Timothy Goh

timgoh98@gmail.com; https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-goh99/; Computer Science & Entrepreneurship; Brown College

Bio:

I’m a senior from Brown majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Entrepreneurship. I was born in Houston, grew up in Austin, and now I’m back here in Houston for college. I’m planning on going into the industry after graduating (maybe getting a Master’s first), looking for a small-ish company.

L’s Taken

“Thank you for taking the time to apply, but…”

• Facebook (x4, always instantly rejected at the resume stage even with referrals)
• Google
• Apple
• KP Fellows
• Kroger (yes, the grocery store)
• Rice OIT
• Asana
• Airbnb
• Jane Street
• Goldman Sachs
• Verakada
• Credera
• Plaid
• MongoDB
• Tesla
• Schlumberger
• Capital One
• Blizzard
• Lyft
• Many many more…

Regrets I have

• Skipping too many classes
• Not utilizing more of Rice’s resources. College is full of interesting experiences and opportunities for growth

Embarrassing moments

• I did an onsite (in-person) interview in the precovid times. In 2 out of the first 3 rounds I wasn’t able to make any progress on my interview problem. The first interviewer kept simplifying the problem, but I wasn’t able to even print the input. The second interviewer gave up after 10 mins and scrolled on his phone for the remainder of the hour while I struggled in front of the computer. I was cut at lunchtime and didn’t get to do the afternoon round of interviews.
• Getting hired by a Rice business professor to work on their startup then getting fired the next week.
• Leaving my COMP 330 AWS cluster up overnight and waking up to a $1200 credit card bill.
• Falling off my skateboard with a line of cars behind me in the inner loop.

Things I swore I’d finish but never did

• Founding a startup
• Learning Rust
• Coding a personal website
• Making a poker app
• Reviving my YouTube channel
• Many more side projects

Everyday L’s

• Holding office hours and realizing the students know more than me.
• Leaving (many) test questions blank.
• Oversleeping morning gym sessions.
• Fixing bugs for a comp project due in 30 mins and i still haven’t written the README.
• Profs stopping lecture to reprimand me for walking in late and not accepting the excuse “Brown is far”.

On the Bright Side

Memories made when I wasn’t studying/working

• Late night food runs
• Study rooms where no studying happens
• Spontaneous trips
• Trolling at hackathons
• Playing league in the commons

Favorite Rice traditions

• BEERBIKE
• RPC events
• “why are you here”
• North servery wok
• Napping on the 180 rock in the engineering quad

Things I’ve learned that will still matter in 10 years

• People, relationships, and character matter much more than code, stuff, and grades.
• Always keep an open mind.
• Mistakes aren’t a waste if we learn something.

Things I’m proud of that aren’t on my resume

• Being an instant ramen connoisseur (very handy when servery food just isn’t it)
• Serving on the HackRice food committee so I could cater Taco Bell

Things I’ve done that have pushed me out of my comfort zone

• Helping set up Rice Design
• Reaching out to people for coffee chats
• Being a TA
• Mentoring others

Obstacles overcome

• Recruiting :((( It’s brutal, it really is.

Things I’m looking forward to

• Living outside of Texas
• Adulting
• Being a code monkey

Life changing advice I’ve received

• GPA really doesn’t matter too much for CS majors, it’s better to spend time on internships/side projects/etc.
• Always code as if the person who has to maintain your code is a violent psychopath who knows where you live.
• There will always be someone better than you, so focus on understanding yourself and performing to the best of your abilities.
• Working at a FAANG company isn’t everything.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously.