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Nathan Kistler
CST300L
October 16, 2012
Industry Analysis and Career Plan
This paper will discuss one of the major companies involved in software engineering, and
some of the career possibilities that exist in the field. Although Google is involved in other
aspects of computing and technology, it has a major focus in developing software. Google is a
relatively young company, but has had huge impact in its short existence. As for possible careers,
the opportunities that exist in the field of software engineering are quite expansive. Software
engineering isn’t just applicable at technology focused businesses; it would be applicable at
almost any company. Computer programs are useful in automating tasks, organizing data, and
facilitating communication. This means reduced costs, and increased productivity. That is why
software engineers are in high demand by employers across many sectors (Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 2012).
The two founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, first met in 1995 as post-graduate
students at Stanford. As students, they developed the first version of their search program, which
was entitled “BackRub.” The search algorithm employed by Google uses a mechanic known as
“PageRank,” which was present in this early version of their search utility. It is a system that
basically ranks search results based on the number of links to those sites, from related sites. The
name “BackRub” related to the idea that the usefulness of pages was based on the number of
links back to those pages. This search utility was first placed on the Stanford servers in 1996. It
proved so popular that the university eventually removed BackRub due to heavy traffic. Brin and
Page first came up with the name “Google” in 1997, which related to the idea that there is a
massive amount of information on the internet. Their commercial venture started with an initial
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$100,000 investment by a man named Andy Bechtolsheim. Bechtolsheim was a Sun co-founder,
which meant he had some expertise in the field of computers. He could appreciate the quality
and usefulness of Google’s search utility. His investment came in August of 1998, and it wasn’t
until September of that year that Google was incorporated. This investment was what spawned
the company. From its inception, Google has had great success as a company.
Google’s first headquarters was at 232 Santa Margarita, Menlo Park. This follows in the
tradition of other Silicon Valley startups with humble beginnings. Their office was apparently in
the garage of this single family residential home. Google also added their first employee in
September of 1998: fellow Stanford graduate student Craig Silverstein. Their first relocation
came in February of 1999, and was the office at 165 University Avenue, Palo Alto. By this time
Google had already grown to eight employees. In May of 1999, Google hires their first nonengineering employee, Omid Kordestani who is put in charge of sales. By August, Google had
outgrown their second headquarters, and moved to their first Mountain View location at 2400
East Bayshore. It wasn’t until March of 2004 that Google moved its headquarters to its current
location at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in Mountain View.
In October 2000, Google launched AdWords, which helped monetize their search engine.
AdWords still remains Google’s main source of income. (Google, 2012) On April 1, 2004
Google launched Gmail, an email client with a large amount of available storage space, and
integrated search. Initially availability was limited, but the email client proved quite popular, and
access was expanded to include the whole internet using public. Google’s initial public stock
offering came in August of 2004. Continued profitability and a large influx of investment
allowed them to expand the company further. In 2005 Google Maps was launched, an ambitious
project to provide end users accurate and detailed search options for the surface of the planet. In
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2006, Google acquired the popular video sharing website YouTube. Accounts for Google and
YouTube were linked, and Google search functionality integrated. Google has changed the
interface for YouTube somewhat since its acquisition, but the site retains many of its
conventions. Google has also worked on improving performance with YouTube. In 2007 Android
was debuted. There has been strong growth in recent years on the adaption of mobile devices,
and Android is one of the most popular operating systems for these devices, the other is the iOS
for the iPhone. There are other mobile operating systems currently in development, but they have
a much smaller market share. This open mobile platform was a sharp contrast to Apple’s
“walled-garden” ecosystem and the more closed off platform of the iPhone. The Chrome browser
was introduced and was widely adopted when it was released in 2008. All of these projects
continued to be maintained and expanded into the present. Google continues to expand its
product line and experience financial success as a company.
The management of Google has attempted to retain some of the characteristics that
Google possessed during its first years as a fledgling company. The idea behind it is to maintain
a “start-up” like atmosphere. The corporate culture of Google is in many ways similar to the
approach that they also take with software: open and diverse. Their corporate offices include
things like bowling alleys and video game rooms. The company also has policies that encourage
communication between all employees. Google has weekly meetings that include all employees.
The management tries to make these meetings a place where employees can communicate their
concerns to them. Google is still a young company, in existence only fourteen years, so it is hard
to say how they might change and evolve in the future. They have 70 offices, in 40 countries,
with their headquarters in Mountain View, California. The unconventional conventions and
Google offices have seem to have led to positive results, as the company experiences continued
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success and is rated favorably by its own employees. (CNN Money, 2011) The current
management team includes CEO Larry Page, Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, Chief Business
Officer Nikesh Arora, Chief Legal Officer David Drummond, and Special Projects Director
Sergey Brin. Most of Google's management team has served several roles within Google.
(Google, 2012)
Throughout its existence, Larry Page has had a significant impact on Google’s growth as a
company. From 1998-2001 he served as CEO, from 2001-2011 he served as President of
Products, and he returned to the CEO position in 2011. As CEO he oversees the day-to-day
operations of the company, and is involved in product planning. He has a technical background
with a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Michigan and a master’s in
Computer Science from Stanford. (Google, 2012)
Eric Schmidt first joined Google in 2001. In his current position as Executive Chairman, his
duties include acting as Google's ambassador to other businesses, and to governments. From
2001 through 2011 he was the CEO of Google before moving to his current position in the
company. His qualifications are extensive. His experience as an executive includes serving as
CEO of Novell, Chief Technology officer at Sun. Other work experience includes research at
Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center, Bell Laboratories, and Zilog. His academic background
includes a master's degree in Electrical Engineering at Princeton, and a PhD in Computer
Science from Berkeley. (Google, 2012)
As Chief Business Officer, Nikesh Arora oversees all revenue and customer operations. He
joined Google in 2004. Prior to his current position at Google, he worked on expanding Google's
business into Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He also managed Google's global direct sales
operations. His background includes serving as Chief Marketing Officer of T-Mobile Europe,
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and working in management positions at Fidelity Investments, and Putnam Investments in
Boston. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Institute of Technology in
Varanasi, India, a master's degree from Boston College, and an MBA from Northwestern
University. (Google, 2012)
David Drummond started working with Google before he started working for Google. In
1998, he first met Google's management as a result of his work at the law firm Wilson Sonsini
Goodrich and Rosati. Google needed legal counsel to arrange for investor financing, and
Drummond assisted in securing the initial infusions of capital. In 2002, he became an official
employee of Google, his initial title being Vice President of Corporate Development. Currently
he is in charge of Google's global teams for legal counsel, government relations, along with
corporate and business development. He holds a bachelor's degree in History from Santa Clara
University and a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School. (Google, 2012)
Sergey Brin has served several roles at Google since he founded the company. From 20012011 he served as President of Technology. As President of Technology he assisted Page and
Schmidt in the day-to-day operations of the company. Currently he directs Google's special
projects division. He has published numerous academic papers, and holds bachelor's degrees in
Computer Science and Mathematics from University of Maryland at College Park, along with a
master's degree in Computer Science from Stanford. He is currently on leave from working on
his Computer Science PhD at Stanford. (Google, 2012)
Google today supports many products. Most of what they’ve introduced to the public is
still actively maintained. This is due in large part to the fact that they are a young company. The
company continues to place a high priority on search. It remains the most popular internet search
engine today. (Net Applications, 2012) Some of the technologies developed in the first version of
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the search engine, are still used in the search. Google search still incorporates the idea of
PageRank, although the specific details about its current implementation are still unknown to the
public. This is due in part to the fact that an entire business sector, search engine optimization
(SEO), has arisen. Search engine optimization involves businesses paying programmers to try to
get their site to appear as the first result to a potential search query. Google has an interest in
fighting this since it could potentially mean that the quality of their search results could degrade.
If SEO businesses knew the details of Google’s implementation, they could easily exploit that.
The simple text-based interface that Google used in its early versions is still present on the
Google homepage. However, they have also expanded the basic search to include things like
image search, news search, and video search. The Google Maps and Google Earth projects are
also related to search in that it allows users to search the surface of the Earth.
For businesses they provide software utilities such as AdWords and AdSense, which allow
for targeted advertising. Businesses that use AdWords can pick keywords which are related to
what they do. Google Search users, who type in those keywords, will see sponsored links to
those businesses appear to the side of their search results. This “targets” the advertising to only
those interested in these particular search terms. This is seen as a more efficient way to advertise.
The large amount of traffic that google.com receives allows businesses to potentially reach large
numbers of people. AdSense is similar in that it also targets advertising based on search results,
but instead of being displayed on Google’s website, it can be incorporated into a business
website. One other major product they offer for businesses is a utility known as Google
Analytics. It is a software utility that can help provide businesses with information regarding
traffic on their websites. It can provide information regarding who uses the site, when they use it,
and how they use it. This information can be used to make improvements to one’s website. They
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also provide email and useful business applications in the form of Gmail and Google Docs. Even
Google search itself is useful to businesses for providing fast, relevant answers to questions.
Indeed, many of Google’s consumer products can be applied to increase efficiency in business.
Google search remains the primary product that is available to the public, but their consumer
product list is long. Google has taken the idea of the basic text based internet search, and
attempted to expand search into other areas. They include video search, image search, blog
search, patent search, product search, Earth search, maps search, book search, and academic
search. They are also attempting to make all these utilities available for the mobile platform,
instead of just the standard internet browser. All of these search utilities are integrated right into
Google’s home page, except for Earth search. Google Earth is a separate downloadable product.
YouTube also remains popular and maintains much of the look it had before it was acquired by
Google. Google’s newest projects include Chrome, Android and Google+. Chrome, by some
measurements, is the most popular internet browser in use today. (Blagdon, 2012) Android has
also experienced strong growth, but still remains in competition with Apple’s iOS. (Lunden,
2012) Google+ is Google’s attempt at building a social network. While Facebook remains the
dominant player in social networking, Google+ has increased its user substantially base since its
introduction. Some of Google’s hardware projects include the development of autonomous
vehicles, along with some plans to develop high speed transmission cables. (Google, 2012)
Possible careers involved in software engineering are many, since technology skills are
applicable to many fields. This will only become more, true as computers and programs improve.
Moore’s Law states that approximately every eighteen to twenty four months, the number of
transistors that can be fit onto a silicon chip doubles. Moore’s Law seems to be reaching its limit
because modern integrated circuits are separated by only a few molecules worth of space.
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(Petzold, 2000) However, there are other technological developments on the horizon that would
continue to contribute to the increasing power of computers. One example of this is computers
that exploit quantum effects like superposition and entanglement. (Smally, 2012) Of course the
amount of usable, high quality, computer code increases every day. Computer programs in
existence today are capable of performing tasks not thought possible by most, even a decade ago.
One example of this would be programs that can learn and recognize photographic objects.
(Simonite, 2012)
Careers which in the past people were paid to do, no longer exist due to the fact that
technology was able to take over those roles. This all adds up to one idea; the careers of the
future will all be quite directly involved in computers and technology. My choices are limited by
what the future will bring. I don’t have a particular affinity for computers, although it is work I
am able to perform. Sometimes the occupations people want to spend their lives doing do not
generate enough income for one to live independently. Included in this group of people is myself.
I’d much rather be involved in music, but the internet has help to destroy the income potential for
the music industry for all but the most talented individuals. I have attempted to go down this path
and determined that I am not one of the most talented individuals. Since I can’t beat the system, I
have to join it.
While I don’t know where I would like to work, I know I would not like to work for Google
or any other large company. The more individuals you have working at an institution, the less
any one individual feels responsible for that institution’s actions. The reason for this is due to the
limitations of the human brain. The size of a primate society is limited by the size of that
primate’s brain (Dunbar, 2003). In humans, those social groups number only about 150
individuals. History has shown that humans who have been excluded from the social group are
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subject to harsh treatment. If one is unacquainted with a coworker, it’s much easier to ignore that
person’s concerns. This is a persistent problem that plagues large companies, and really any
sufficiently large collection of people. I would add that although I have some serious misgivings
about large businesses, I also highly value the character trait of loyalty. This applies to me and to
others. Whoever hires me will have a reliable ally, who can dedicate himself to a cause.
I don’t place a high importance on a career. The plan is to get the technical skills that would
allow me to earn enough income to allow me to engage in what I actually find meaningful, such
as read, listen to music, and play music. A large income is not necessary to accomplish these
goals. Hopefully these skills will allow me to secure employment in a rural location, which is my
preferred living environment. Since I don’t really have a definitive goal, my strategy has been to
maximize the number of opportunities I have with regard to a career. I believe software
engineering to be the most flexible CSIT concentration in terms of where those skills can be
applied. The conventions in software engineering are similar to the conventions in Networking
and Databases. Software engineering can easily be applied to the more technical side of video
game development, such as developing game engines.
As far as my education is concerned, I am interested in developing a marketable skillset, but
have no particular ambition to apply it in any particular way. As a result my individual learning
plan includes CSIT courses not directly related to software engineering. I’ve taken one class in
video game development: CST320 Intro to Video Games. I am currently taking another course
related to networking and databases: CST336 Internet Programming. My individual learning plan
is geared toward completing a degree as soon as possible. The reason for this is because it has
already taken me a long time to get to this point in my education, and I would like to start living
independently. As a result, all the courses planned from this point forward, will be directly
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applicable to my degree requirements. CST338 Software Design, CST438 Software Engineering,
MATH170 Discrete Math, and KIN161 Health and Well Being are planned for the spring of
2013. CST201 Media Tools, CST361S Technology Tutors, CST373 Ethics in Technology and
Communication, CST400 Capstone Planning, and CST496 Capstone Advising are planned for
the fall of 2013. CST401 Capstone Lab and CST496 Capstone Advising are planned for the
spring of 2014. By the spring of 2014, my degree requirements should have all been met.
Software Design, Software Engineering, Media Tools and Capstone should expand my skillset
with regards to programming. Technology Tutors as well as Ethics in Technology might offer me
a direction for a career. Discrete Math and Kinesiology are required for my degree, but I don’t
anticipate I’ll benefit greatly from participation. I have previous experience with both.
Many of these planned courses involve work which could later be displayed to potential
employers. There should be plenty of opportunity to build a work portfolio. I’ve saved my code
samples from my previous classes which could be used. I have a prototype site posted on the
mlc104.csumb.edu server, which I plan to develop into a full portfolio. This would demonstrate
my ability to put together a website directly. This should provide an effective demonstration of
my skills, and my ability to complete projects.
Over my time here at CSUMB many revisions have been made to my resume based on
advice I’ve received from professors. I limited my resume to one page, as it was previously two.
This was accomplished by eliminating unnecessary personal information, removing the skills
that were not relevant to technology, and eliminating a reference to my first job. Another piece
of advice was that a customized cover letter should be included with every resume submission.
The portfolio and the resume should complement each other, and redundant information
eliminated, since they are part of a single package.
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Since I have a particular interest in working for a smaller company, I will have to take a
different approach in terms of seeking a job than I would if I were to apply to a larger company.
When many people look for a job, they will utilize jobs posting websites like Monster, Career
Builder, and Craig’s List. The problem with this is that these sites are not nearly as specialized,
and they are often the first resource people think of using, which means the likelihood of one’s
resume getting lost among the multitude is much greater. However, Craig’s List actually might
be a viable resource for someone such as me. The ability to post ads for no charge, and the
geographically localized nature of the ads are appealing to smaller organizations with more
limited capital. The Otter Jobs website seems to be a good website for many technology based
careers in or around the Central Coast. Again the localized nature is something that would attract
smaller companies. Most firms involved with technology maintain their own website and post
jobs there. If I were to come across a particular company that I believed in or found appealing,
this could be a viable method of contact. One recommendation I’d received from a professor at
CSUMB, is to look at venture capital firms. These firms specialize in locating small, but
promising companies. Some venture capital firms will even post possible job openings with their
affiliated companies. Because smaller companies have limited resources, their hiring cycles are
usually much quicker. This means that I should be applying for jobs a few months before I
graduate, as opposed to up to a full year with larger companies. Internships could be valuable in
that they often can springboard into an actual career after graduation. There are many options for
finding a career, and although I may not use all of them, it’s helpful to know they exist.
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References
Bureau of Labor Statistics (July 18, 2012). Occupational Outlook Handbook – Software
Developers. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-informationtechnology/software-developers.htm
Jeff Blagdon (May 21, 2012). Internet Explorer No Longer Most-Used Browser in the World.
Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/chrome-is-themost-popular-browser-in-the-world-saysstatcounter/2012/05/21/gIQAZAnnfU_story.html
CNN Money (2011). 100 Best Companies to Work For. Retrieved from
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2011/index.html
Robin Dunbar (August 2003). The Ultimate Brain Teaser. Retrieved from
http://www.liv.ac.uk/researchintelligence/issue17/brainteaser.html
Google, Inc. (October, 2012). Company Overview. Retrieved from
http://www.google.com/intl/en/about/company/
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Joann Muller (September 26, 2012). With Driverless Cars, Once Again It Is California Leading
The Way. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2012/09/26/withdriverless-cars-once-again-it-is-california-leading-the-way/
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Charles Petzold (2000) Code: the hidden language of computer hardware and software. (Ch. 3)
Place of publication: Microsoft Press
Tom Simonite (October 5, 2012). Google Puts its Virtual Brain Technology to Work. Retrieved
from http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429442/google-puts-its-virtual-braintechnology-to-work/
Eric Smally (February 22, 2012). D-Wave Defies World of Critics With ‘First Quantum Cloud’.
Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/02/dwave-quantum-cloud/