From Scottsburg to Silicon Valley: SHS alumnus uses skills learned in classroom for job at Google

From Scottsburg to Silicon Valley: SHS alumnus uses skills learned in classroom for job at Google
Posted on 10/07/2017

When an opportunity to start his career through Google's Information Technology Residency Program was offered to him, Scottsburg High School alumnus Phillip Dold could not say no.


“I can’t really turn down a job at Google,” Dold said. “I never expected to work at Google. It’s something that just happened my senior year [at Hanover College].”


The 26-month program trains recent college graduates on how to provide support on Google’s technology for users and at the corporate level. Dold worked onsite at Google in Mountain View, Calif., where he gave help to Google users. There, he learned how Google provides support to its users and even had the chance to visit one of Google’s offices in London, England.


“Google does support very differently,” Dold said.


At the end of the Information Technology Residency Program, Dold applied for a position at Google as a technical solutions engineer. After going through the application and interview process, Dold was hired to work at Google’s Sunnyvale, Calif., campus in the heart of Silicon Valley.


As a technical solutions engineer, Dold helps G Suite users who are often at the top of their fields — from doctors to those working on X, a research and development project founded by Google that works on global problems and tries to find solutions to those issues. In the past, X developed self-driving vehicles and created Project Loon balloons to provide Internet access to rural and remote areas.


“You work with very technical people — the world’s experts in their field,” Dold said. “It’s a new challenge every single day. You are working on the cutting-edge of technology. You’re working on something no one else does. There’s no documentation for that.”


Each day on the job at Google, Dold uses problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication skills — skills he learned while at SHS. While in English composition, Dold developed his skills in critical thinking and learned how to better communicate to others.


“Those are valuable skills,” Dold said.


Not only did Dold learn skills needed for a global society, but he also earned college credits while at SHS. The credits transferred to Hanover College, where he graduated from in 2014 as a computer science major with a math minor. He also earned a CompTIA certification, an Information Technology industry standardized certification, through a program offered at SHS when he was a student.


“Anything that stretches you or challenges you — that is what students should pursue,” Dold said. “Computer science is an interdisciplinary field. The classes stretch people.”


Dold chose the Path to College. Enroll today to see how Scott 2 can be “Your Path to a Brighter Future.”  We’ve helped thousands of students find their path. We will help your students find theirs.