Hey there! My name is Connie and I’m a rising sophomore at UC Davis studying computer science. I just completed my internship at Google as a STEP intern (Student Training in Engineering Program) where I worked on Fuchsia, an open source operating system developed by Google. More specifically, I worked on the toolchain for Fuchsia, which includes technologies like compilers, assemblers, and linkers - basically tools that help a machine understand code. Aside from work, I got to do all the Googley things too, like checking out the cafes, visiting all of the different Google offices across the Bay Area, and meeting lots of cool people!

The Google STEP interview consists of 2 technical phone interviews, 45 minutes each. I personally used LeetCode to prep, mainly focusing on Easy questions, but I know of interns who used other resources like HackerRank and Cracking the Coding Interview.

However, I believe the most important part of my preparation was doing mock interviews with software engineers that I knew, and narrating out loud while doing problems. It’s one thing to know how to solve the problem, but I found that it was much more essential to know how to describe my thought process out loud (to my interviewer!). Keep in mind, there is a difference in difficulty between freshmen and sophomore interviews, but the interviewer tailors the questions to your current skill level.

My favorite memories at Google was getting (free!) breakfast with my intern friends! Most of my time as an intern was spent with my team and working on my project, but I appreciated having a pocket of time in the morning to socialize with interns and eating the yummy breakfast at all the different Google cafes.

Just try! I almost didn’t apply for Google STEP because I felt that I wasn’t qualified or experienced enough to get in. Rejection definitely sucks, but if you are able to overcome that feeling, you can give yourself so many more opportunities. However, don’t just blindly apply to things either. Network with people from companies you want to work at, have peers review your resume, and build your own projects to gain experience. At the end of the day, you get what you put in. Don’t let imposter syndrome stop you!

💡 Please connect with me on LinkedIn HERE and send me the word “Interested” if you’d like to have your intern story featured on CareerNow with more than 14,100 readers! 💡

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced that corporate employees must return to the office five days a week, a shift from the previous three-day requirement. This policy will take effect by January 2025, with exceptions for extenuating circumstances.

Jassy also revealed plans to reduce managerial layers and increase the ratio of individual contributors to managers by 15% to streamline decision-making and reduce bureaucracy. These changes aim to reinforce Amazon's corporate culture, foster collaboration, and maintain its agile approach to innovation. The restructuring may lead to some roles being eliminated as teams assess their needs. Read more HERE from CNBC.

TikTok is fighting a potential U.S. ban in federal court, with a January 2025 deadline looming. The ban stems from national security concerns due to TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, being based in China. The U.S. government argues that TikTok's data collection poses a security threat, while TikTok claims the ban violates First Amendment rights.

Judges raised concerns over free speech implications but acknowledged national security concerns. The Biden administration demands TikTok either sell to a non-Chinese entity or be banned. TikTok's restructuring plan, "Project Texas," aims to isolate U.S. operations from ByteDance’s control. Read more HERE from NPR.

You asked, I delivered! After the poll from the previous issue, you’ve mentioned you want more resources/spreadsheets and I’m here with a Notion page of 80+ passion project ideas that you can explore for your own journey.

Passion projects are a great way to showcase your creativity outside of the academic environment and it’s also a project that can lead to an actual side hustle. My own passion projects on my blogs, newsletter, and Youtube channel have grown to the point where I treat them like monetized businesses.

My passion projects are also the topic of discussion and follow up questions for all of my interviews with many Fortune 500 companies like Salesforce, Tesla, L’Oreal, Amazon, and more. In addition, it’s also a good hobby project to take on in between your free time to further your skills in your aspiring career.

Want to start your own passion project like mine? I made a list of 80+ passion project ideas that you can use for inspiration to find the perfect fit for your interests!! Get access to the Notion page HERE.