Monday, December 10, 2007

Internship

After my interview trials, I have become successful in at least one position: between December 2007 and March 2008, I will intern as a Software Engineer in Google, Sydney. During my time here, I will work on a project related to Google Maps. But still Data Mining related, which is where my interests lie.

The internship means I will be taking a break from my PhD. Instead of reading papers, I will be writing code. Instead of writing papers, I will be writing code. This will be a change indeed. The coding that I have done in the past have all been very standalone applications. Programming in the large has never been something I have been familiar with. I look forward to the opportunity to work on software that is part of a larger application.

Hopefully this experience will help me decide on what I would like to do after my PhD; would I like to remain in research or do I want to work in industry?

Internships are a big thing in the US. From what I hear, most PhD students work in companies over the summer. I'm not so sure about Australia though. There are some vacation work positions but are more limited in number than in the US.

I think internships are a great way to see what life can be like after university so students can make a more informed decision about their future when they finish their degree. Seeing the practical side of what is taught at university can ground understanding of fundamentals and enhance skill development in the future.

I look forward to the opportunity of working for one of the biggest and best companies in the world. Hopefully I won't eat too much while I am here. It is difficult to say no to free food, especially for a PhD student.

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