Thirty-seven students from Emerson High School (EmHS), International Community School (ICS), Juanita High School (JHS), and Lake Washington High School (LWHS) experienced life on the Google campus for a day on Nov. 12. The local Google campus is located in Kirkland.

A panel of “Googlers” shared with students how they came to work at Google. The panel included an engineering manager, a “people operations” (think human resources) recruiter, a computer scientist, and a member of the Google Philanthropy team.

That diversity of positions showed there are more jobs at Google than just the expected computer science jobs. “Computer science isn’t an end, it’s a tool that helps you to solve human problems,” said Shane McDaniel with Google Philanthropy.

He shared that even though his degree is in computer science, he has been able to explore a variety of jobs within Google.

Another key message for students was not to give up. At least two members of the panel did not get hired or accepted for internships at Google the first time they applied. After the panel, students checked out Google Cardboard, a tool that uses a phone inside of a cardboard box to view images as though they are in virtual reality.

The highlight of the students’ time at Google was a tour of the campus. Following the Google visit, students attended the Kirkland Chamber Luncheon’s Youth and Business Symposium. There, they heard from another Googler, Senior Engineering Director Clyde McQueen.

He shared his career path with students, and emphasized that it is important for students to learn how to apply their learning to the real world.