and find out! They participated in a “Careers in STEM” day, which included a tour of the building, an insightful career panel hosted by long-time Googler Tina Bhardwaj, Head of Data, Measurement, and Analytics – CPG, and a fun networking lunch with several Googlers. The incredible panelists Elizabeth Davis, Lydia Lam, and Amara Okoli shared insights from their educational journeys and how they’re navigating their first year as full-time Googlers. They also discussed how they overcame obstacles along the way, their tips for success, how to maintain work/life balance, and how to manage imposter syndrome.
The students, whose career interests ranged from computer science to biomed to corporate law, asked thoughtful questions and got great ideas about careers in tech. Here are some of their takeaways:
“It’s good to get exposed to different fields…you’ll tend to grow” Danisela, Peer Leader and junior
“A key piece of advice, especially for women in STEM, is to not doubt yourself and realize that everyone is on the same level…you all got here for a reason.” Emmarie, Peer Leader and senior
“Make sure that, for whatever career path you choose to take, you make connections.”- Stephanie, junior
“People who deal with imposter syndrome should keep in mind that a lot of the people they find themselves around are sometimes overconfident; they should walk into rooms knowing and understanding what they are about to present and let that be the matter, not what other people are providing to them!” – Lillian, junior
“My biggest takeaway from this event is that nothing is set in stone. Most of the people on the panels didn’t know what they wanted to do until later on in college. That really spoke to me because I might not always know what to do, but I know eventually I’ll get there and I’ll be successful, and there’s no rush.” – Kyria, junior
See the full video here: Cobble Hill Peer Leaders at Google on Vimeo
Are you interested in learning more and pursuing a career in computer science? Check out these resources from Google: Tech Dev Guide, Code Next, Build your Future with Google, Careers OnAir
