6 Important Points from a Googler's Perspective.

Before I provide you the list of courses, read Point 1, 2.

Full-time working professionalsRead this answer "selectively" on the basis of your industry
experience and academic knowledge.
Pre-University StudentsSkip everything and Jump to Point 7.

Point #1: Lets Get to the actual Question i.e.

How can I prepare myself to be a "good" software engineer?
Yep! Rest of the question is optional. Joining Google is not a moonshot. Any Good software Engineer has
Good chances to be part of Google work-culture.
Problem is how you define "Good".

Point #2: Attitude Adjustment.

Most people want to be part of Google because of the awesome things they have heard about it butDo
they really want to work for Google?
Lets Have a Reality Check.

Do you know most CS graduates prefer Jobs where they need a graphical user interface to do
point and click jobs?
Do you know 90% of Software engineers aren't used to Coding?
As per AVP-NELSON Survey, 80% CS Degree holders can answer any damn theoretical
questions but when it come to ground rules, you can't expect them to print more than "Hello World".

So, before you read below, ask yourself:

Is this a teaching Job? No.
Is this a designing Job? No.
Its Pure Damn Simple"Software Engineering" means you don't get to work with beautiful design with
lots of graphics and fun. If that's what interests you, try for a UI/UX designing positions.
For a SE, No matter what text editor you useEclipse, Vim or EmacsYour screen will be Black, Boring
& Dull.
Are you still excited?
Bingo, You are the guy Google Needs. Now lets Go to Step 3.

Point #3: Guide for Technical Development in 2014From Google.

Having a solid foundation in Computer Science is important in being a successful Software Engineer.

Following guide from Google is a suggested path for University students to develop their technical skills
academically and non-academically through self paced hands-on learning. You may use the following
course guide to determine courses to take but please make sure you are taking courses required for your
major or faculty in order to graduate. The online resources provided in this guide are not meant to replace
courses available at your University. However, they may help supplement your learning or provide an
introduction to the topic.
Using this guide:

Please use this guide at your discretion

There may be other things you want to learn or do outside of this guide - go for it!

Point #4: Recommendations for Academic Learning

Introduction to CS Course
Notes: Introduction to Computer Science Course that provides instructions on coding Online
Resources:Udacity - intro to CS course, Coursera - Computer Science 101

Code in at least one object oriented programming language: C++, Java, or Python
Beginner Online Resources: Coursera - Learn to Program: The Fundamentals, MIT Intro to
Programming in Java, Google's Python Class, Coursera - Introduction to Python, Python Open
Source E-Book
Intermediate Online Resources: Udacity's Design of Computer Programs,Coursera - Learn to
Program: Crafting Quality Code, Coursera - Programming Languages, Brown University Introduction to Programming Languages

Learn other Programming Languages

Notes: Add to your repertoire - Java Script, CSS, HTML, Ruby, PHP, C, Perl, Shell. Lisp, Scheme.
Online Resources: w3school.com - HTML Tutorial, Learn to code

Test Your Code

Notes: Learn how to catch bugs, create tests, and break your software
Online Resources: Udacity - Software Testing Methods, Udacity - Software Debugging

Develop logical reasoning and knowledge of discrete math

Online Resources: MIT Mathematics for Computer Science, Coursera - Introduction to Logic,
Coursera - Linear and Discrete Optimization, Coursera - Probabilistic Graphical Models, Coursera Game Theory

Develop strong understanding of Algorithms and Data Structures

Notes: Learn about fundamental data types (stack, queues, and bags), sorting algorithms (quicksort,
mergesort, heapsort), and data structures (binary search trees, red-black trees, hash tables), Big O.
Online Resources: MIT Introduction to Algorithms, Coursera Introduction to Algorithms Part 1 & Part
2, List of Algorithms, List of Data Structures, Book: The Algorithm Design Manual

Develop a strong knowledge of operating systems

Online Resources: UC Berkeley Computer Science 162

Learn Artificial Intelligence Online Resources:

Stanford University - Introduction to Robotics, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning

Learn how to build compilers

Online Resources: Coursera - Compilers

Learn cryptography
Online Resources: Coursera - Cryptography, Udacity - Applied Cryptography

Learn Parallel Programming

Online Resources: Coursera - Heterogeneous Parallel Programming

Point #5: Recommendations for Non-Academic Learning

Work on project outside of the classroom.

Notes: Create and maintain a website, build your own server, or build a robot.
Online Resources: Apache List of Projects, Google Summer of Code,Google Developer Group

Work on a small piece of a large system (codebase), read and understand existing code,
track down documentation, and debug things.
Notes: Github is a great way to read other peoples code or contribute to a project.
Online Resources: Github, Kiln

Work on project with other programmers.

Notes: This will help you improve your ability to work well in a team and enable you to learn from
others.

Practice your algorithmic knowledge and coding skills

Notes: Practice your algorithmic knowledge through coding competitions like CodeJam or ACMs
International Collegiate Programming Contest.
Online Resources: CodeJam, ACM ICPC

Become a Teaching Assistant

Notes: Helping to teach other students will help enhance your knowledge in the subject matter.

Internship experience in software engineering

Notes: Make sure you apply for internships well in advance of the period internships take place. In
India and US, Internships take place during the summer, May-September, and applications are
usually open several months in advance.
Online Resources: google.com/jobs

Point #6: Google Recommended/Sponsored Programs and Groups.

Few Additional Course you may choose with respect to your domain or interest.

1.

Google CourseMaking Sense of Data

This self-paced, online course is intended for anyone who wants to learn more about how to
structure, visualize, and manipulate data
2.

Google CourseBOLD Discovery

This two-day interactive conference will provide students between their first and second years of
college with an introduction to Google culture and potential careers at the company.

3.

Google Summer of Code

Google Summer of Code (GSoC)
A global online program offering post-secondary student developers ages 18+ stipends to write code
for various open source software projects.

4.

Google Policy Fellowship

This program offers students the opportunity to spend the summer working on Internet and
technology policy issues at public interest organizations

5.

Google Student Veterans Summit

The Google Student Veterans Summit includes a professional development curriculum geared
towards veterans' transitions into the workplace.

Also Read: Ellen Spertus' answer to How can I effectively use my last two years of college to
prepare for a great Software Engineering job at Google/FB or a startup?

Point #7: Recommendation for Courses in Mathematics.

(For Pre-University Students)
Personal View: Any attempt to ignore these subjects will put you in the category of average programmers
who learn things in completely wrong way.
Staying prepared much before would make coding much more enjoying. There are few pre-requisites for
a software-engineers which would help you to understand the core of algorithm. Most mistakes created by
software engineers could have been avoided if they would've recalled the simple things from school
education.
In your further studies in Maths or Computer Science, You will realize the importance of "Data Structure in

your college days" and importance of "Machine Learning in your post-graduate days". So, Following are
detailed list of courses you must master in-order to design complex algorithms. For college-graduates, if
you had ignored these subject, I highly recommend you should revise it in the best possible way you can.
After you're done with introductory syllabus from your school books, practice the following courses for
deeper understanding. Most college students (even working professionals) underestimate the importance
of these courses and end up being just another average programmers:

Linear Algebra - Learning them will help you easily read and understand any complex algorithm
created by others. Reading codes not created by you is as important as modifying or improving codes
created by others.
1. Linear Algebra | Mathematics | MIT OpenCourseWare (Recommended by Me)
2. Coding the Matrix: Linear Algebra Through Computer Science Application (Recommended by a
coworker)
Learning these will help you understand Regression ModelThe basic step. You won't be taught
these linear algebra courses in any school, colleges, research labs or institution. Learn it on your
own.

Calculus
1. Calculus 1 - Ohio State University
2. Pre-Calculus Courses - Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
3. Calculus for Beginners and Artists - MIT

Statistics & Probability

1. Statistics One
2. RNG, Advanced Placement stattrek.com

Pre-University: Google Recommended/Sponsored Programs.

Google Code-in (GCI)

A contest introducing pre-university students, ages 13-17, to the many kinds of contributions that
make open source software development possible.

RISE Awards
Google RISE is a partnership and awards program designed to promote and support STEM and
Computer Science education initiatives for K-12/Primary and Secondary/Class 10th and 12th
students around the world.

LEAD Computer Science Institute (LEAD-CSI)

This program exposes middle and high school students from diverse communities to colleges and
careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.

Made with Code

Coding is the new literacy - it carries the potential to create, to innovate, and quite literally change the
world. This initiative is designed to inspire millions of girls to experience the power of code.

High School Symposium

This is a one day program designed to provide high-achieving high school seniors with valuable
business skills before starting college.

Trailblazer
Trailblazer is a global network of leaders, advocates, and ambassadors for computer science
education who will be charged with empowering youth and educators around the globe to be
connected to and inspired by computer science.

Google Science Fair

The Google Science Fair is a global competition open to 13-18 olds. Students submit a project online
for a chance to win amazing prizes.

Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI)

CSSI is a 3-week summer program for incoming college freshmen (current high school seniors) who
are interested in studying computer science.

Maker Camp on Google+

30 days of Do It Yourself and making. Maker Camp is a free virtual summer camp on Google+, open
to all
Maker Camp 2013: Supercharge Your Summer!

Connected Classrooms
Collaborate with teachers and education organizations to offer experiential learning opportunities for
K-12 students on Google+.

Coming Soon in This Answer:

Post-Graduate Students(Majoring in any fields related to Physics, Mathematics, CS)Answer

will be updated this Friday.
PHd students(Research in the field of Physics, C-Neuroscience, Maths, CS)Answer will be
updated this Friday.