Author Archives: Social Life

Bring developers at your university together for Hash Code 2017!






Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an engineer at Google?

Now’s your chance to satisfy your curiosity by volunteering to host a Hash Code hub at your university. Hash Code, a team-based programming competition, tasks university students and professionals across Europe, the Middle East and Africa with solving a real Google engineering problem. And we’re looking for developers to help bring the excitement to their own communities in February 2017. Are you up for the challenge?

Students compete in the Online Qualification Round in February 2016 from a hub at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Spain

Last year, 17,000 students and professionals from more than 90 countries teamed up to optimize drone delivery schedules for Hash Code’s Online Qualification Round. While teams can compete from wherever they’d like to, many opted to join in from one of the 300+ hubs organized by fellow developers (where, it’s safe to say, they had a lot of fun).

Laco Pápay organized the hub at his university in Bratislava last year (and is now a Googler based in Zurich). “Before the competition started, we had a lot of fun with set-up: decorating the room, taking pictures for the hub photo contest,” he said. “When the problem was announced and people sat down to work, the fun continued. Competing against teams on a scoreboard is great, but it’s even more exciting if the teams you’re up against are sitting just one desk over.

Teams work together to schedule satellite operations during the 2016 Final Round at Google Paris.

The Online Qualification Round for 2017 will take place on February 23, 2017. From there, the top 50 teams will be invited to Google Paris for the Final Round on April 1.

If you think you might want to host a hub, find out more and sign up on our site. If you’re not able to host but would like to compete, you can be among the first to know when registration opens in December.


Google UK launches applications for Higher Level Apprenticeships in Digital Innovation

We here at Google UK are delighted to launch applications for the Higher Level Apprenticeship in Digital Innovation Program! As the entry point for students’ career in technology, the Higher Level Apprenticeship in Digital Innovation Program provides the skills students need to pursue a career in tech. This apprenticeship targets students who are in their early career stages and want to experience working in a tech company, while at the same time studying towards a foundation degree in Computer Science.

Googler Divya Vishwanath.jpg

Students selected as apprentices will be assigned to a Google host for the duration of their two-year apprenticeship and will get the opportunity to work alongside a team of engineers to solve real-life problems. The program will start with a two-month initial training with our partners, Ada College, the National College for Digital Skills, in May 2017.

If this sounds interesting and you meet the minimum qualifications listed below, we encourage you to apply at goo.gl/tTkW52 before 30th November, 2016.

Minimum qualifications:
  • Have authorisation to work in the United Kingdom
  • A Levels (or equivalent) at grade B or above (or equivalent) in Math or Science related subjects
  • Ability to speak and write in English fluently and idiomatically
  • Some prior coding experience in either Java, C++ or C
For any questions, please email us at [email protected].

Posted by the Tech Student Development team

2017 Google Online Marketing Challenge (GOMC) Registrations are Now Open

We are excited to announce the launch of the 10th edition of the Google Online Marketing Challenge! Professor and student registrations for the 2017 GOMC are now open.


What is GOMC?
GOMC is an annual global online marketing competition for students from higher education institutions around the world. Google provides student teams with a $250 Google AdWords budget to develop and run an online advertising campaign for a real business or nonprofit organization of their choice. An independent Academic Panel, along with AdWords experts at Google, review the campaigns and select winning teams based on the success of their campaigns and the quality of their competition reports.


Why GOMC?
GOMC gives professors a chance to bring marketing theory to life by engaging students and allowing them to:


  • Gain relevant and valuable skills through a practical hands-on learning experience
  • Build a true relationship with a client and make a real-life impact in their community
  • Gain exposure to the digital marketing landscape using real money on a live advertising platform
  • Become AdWords Certified as a way to showcase their AdWords knowledge to potential employers
  • Win awesome prizes like a trip to the Googleplex, a donation for their nonprofit partner, digital devices, cool Google swag and more


2016GOMCEuropeWinners.jpg
2016 GOMC Regional Europe Winners visiting the Google Ireland office.


Many students have found a real passion for helping businesses/nonprofits build awareness and find new customers by growing their online presence in this fast-paced digital world. Students have graduated and continued to work with their GOMC competition client, some have launched their career at a digital marketing agency, others have become entrepreneurs and used their skills to market their own business (or even start their own digital marketing agency to help local businesses in their community), and others have embarked on a career path at Google. Whether students find that digital marketing is the career for them or not, the valuable business, consulting and communication skills gained from working with their team on a comprehensive project, from strategy development, to execution and analysis, and working with a real business or nonprofit will help them prepare for a successful career.


To learn about the impact of the GOMC, check out the video below.



What's new?
Over 110,000 students and professors from almost 100 countries have participated in the past 9 years, and this year GOMC is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary with some exciting updates to the competition:


  • The optional Google+ Social Media Marketing category is being replaced with a new and exciting AdWords Certification Award.
  • In addition to all Winners, Finalists and Semi-Finalists, student teams completing the Challenge with a Strong performance rating will also receive a personalized certificate noting their status in the competition this year.
  • The algorithm has been updated to evaluate AdWords performance beyond text ads with a primary focus on the Search Network, and will now factor in the structure and performance of the following campaign types: Search Network Only Campaigns, Display Network Only Campaigns, Video Campaigns, Shopping Campaigns and Mobile App Promotion/Universal App Campaigns.
  • This year campaigns do not need to serve for a maximum of 21 consecutive calendar days and instead student teams have the option to pause their campaigns to optimize for their client’s business needs. See the competition Terms & Conditions for more details.
  • The Digital Marketing Course content has been completely revamped and includes new resources like the Digital Garage, a one-stop shop for mastering digital marketing with free courses on everything from search to social media, the Analytics Academy and resources on Google My Business.


How do I sign up?
In order for a student team to participate in the competition, they need to have their professor register first. Professors can choose to incorporate GOMC into their curriculum or informally support a group of interested students. Once the professor has registered, students can develop teams of 3-6 members and elect one team captain to register their team for the competition.


Professors Registrations Open: October 5, 2016 - March 22, 2017
Students Registrations Open: October 5, 2016 - April 5, 2017


For more information on the competition, please visit www.google.com/onlinechallenge and add our Google+ Page to your circles (google.com/+googleonlinemarketingchallenge) to receive regular competition updates and reminders.


Don’t miss out on this learning opportunity and chance to make a real-life impact. Register today!

The Google Online Marketing Challenge Team

Applications are open for 2017 scholarship opportunities in the US, Canada and EMEA!

Google is proud to offer academic scholarships and development opportunities to students from historically underrepresented groups pursuing computer science degrees.  We aim to help students from diverse backgrounds become future leaders and role models in computing and technology by breaking down the barriers that prevent them from entering these fields.  


Selected students will receive a financial award for the 2017-18 academic year and be invited to the annual Google Scholars' Retreat in their region next summer. At the retreat, scholars will participate in networking and development sessions, including sessions on how to lead outreach in their communities. Scholars also join long term a community of former scholarship recipients for continued networking and development.  Check out each program below:

Women Techmakers Scholars Program (US/Canada/EMEA - Asia Pacific will open in early 2017)
Formerly known as the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship, we have joined forces with Google’s Women Techmakers program to continue to honor Dr. Anita Borg and her legacy. Dr. Borg devoted her life to encouraging the presence of women in computing. The program is open to current female undergraduate or graduate students who will be studying at a university for the 2017-2018 academic year.

The Generation Google Scholarship was established to help aspiring computer scientists excel in technology and become leaders in the field. This program supports current university students from underrepresented groups including African American, Hispanic, American Indian or Filipino/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander who will be studying at a university for the 2017-2018 academic year.
The Generation Google Scholarship for current high school seniors in the US/Canada will open in early 2017.

We’ve partnered with Lime Connect (US/Canada) and EmployAbility (Europe), nonprofit organizations that support students with disabilities while they pursue education and promising careers, to help university students with disabilities work toward their academic goals in the field of computer science. The scholarship is open to current undergraduate or graduate students with disabilities who will be studying at a university for the 2017-2018 academic year.

As part of our commitment to military veterans, Google established the Google SVA Scholarship in partnership with Student Veterans of America. The scholarship provides assistance to student veterans or students on Active Duty who are pursuing a degree in computer science at a university for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Please visit each program’s website for specific details, application information and deadlines. We encourage all students who meet the eligibility criteria to apply!

Contest Spotlight: ‘Paying It Forward’ in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month

Are you passionate about helping your community? Know someone who is? If so, check out Google’s annual Pay It Forward contest!

In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, the Google Staffing Programs team has worked closely with the Hispanic Googler Network to recognize leaders in education who are advancing opportunities for their local communities.

Students (high school or college, 14 and older), educators (teachers, administrators, school staff), and education-focused organization leaders (non-profit, private) are invited to tell us how they have positively impacted and influenced Hispanic communities within the U.S. We’re seeking leaders whose work in education demonstrates a commitment to expanding access and opportunities for the Hispanic community.

The deadline to enter the contest is October 3rd, 2016 at 11:59pm PT.

Submissions will be judged by a team of Googlers, who will be assessing the innovation, scale and the short- and  long-term effects of your impact. Contest winners will have the opportunity to have their work featured on the Google Student Blog and connect with experts from our education outreach team.

To both enter the competition and get more info, visit our 2016 Pay It Forward website.

Excited to see your submissions!