Caitlin Talks to an Engineer – Episode 1
February 26th, 2010 | Published in Google Student Blog
I'm Caitlin--a University Programs Specialist based out of our London office. As part of Google's Engineering Staffing Team, I've spent the past three years finding, recruiting and hiring engineers and interns all across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. You might think I know a thing or two about software engineering--but when I joined Google my technical experience was actually very limited. Not every Googler is a technical whizz! Shocking!
Mea culpa :). A humanities-oriented English/fine arts major at heart, I've had to work hard to improve my understanding of Google's technology and of computer science in general--and I think I've actually made some progress! In my experience, the easiest and best way to learn about engineering is to ask the guys and girls who do it for a living. Our Google engineers love talking about what they do (even with amateurs like me) so, I thought, why not take it to the next level?
Why not convince some engineers to actually sit down for an interview? Why not document the experience with a lame snapshot? Why not share the whole thing on our Student Blog, so readers can learn a bit more about what we do all day long?
Join me as I learn more about computers, find out what's great about technology at Google...and get to know a few of our engineers! They're just like you and me, only way better at science. And math. And C++...
Interested in becoming a Google Engineer? Visit www.google.com/students to apply today!
Episode 1: Baran, Test Engineer
Caitlin: How long have you been at Google?
Baran: Three and a half years.
C: What are you currently working on?
B: Well, as test engineer with our mobile product team, I test our mobile applications for bugs. My team ensures that an application looks good on any given mobile device, functions correctly, is secure, etc. Part of this involves creating new build systems for engineers. I'm currently working on a set of tools that will allow Google’s mobile developers to create applications more quickly and easily. This isn’t the only thing we do, though--we also spend lots of time actually testing applications and products. For example, I previously worked on testing the Picasa Mobile web application to find bugs.
C: How do you find bugs?
B: We have special tools and processes. For instance, when we start work on a new application, we sync up with the software engineers in charge to think about what could go wrong. First, we cover 'positive use cases' to ensure that the application actually works if used correctly. Then, we get a bit naughtier and think up ways to abuse the application to make sure we catch problems before launching.
C: So you try to imagine an attack ahead of time to ultimately help make phones more secure?
B: Yes....We start with simple things to mess with phones first. For instance, if you're supposed to be able to type into an application, we'll enter an exaggeratedly long user input and see what happens. Or, if the application links with one of our Google servers, we'll mess with the code and see if it breaks. In mobile, we mostly rely on instinct and manual testing, but we also work on infrastructures to automate our processes. In other words, we create our own testing tools. Last year, we built a distributed testing environment which allowed London engineers to test a mobile application as if they were sitting in Google's South Africa office.
C: What happens when you find a bug?
B: We show it to the software engineers who built the application and help them fix it. The software engineers (particularly the ones I work with) do a fantastic job.
C: What one gadget, application or workaround would you recommend to us non-techies?
B: Smartphones--but I'm sure you've heard that a million times! Otherwise, I'd really recommend Google Reader, which consolidates all the news and articles I read everyday into one place. No matter what your job is, there are some pretty well-known bloggers you'll want to be following--and Reader makes that easy.
C: What do you do when you're not being a Google Test Engineer?
B: I realize this sounds boring, but I do actually code for pleasure. I'm currently writing a musical Android application called ‘chordmaster’. I watch a lot of television--Family Guy, The IT Crowd and Peep Show are my favorites. I also play guitar and recently formed a funk band called ‘Baron Funkenhausen’ with a bunch of other Googlers. We debuted last week at Google’s Friday night ‘TGIF’ party--so, stay tuned for news of our impending international success! Other than that, I tend to live very quietly and not do much for periods, then go out and travel for weeks at a time. Living in London has made it easier for me to get around Europe and I've also been to Cuba, Dubai and Australia recently.
C: Finally, how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
B: It depends on how much wood he needs to chuck--does he have a family to support? Is this his job? If so, he'll have to chuck a lot. But, he shouldn't try to the exceed the limits of his natural capabilities or burn himself out.
C: So, woodchucks should strive for good work/life balance?
B: Exactly.
C: I like it. Thanks for talking to me today, Baran!
B: Anytime!
Baran demonstrates his wood/chuck formula while Caitlin looks on
Mea culpa :). A humanities-oriented English/fine arts major at heart, I've had to work hard to improve my understanding of Google's technology and of computer science in general--and I think I've actually made some progress! In my experience, the easiest and best way to learn about engineering is to ask the guys and girls who do it for a living. Our Google engineers love talking about what they do (even with amateurs like me) so, I thought, why not take it to the next level?
Why not convince some engineers to actually sit down for an interview? Why not document the experience with a lame snapshot? Why not share the whole thing on our Student Blog, so readers can learn a bit more about what we do all day long?
Join me as I learn more about computers, find out what's great about technology at Google...and get to know a few of our engineers! They're just like you and me, only way better at science. And math. And C++...
Interested in becoming a Google Engineer? Visit www.google.com/students to apply today!
Episode 1: Baran, Test Engineer
Caitlin: How long have you been at Google?
Baran: Three and a half years.
C: What are you currently working on?
B: Well, as test engineer with our mobile product team, I test our mobile applications for bugs. My team ensures that an application looks good on any given mobile device, functions correctly, is secure, etc. Part of this involves creating new build systems for engineers. I'm currently working on a set of tools that will allow Google’s mobile developers to create applications more quickly and easily. This isn’t the only thing we do, though--we also spend lots of time actually testing applications and products. For example, I previously worked on testing the Picasa Mobile web application to find bugs.
C: How do you find bugs?
B: We have special tools and processes. For instance, when we start work on a new application, we sync up with the software engineers in charge to think about what could go wrong. First, we cover 'positive use cases' to ensure that the application actually works if used correctly. Then, we get a bit naughtier and think up ways to abuse the application to make sure we catch problems before launching.
C: So you try to imagine an attack ahead of time to ultimately help make phones more secure?
B: Yes....We start with simple things to mess with phones first. For instance, if you're supposed to be able to type into an application, we'll enter an exaggeratedly long user input and see what happens. Or, if the application links with one of our Google servers, we'll mess with the code and see if it breaks. In mobile, we mostly rely on instinct and manual testing, but we also work on infrastructures to automate our processes. In other words, we create our own testing tools. Last year, we built a distributed testing environment which allowed London engineers to test a mobile application as if they were sitting in Google's South Africa office.
C: What happens when you find a bug?
B: We show it to the software engineers who built the application and help them fix it. The software engineers (particularly the ones I work with) do a fantastic job.
C: What one gadget, application or workaround would you recommend to us non-techies?
B: Smartphones--but I'm sure you've heard that a million times! Otherwise, I'd really recommend Google Reader, which consolidates all the news and articles I read everyday into one place. No matter what your job is, there are some pretty well-known bloggers you'll want to be following--and Reader makes that easy.
C: What do you do when you're not being a Google Test Engineer?
B: I realize this sounds boring, but I do actually code for pleasure. I'm currently writing a musical Android application called ‘chordmaster’. I watch a lot of television--Family Guy, The IT Crowd and Peep Show are my favorites. I also play guitar and recently formed a funk band called ‘Baron Funkenhausen’ with a bunch of other Googlers. We debuted last week at Google’s Friday night ‘TGIF’ party--so, stay tuned for news of our impending international success! Other than that, I tend to live very quietly and not do much for periods, then go out and travel for weeks at a time. Living in London has made it easier for me to get around Europe and I've also been to Cuba, Dubai and Australia recently.
C: Finally, how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
B: It depends on how much wood he needs to chuck--does he have a family to support? Is this his job? If so, he'll have to chuck a lot. But, he shouldn't try to the exceed the limits of his natural capabilities or burn himself out.
C: So, woodchucks should strive for good work/life balance?
B: Exactly.
C: I like it. Thanks for talking to me today, Baran!
B: Anytime!
Baran demonstrates his wood/chuck formula while Caitlin looks on