5 things I did that led me to an internship at Google

Photo credit: Max Pixel

I’m an environmental studies student at Yale-NUS (a liberal arts college), so you might find it strange that I got a business internship at Google (and in other tech companies). Environmental studies? Liberal arts? How do these link with technology and business?

Let me explain and share some tips on what you can do to get an internship at a top tech company too. 😀

1. I did 9 internships

• Before college: The Thought Collective (a social enterprise)
• First summer: Philanthropy in Motion (a non-profit startup)
• First semester of second year: Part-time internship at Flare Communications (an executive coaching firm)
• During December break of second year: JFDI.Asia/QLC.io and Clickstream Ventures (now Cocoon Capital)
• Second semester of second year: I was a campus ambassador at Glints and a part-time intern at Green Pea Cookie (a food startup)
• Third year: Six-month internship at Founder Institute (an incubator) and five-month internship at Tilt

I know what you’re thinking: “How did you manage to do nine internships?” It sounds crazy, but as you noticed, I did several part-time internships at startups during my academic semesters.

TIP: Do as many internships as you can to gain work experience. You can even do part-time ones while studying. Startups tend to be more flexible and willing to take you as an intern even without much work experience.

I found most of my internships through networking, so go to events, talk to startup founders, and let them know you are interested in an internship. Alternatively, you can apply on internship portals, such as Tech In Asia Jobs, StartupJobs.Asia, and Glints.

2. I co-founded a social enterprise and helped raise $70k

During my first year in college, I co-founded a social enterprise together with two others called SDI Academy. It aimed to empower migrant workers by teaching them English and helping them to integrate better into society.

Representing SDI Academy, I participated in two accelerator/incubator programs: NTU Ideas Inc. Business Challenge and SIF Young Social Entrepreneurs Program. These two programs taught me a lot about how to develop a business and particularly a social enterprise and allowed me to meet many people in the startup and social entrepreneurship space.

I learned a lot about the many different aspects of entrepreneurship, from writing a business plan, creating a business model, getting people on board, marketing efforts, developing partnerships, launching a program, to pitching.

TIP: While it’s a great learning opportunity, you don’t have to build a startup. It can be extremely hard to do so, and I DO NOT recommend starting one just for the sake of it. However, you can start small projects that you are really passionate about, join entrepreneurship competitions, and try building things in general.

3. I joined 10 hackathons and won in 4 of them

I’ll be honest: I don’t really know how to code that much. So, how did I manage to win in hackathons? The trick is to find a good team and have a good idea. A good team generally comprises of two programmers, one designer, and someone who can deliver a good pitch. A good idea is one that solves a genuine problem, is relatively unique, is not too complicated, and can be a viable business.

If you don’t know how to code, then you should try to be a really engaging and eloquent presenter who can write a persuasive script and design nice slides. That way, you can be of value to the team. Sometimes, the pitch is as important as the product itself, so you have to make sure you can do it well. I was the presenter in almost all the hackathons I joined, and I always made sure I gave the best pitch.

TIP: Join hackathons regardless of how much you know. You’ll definitely learn something. You can make friends and experience developing a project from scratch in just one day. Also, there’s a possibility to win and get some prizes. 😀

4. I spent a year in Silicon Valley

5. I went to 300+ events

What I sacrificed