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Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

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Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#721
post #675
post #645

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe it is an acronym for "Fresh Off the Boat", i.e. an immigrant. It's a slang term and I personally don't use it too much but have heard it used fairly often.

I'd argue that the modern definition has nothing to do with immigrant status, and is entirely about whether or not you can pass as a native English speaker. It just so happens that most people who have accents are immigrants, and you can reasonably assume that anyone who didn't grow up speaking English as a native language is going to have an accent. You are not a fob if you moved here from China at 9 years old, didn…

> you can pass as a native English speaker

Also clothing :-)

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#722

Hi there, I did the exact same thing as you (at Google Sydney), before eventually deciding that I must strike out into the wilderness. In the few years since I left; I worked as a solutions architect managing a team, a team lead, a remote dev, and now in a startup. Front-end, back-end, flip-side, all the ends. So I've been deliberately trying different angles of my career to see what suits. I'd describe this process…

"If you stay at Google, make the most of it by progressing deliberately in your social life. If I'd've stayed, I could have comfortably raised some kids with my wife by now - but that's still on the todo list." THIS all the way. When we are young, we think that we will be remembered by the company that we worked for and the people that we worked with. The sad truth is that in 99.9999% none of those people will rememb…

See I am pretty scared of early alcoholism because I've heard all the fun stuff is getting into alcoholism during your late 60's and early 70's.

More seriously though, thank you for this comment, it made me smile.

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#723
There is so much important and inspiring work to do in the world. It might take some energy to find it, but I think it will be rewarding if you do. It sounds like you have an amazing opportunity to find this work because you have a financial cushion to fall back on. So good luck in finding it! You could start by just seeking out people to talk to who you think are doing important work. Maybe don't worry about whether there's a job in it or if it even feels related to technology. Chances are those conversations could inspire you to do something you can't picture yet. Maybe an entrepreneurial opportunity. Everything needs technology these days after all. Good luck!

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#724
It appears you don't really want to work at Google anymore. If you are thinking of jumping ship then do it. We must always be 100% engaged and mentally connected to what the company is doing. If the fire burned out, then it's time to leave, no matter if you're at Google or not. I stayed at a company for years after my fire burned out. Never again. We must always seek what makes us fulfilled. Always.

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#725
post #188

Does anyone else feel like a 3rd or 4th class citizen reading posts like these? How is someone supposed to "compete" financially or socially when there is a magic gate with so much privilege on the other side?

Yes. I should preface this by saying I'm not a CS type but Igross about 34k a year, I've been at my job 13 and a half years, I'm in the same position I hired into because in my OpCo it's only 5 rungs until I'm at the corporate level.

I do not get a bonus, the 401k contribution is fairly meh, our pensions will no longer be contributed to later this year. The company stock purchase is merely we pay whatever the price is but don't pay a buy commission, however, we pay a sell commission and a fee on top of that for direct deposit and an even higher fee for a paper check if we sell.

The only realistic way to move up in my OpCo is to get at least a 4-year degree, Masters preferred though, and be willig to physically move across the country chasing jobs. My manager worked here in Indiana when I started, to become a manager she had to take a job in the bay area and move there for several years before a manager position eventually opened here and she had to compete for it. Similarly around the same times a guy had to come here from NY to become manager and wait for a position to open in NY to move back. In another OpCo a friend of mine is equivalent to my boss's boss now after starting a month before me, getting her bachelors, getting her masters, and moving to 3 different states over that period for a total of 5 moves.

When I see people on HN "yeah, I make a bazillion dollars, plus bonus, we've got free rides to work, free gym, free food, free this and that, great stock options and 401k match, but man I'm bored" I get quite irritated. I hate my job, I work every holiday, we hot bunk desks with another shift, regulations are constantly changing, internal policies are constantly changing, Office Space looks like heaven compared to my office, I actually make less some years after you consider insurance increases... but I don't have a degree and I've been here for 13.5 years so if I go to a company doing a comparable thing I have to take a few dollar an hour pay cut and lose nearly a month of annual vacation to start as a new hire. That's if the competitors will take me, I've had a few reject me for not having a degree, one of which has only been in business about half as long as I've been doing the job...

sigh

But hey it's ok, I only have to work here until I die since I'll never be able to adequately fund retirement accounts to retire!

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#726

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends on country in Anglo Saxon law (UK USA) its the norm. And many European countries eg Germany just have it as part of the general labor law - so you wouldn't see it in a "contract"

So, just to be clear, if you are working for any corporation, in any job, the corporation has full rights to all your work, and all your ideas, by law? This explains why Germans always seemed so surprised when I mentioned my extracurricular work to them. Must make moonlighting difficult. Also, I’m almost positive that the reason my company did not have the clause, was because they hired many high-level creative folks…

Its Related works eg if you are a semi pro musician your employer has no claim on any songs you write.

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#727

Hi there, I did the exact same thing as you (at Google Sydney), before eventually deciding that I must strike out into the wilderness. In the few years since I left; I worked as a solutions architect managing a team, a team lead, a remote dev, and now in a startup. Front-end, back-end, flip-side, all the ends. So I've been deliberately trying different angles of my career to see what suits. I'd describe this process…

"If you stay at Google, make the most of it by progressing deliberately in your social life. If I'd've stayed, I could have comfortably raised some kids with my wife by now - but that's still on the todo list." THIS all the way. When we are young, we think that we will be remembered by the company that we worked for and the people that we worked with. The sad truth is that in 99.9999% none of those people will rememb…

So true. I've worked at the same company for 18 years. I've seen lots of people move on or retire. Literally within days they are wholly forgotten or at least never mentioned again. I've never seen anyone that is not easily replaced. It has drilled into me over and over again that we are all just cogs in the machine. Even someone who has been at the company for 30 years and is celebrated when they retire is totally not missed and forgotten within days of their leaving.

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#728
Why stop? You act like Google for all it's "E for Evil is just another letter of Alphabet!" is worth the effort. Find a company that you really want to work for. Explain your predicament as a moral decision. Prepare for your new job nights while you're home, and leave when you're ready.

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#729
post #682

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I make $42K in Sweden (not in IT), and it's comfortably high middle class. My wife doesn't even work full time and it's still enough for us to live comfortably within our means (own a house, two cars, one kid, etc.) If I'd been making $60K my wife could stop working. At $80K she wouldn't have to work and we'd still be moving into "new BMW every three years" kind of money. $80K goes a lot further in Europe than it doe…

Are you able to buy real estate in a decent location? Because if you can't, you're not "high middle class". Housing is not a luxury.

Yes, we are able to buy real estate in a decent location. We live not far outside Stockholm where prices are really high compared to the rest of the country, and we had no problems buying our house.

My salary is ~twice the median income for this area, and by any measure we're at the upper end of middle class by Swedish standards.

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#730
I'm in engineering management at Google. In my org, we're actively trying to improve how we give performance reviews, motivate people, measure the projects people work on, and relevant to this topic, manage out low performers.

The days when people can coast forever at Google are coming to an end. I had to let one person go because they basically never did more than the bare minimum (and got 3 Needs Improvement ratings in a row), and I know many more (some under me, some not) who are approaching a PIP.

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