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Why I loved working at Google

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Re: Why I loved working at Google

#31

Post by zaphar »

beder wrote: post #19
cpprototypes wrote: post #12

Most of the articles and blog posts about Google are about Mountain View. Does anyone know if the satellite offices are good? I think I've read some good things about New York, but haven't heard much about any others.

I work in the Chicago office and I love it! Our site lead is really passionate about making sure we're relevant, and the team I'm on has a substantial presence in Chicago, so I don't really feel like I'm in a satellite office.

Hey beder! Fancy seeing you here.

I also work at the chicago office and we work on interesting and hard problems that keep me engaged. We are a remote office but it doesn't really feel like that's a hindrance.

There are challenges to being remote obviously but I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything critical.

Re: Why I loved working at Google

#32

Post by jlees »

cpprototypes wrote: post #12

Most of the articles and blog posts about Google are about Mountain View. Does anyone know if the satellite offices are good? I think I've read some good things about New York, but haven't heard much about any others.

The culture is slightly different, and they feel less 'big company' for the most part. They also take on a local flavour :) I've heard good things (in fact, better things than are said about HQ) about teams in remote offices, around camaraderie and ability to get stuff done. I think there are probably downsides too, and most people recommend you spend some time working out of Mountain View during your Google career, but I also got advised that spending a stint internationally is one of the best things to do for one's career there.

I didn't work out of any remote office full-time, but I visited seven satellite offices during my time there (nine if you count YouTube/SF). They were all unique and awesome.

Re: Why I loved working at Google

#33

Post by Helianthus »

asdfprou wrote: post #27
Helianthus wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm trying to figure out just what makes me uncomfortable about your comment. In the end, maybe it comes down to: what you have written are words, which are only an appearance. I don't have any means of verifying your record as an eng manager, and this comment doesn't contain any reference to direct activity in this case--nor should it!--because that is the kind of action that should happen within Google's private me…

I admit, there are places where my post may have struck some chords with those have been following recent events in the area of privacy and transparency. However from the perspective of someone who has worked in something like investment banking, I stand by my comment that Google's approach to transparency (at least internally) is headed in the right direction.

Lovely.

>I stand by my comment that Google's approach to transparency (at least internally) is headed in the right direction.

So you admit that your entry omitted any discussion of where Google is headed in the wrong direction? That it was completely one-sided?

>>Dare I call the Google the "holy grail" for many aspiring software developers?

What you are doing, what you have done, is easily termed "gushing." You are so eager to affirm what Google has done for you this summer.

You're even gushing to the person that has come to back you up, when you probably don't even know him. (Or maybe you do, and that's even worse. Is he here to back you up, not to argue of his own accord?)

---

I'll tell you what I think is going to happen. This post just might hit the top of HN. You'll get maybe 5-10 new twitter followers. You'll go back to your senior year. Your 1-post blog will languish because you'll be fucking busy (because yeah, you got a Google internship, so you're damn good and that means you should spend your senior year in Toronto focusing on Toronto, not on what the Internet thinks).

I'll get assorted votes in this topic, depending on the crowd that arrives. Depending on how this comment is received. I'm the sort of person that thinks you're not doing good writing if you don't get downvotes, and you should practice by getting downvoted to oblivion so you know how to get close to the real line.

It's just a small bump in the daily discourse of the Internet.

---

Where is your cynicism?

(Edit: Did you notice how my flattery of your Google internship (maybe) made my comment more palatable to you?)

Re: Why I loved working at Google

#34

Post by jrockway »

leothekim wrote: post #26
varelse wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As one of the vocal ones(tm), even I would say Google is fantastic if you get allocated onto the right team. This obviously occurs most of the time or the place would be out of business. What led to me becoming one of the vocal ones is what happens when allocation fails and there's really no resort other than trying to fit in doing something completely uninteresting or leaving. Google seemingly does not acknowledge t…

How difficult is it to switch teams? It seems ridiculous that Google would invest so much time and energy finding bright engineers and then let them go somewhere else because they're bored with what they're working on.

It depends on what sort of switch you want to make. Do you want to switch to the team that you sit next to? You can probably do it by mentioning it to your manager in your next 1:1. Do you want to move to Paris for a year and work on a completely new product area? That might involve meeting the manager of the new team, getting to know the team in person, getting HR to write up a new employment contract, etc.

As someone going through the process to transfer to a different area, though, I find it a bit more difficult that I imagined it. It's not that anyone is blocking me, it's just hard to decide where to go and which opportunity makes the most sense for the next two years.

Re: Why I loved working at Google

#35

Post by jrockway »

cpprototypes wrote: post #12

Most of the articles and blog posts about Google are about Mountain View. Does anyone know if the satellite offices are good? I think I've read some good things about New York, but haven't heard much about any others.

Every office is better than the other offices in some way. As someone in NYC, I'm jealous of MTV's rock climbing walls and extended cafe hours, Montreal's location, and London's coffee lab. (OK, Montreal has a rock climbing wall too :)

As for actual work, projects seem randomly distributed, with some weight towards Mountain View since it's so much bigger than the other offices.

Re: Why I loved working at Google

#36

Post by scrabble »

I know people who work for Google in Kitchener, Ontario and I've been through their offices here myself. I don't have work experience there though.

What struck me the most going through the office is that the office setup and benefits seem to excel at getting out of your way. If you need something, it's there. You have privacy, you have food, you have people around, you have quiet. Whatever you need is already there.

It seems like in an environment like that it would be easy to get work done because distraction would be at a minimum and context switching would not occur as often.

I'd love to work in an office like that one day.

Re: Why I loved working at Google

#37

Post by guyzero »

greenyoda wrote: post #2

Note that this was written by someone who spent three months at Google as an intern, so it's probably not very representative of what it's really like to work there. After three months you can't really understand much about a complex corporate culture or become familiar with more than a tiny corner of a huge company. And interns aren't involved in corporate politics, performance reviews, etc.

Yes, you certainly can't form an opinion in three months.

Sorry OP, your opinion is almost certainly wrong.

Re: Why I loved working at Google

#39

Post by asdfprou »

Helianthus wrote: post #33
asdfprou wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I admit, there are places where my post may have struck some chords with those have been following recent events in the area of privacy and transparency. However from the perspective of someone who has worked in something like investment banking, I stand by my comment that Google's approach to transparency (at least internally) is headed in the right direction.

Lovely. >I stand by my comment that Google's approach to transparency (at least internally) is headed in the right direction. So you admit that your entry omitted any discussion of where Google is headed in the wrong direction? That it was completely one-sided? >>Dare I call the Google the "holy grail" for many aspiring software developers? What you are doing, what you have done, is easily termed "gushing." You are s…

I don't see your point - in more ways than one.

I'm not sure why you feel it necessary to be a cynic. I don't see why there is a reason to etch the flaws out in everything. I could caveat everything I say but what would be the point of that? Especially in a section labelled: "What I liked about working at Google".

I also don't see the point in you playing fortune teller - so what if my blog has 1 post? Why does it matter to you what I do or do not do with my life after its been read?

I appreciate your criticism of my writing, and certainly welcome more of it, but if you're going to be passive aggressive about it I'm afraid I don't see the point in it either. From your reply it seems like your suggestion is to "add cynicism".

Lastly, your thinly veiled insults do not make your post more palatable to me.

Re: Why I loved working at Google

#40

Post by faddotio »

Helianthus wrote: post #33
asdfprou wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I admit, there are places where my post may have struck some chords with those have been following recent events in the area of privacy and transparency. However from the perspective of someone who has worked in something like investment banking, I stand by my comment that Google's approach to transparency (at least internally) is headed in the right direction.

Lovely. >I stand by my comment that Google's approach to transparency (at least internally) is headed in the right direction. So you admit that your entry omitted any discussion of where Google is headed in the wrong direction? That it was completely one-sided? >>Dare I call the Google the "holy grail" for many aspiring software developers? What you are doing, what you have done, is easily termed "gushing." You are s…

What are you doing, what you have done, is proved that you're just here to spew acid.
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