My Experience as a Google Student Ambassador

I became a Google Student Ambassador recently. Sounds cool, right? I get to talk about Google, share their tools, and get free stuff. But after going through it all, I’m not sure if it’s really helpful or just a way to get cheap help from students.

The Onboarding Process: Red Flags Everywhere

It started with a Google Form - that was okay. But then they asked for my WhatsApp number. Come on, Google? Soon, messages came from emails on a new domain (bought 4-5 months ago) and WhatsApp. Honestly, I did it for the free t-shirt.

The interview was simple: 15-20 minutes on Google Meet. If you pass, you fill out an agreement and send it back with a Google Form. Then, a WhatsApp message invites you to join a group. Once approved, you’re added to your state’s WhatsApp group for the first meeting. Two days later, another form to get your free kit. Soon after, they ask you to bring in college friends with rewards for referrals. My school friend Pratik got me in, so I used his name when talking to my college mates, and I got my kit today thanks to him.

The Program: Tracking Everything

As an ambassador, you get a special link on a dashboard. Every click is watched - one per device or Google account - to count “points.” Goal: 250 points each month for 6 months until December 2025.

You can also plan events in person. Main job: tell college friends about Gemini, about 5-7 hours per week.

Why It Feels Like Taking Advantage

1. Outsourced Work: Google gave this job to another company. The website, emails, WhatsApp - all from them. This way, Google doesn’t get checked closely and gets cheap help.

2. Not Professional: Using WhatsApp for work? Random messages to join? Feels like a chain where everyone brings in others.

3. Not Much Value: Free stuff and showing off on LinkedIn. But does it help your job? No. It’s about using students’ want for “Google” on their resume and likes on social media.

4. Not Fair: Watching clicks and rewarding referrals looks like collecting info and making things go viral, not helping students learn.

The Good Part

It’s real - I checked. And free branded stuff is nice. I joined to see if it was a scam and totally for the free ka maal :)

Final Thoughts

Is it worth your time? Probably not for most. For me, it was a fun test that proved my worries about these programs.

Real value comes from making your own connections and events (networking aur events ke bare mai bol bhi kon rha hai :|). If you like Google’s tools, try it. But don’t think it will change your career - you have to build that.

Would I do it again? No. Happy I tried once to see what it’s really like.