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Ask HN: Should I take this Google job offer?

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Re: Ask HN: Should I take this Google job offer?

#71
post #69
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but objectively, it's probably easier and more remunerative in many ways to work for Google in the Bay Area than, say, seek out a job in Sicily, where the weather is certainly wonderful, but there are not many IT jobs and they generally aren't of the interesting variety (unless you did something, like, say, create Redis, in which case you can happily stay in Sicily and hack on your project:-). Not to mention th…

Trucking is hidelously expensive on the continent. No idea why. Shipping will be WAY cheaper in any port city. You'd be better off probably getting rid of your stuff and just getting new stuff (used, Ikea, whatever).

Renting a van isn't that expensive here. The problem is that you can't, say, rent it in Innsbruck and drop it off in Padova, but you have to drive down to Padova, rent the van, drive it back up to Innsbruck in the middle of the night in a snow storm over the Brenner pass, with the unloaded rear wheels not getting a lot of traction, load it up, and then drive it back down to Padova.

Re: Ask HN: Should I take this Google job offer?

#72
post #58
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I know H1B is company specific. If you change the company you have to get another H1B to work for that company.

Once you have an H1 b , transferring that to a different company is not that difficult.

Transferring the H1B to a different company is straightforward. However (and this happened to me) if the original company is sponsoring your green card, you will have to restart the green card application process with your new employer (unless you are in the final stage of the process). Bear in mind that the green card process can take several years. IMO this is an unacceptably high risk.

Re: Ask HN: Should I take this Google job offer?

#73
post #70

Your situation is complicated by the big move from a different country (do you have a home to sell, family, kids, etc.). But here are my thoughts: * $110K is OK. In California that's not a lot of money. However, don't be fooled by Google base salaries, they are lower than other comparable companies but the bonuses can be out of this world. Typically they could be 30% of you salary but if you can get your hands on an…

> quickly get your green card

This is easier said than done since Google first has to sponsor your green card application (it's not automatic with an H1B visa) and in my experience the government bureaucracy that handles green cards doesn't know the meaning of the word "quick".

Re: Ask HN: Should I take this Google job offer?

#74
post #40
post #20

Fellow Brit who moved out here 4 years ago.. I say go for it, especially if Google are going to sponsor your H1B. Make sure you completely understand the visa process and timeline though (if it's H1B you may have to wait a period of time before you can actually move). Don't forget you could always move jobs in a year so Google is a great 'landing' into the Bay Area. If you have 11 years experience $110k seems a littl…

Did your visa application cost $20k? It seems extremely high. I heard it's usually around $5K (fees + lawyers).

Right, last I heard it was $5k for an H1B, around $10k for a Green Card.

Re: Ask HN: Should I take this Google job offer?

#75
post #51

I would say "do it." Working for Google is a dream to many developers/engineers. Their reputation is generally pretty good. Career wise? If you don't end up liking it (or think that the salary is too low), you'll be in the Bay area with a visa, Google on your resume and 12+ years of experience (assuming you'll be with Google for at least a year). I would bet your chances of getting another kickass job would be a lot…

As far as I know H1B is company specific. If you change the company you have to get another H1B to work for that company.

Incorrect ... you just have to do a H1B transfer which costs about $1500 in fees, and is very straight forward.

Re: Ask HN: Should I take this Google job offer?

#76
post #24

Do it. $110k is lower than you might get elsewhere, but it shouldn't matter for this reason: * Compared to Microsoft, Apple, etc... $110k for somebody coming on a visa is still a good deal. If you're local to the valley , then sure you can get a higher number. Nonetheless, this is still competitive. * If $110k is "too low" for you to live off, even with a family in the valley, you're doing something wrong. Newsflash:…

Also just to add to this, with your experience you'd be able to apply in the EB2 category for a Green Card and since your British, you should be able to get it in 2 years or less. And once you have a visa, you can work for anyone here in the US by just transferring it. Transferring a visa is much much simpler a process than getting a new one. I think this is a great opportunity to get to the states and work in a grea…

> Also just to add to this, with your experience you'd be able to apply in the EB2 category for a Green Card and since your British, you should be able to get it in 2 years or less.

I can't second this enough, be sure to stay on top of this and nudge them to file for the Green card at the same time they file for the h1-b or very soon after. Then you can have a green card in no time at all.

Re: Ask HN: Should I take this Google job offer?

#77
post #40
post #20

Fellow Brit who moved out here 4 years ago.. I say go for it, especially if Google are going to sponsor your H1B. Make sure you completely understand the visa process and timeline though (if it's H1B you may have to wait a period of time before you can actually move). Don't forget you could always move jobs in a year so Google is a great 'landing' into the Bay Area. If you have 11 years experience $110k seems a littl…

Did your visa application cost $20k? It seems extremely high. I heard it's usually around $5K (fees + lawyers).

I know the costs are a little higher if you have a certain percentage of h1-b employees on your staff. But 20K is a little out of control.

Re: Ask HN: Should I take this Google job offer?

#78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also just to add to this, with your experience you'd be able to apply in the EB2 category for a Green Card and since your British, you should be able to get it in 2 years or less. And once you have a visa, you can work for anyone here in the US by just transferring it. Transferring a visa is much much simpler a process than getting a new one. I think this is a great opportunity to get to the states and work in a grea…

> Also just to add to this, with your experience you'd be able to apply in the EB2 category for a Green Card and since your British, you should be able to get it in 2 years or less. I can't second this enough, be sure to stay on top of this and nudge them to file for the Green card at the same time they file for the h1-b or very soon after. Then you can have a green card in no time at all.

+1. Try to figure out when your green card application will be filed. The earlier, the better.

Re: Ask HN: Should I take this Google job offer?

#79
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I know H1B is company specific. If you change the company you have to get another H1B to work for that company.

Incorrect ... you just have to do a H1B transfer which costs about $1500 in fees, and is very straight forward.

It is straightforward, but my understanding is that "transferring" an H1B is getting a new H1B via the new employer. The only differences are that (1) the new H1B won't be counted against the yearly cap and (2) you don't have to wait until 1st Oct to start working.

Re: Ask HN: Should I take this Google job offer?

#80
post #17
post #8

Seems a bit low for the Bay Area, but this is subjective and depends on what else they are giving you in terms of perks (free food, etc.) Someone else said rent was $1500. I lived in the Bay Area for 10 years and $1500 gets you a 1BR apartment (maybe 2BR if you want to live south or east). It gets you a share if you want to live in San Francisco. For a house, you are looking at $3K+.

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