Featured Student: Shreyas Goyal

What is your field of study and when will you graduate?

I’m studying Computer Science and expect to graduate near the end of 2026.

Why did you choose to enroll in Co-op?

As an international student, Co-op was my primary way to get hands-on experience with real computer systems and products while expanding my professional network. More than just work experience, it was an opportunity to explore and understand what truly excites me in the tech space.

Which positions did you work during Co-op?

I spent a full year at Gumloop (W24 batch of YCombinator), working side-by-side with the two founders. Most of my time was dedicated to building large-scale features as a product engineer, a role that challenged me and helped me grow significantly, both technically and personally.

Can you share your favourite experience while in Co-op?

I had the wonderful opportunity of having my first ever work experience at Gumloop, with two of the most passionate and smart people I've ever encountered. 

Our small team frequently took retreats filled with hackathons, rock climbing and coding sessions that felt more like play than work. This experience showed me that when you’re surrounded by supportive friends, the work you do just feels empowering and enjoyable, as opposed to the traditional definition of work. In those moments, it was just three guys, building, as well as shipping, (mostly) clean code and playing games.

What was your best achievement in Co-op?

I joined Gumloop when the company was pre-revenue and just entering the YCombinator batch. 

Within a year, we not only raised our seed funding but also secured our Series A—thanks to the dedication, sleepless nights and belief in our vision. I’m immensely proud to have contributed to building something that real people use and even rely on, proving that persistence and passion can create lasting impact.

What did you feel most challenged by and how did you overcome it?

Working at a startup sometimes meant putting in 60–80 hours a week. These long days were tough, but I found strength in leaning on my co-workers. 

By sharing the load and working together toward our common goal, I learned that no challenge feels impossible when you have a supportive team by your side. There will always be hard times, what really matters is how you face adversity and grow stronger from it.

How do you feel Co-op helped your personal growth?

Before Co-op, I equated success solely with career milestones. 

Through my work at Gumloop, I discovered that success is truly about filling a gap, solving a problem and ultimately finding what makes you happy. This journey not only helped grow my technical skills, but also helped me understand the importance of pursuing a path that resonates with my inner values and dreams. 

Less abstractly, my work at Gumloop helped me find a technical network of founders that are passionate to build, ignited a passion in me to solve real problems and introduced me to countless new experiences that I never thought I’d enjoy.

How do you feel Co-op has helped your career?

Co-op almost entirely transformed my perspective on my career. It taught me that work is not just about building and shipping code — it’s about building systems, managing infrastructure and learning from every setback and triumph. 

Along the way, I expanded my technical network, met inspiring people (including the opportunity to meet and speak with Sam Altman, Paul Graham and Michael Seibel), and discovered a passion for making an impact.

Which supports from the Co-op program (workshops, practice interviews, etc.) do you feel best supported you? Can you talk about the direct impact on your career?

I think the best support from the Co-op program was really just the advice. 

Having been a student looking for a first job, I know that sometimes that advice can seem really high-level or abstract, but if you take a moment to really reflect on it, it can help you a lot more in the long-run. Generally speaking, the best support was the simple yet powerful advice to “make more projects” and to attend more workshops and hackathons. Funnily enough, my first ever hackathon was where I met the founders of Gumloop, which was the start of my career.

What advice would you offer to future Co-op students?

There are a lot of jobs out there and a lot more that will be created due to the evident and inherent nature of human curiosity. 

When you graduate and start working full time, the rest of your life is just work. On the bright side, you have a lot of time until then to figure out what you enjoy, what drives you, as well as what you’re truly motivated and moved by (even if you don’t currently believe such a thing exists, neither did I)! When you do, you’ll be greeted with the wonderful realization that you aren’t actually working for the rest of your life, but rather, you’re working on something that will be your life’s work. You'll become one of the greats, in whatever you choose to do. 

There’s a lot of things that you can do, but the most important thing is to work on something you love. So, put yourself out there (as uncomfortable as that might be), go to events, meet new people and talk to them, even if it initially feels like you’re “wasting” time. Talk to your TAs, not just about schoolwork, but things outside of school you're interested in. Work hard, but also play hard. 

Something that I've come to realize as of late is that if you love something, you will necessarily and undoubtedly be so incredibly good at what you do, that things will fall into place for you, whether that be job opportunities, friendships or true happiness. Remember that obsession beats talent, every single time. Find. Your. Obsession.

What are you looking forward to after graduation?

Life is ever-changing and the AI space is ever-growing. 

I'm super excited about the future of technology and hope that humanity can come together to use this technology for the greater good. I hope to someday start a company of my own and really make an impact on the world, but until then — I look forward to the unknown :)