Working at Google seemed like a dream job. The reality has been a tedious, pointless nightmare.

[MrSquished]

I find the Washington Post useful as a paper of record. It costs me $36 a year for a subscription so $3 a month. Well worth it

 

[gorcorps]

My old tech lead left here in MD for a job out in Mountain View as a tech lead for Google a few years ago and he loves it. The best perk that he's told me about is he takes a shuttle to/from work that is about 45 minutes each way, but it has wifi and he can work while he's commuting. So he only has to actually be "at work" for 6.5 hours.

Ooo, being able to count your commute as work would be pretty nice.

 

[Zeze]

He's in recruiting and whines about recruiting mass email duties? He sounded like he was jelly at those IT guys in an... IT company.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I'd think in general working for a big company like Google, Microsoft etc is probably not all that. You're just a number, and if you screw up even once, there are thousands of people lined up for your job so they won't hesitate to fire you. A lot of big companies like that also tend to have pretty heafty non compete and conflict of interest agreements, they basically own your soul forever even if you stop working there.

As prestigious as it might seem to work for such a company I'd rather work for a small startup where I actually mean something and can be involved in growing the company, given the choice between the two.

On the other hand, if you're working on any big name products that are used by millions of people, there would be a coolness factor to be able to tell your friends "I coded that part".

Yep, I'm glad I never applied to Microsoft back in the day. Instead of being "dialog box programmer #117-B" or "Clippy animation programmer" I've gotten to be lead developer on the smaller companies' flagship products building them from nothing, with the current one having 2+ million users around the world. Another one for content creation has only tens of thousands of users but over time has saved them thousands of person-years of work.

 

[disappoint]

Working at Google seemed like a dream job. The reality has been a tedious, pointless nightmare.

Look like it is not all that.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amph...0/17/my-google-job-was-tedious-and-pointless/

"You know why they call it the American dream? Because you have to be asleep to believe it." -George Carlin probably

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

My old tech lead left here in MD for a job out in Mountain View as a tech lead for Google a few years ago and he loves it. The best perk that he's told me about is he takes a shuttle to/from work that is about 45 minutes each way, but it has wifi and he can work while he's commuting. So he only has to actually be "at work" for 6.5 hours.

Wait, he only actually works 8 hour days? I would think any tech company that pays via salary (so, everything) doesn't do that minimum hour stuff.

 

[purbeast0]

Wait, he only actually works 8 hour days? I would think any tech company that pays via salary (so, everything) doesn't do that minimum hour stuff.

Then you're wrong. I have never worked an hour over 40 in a week in my 12+ year career as a software developer other than one time, and I'm no longer with that shitty company.

Poorly ran companies work their people more than 40 hours a week. If you're working employees more than 40 hours a week, it means you have shitty management who has no clue how to run projects.

 

[shortylickens]

Having worked abusive jobs and shitty jobs and been unemployed for many years I can tell you I would cheerfully accept any job that was merely tedious or pointless.

 

[Stopsignhank]

I always do a Google search for people I am considering hiring. One guy ran a tree trimming business on the side. There were several reviews that said the owner of the company was horrible, lied to them and was unethical. Guess who did not get offered a job.

I would like to think that this guys whiny little rant will blackball him for years to come.

 

[Fritzo]

So the article is basically "Got a crappy position at a world-class company and it sucks." What a stupid thing to complain about. Get a different skill set if that's not what you want to do. I'm sure an accountant that got a job as a janitor at Google wouldn't be happy either.

 

[Yakk]

Then you're wrong. I have never worked an hour over 40 in a week in my 12+ year career as a software developer other than one time, and I'm no longer with that shitty company.

Poorly ran companies work their people more than 40 hours a week. If you're working employees more than 40 hours a week, it means you have shitty management who has no clue how to run projects.

Or it's done on purpose. Seen too many of those companies...

 

[FeuerFrei]

I always do a Google search for people I am considering hiring. One guy ran a tree trimming business on the side. There were several reviews that said the owner of the company was horrible, lied to them and was unethical. Guess who did not get offered a job.

I would like to think that this guys whiny little rant will blackball him for years to come.

"Blackball" originated from a Masonic custom of voting on new member inductions with white and black balls. If you voted "yes" you popped a white ball in the ballot box, and of course black ball meant persona non grata.

 

[purbeast0]

Or it's done on purpose. Seen too many of those companies...

And those companies are poorly ran companies.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I would never work at a place that can make you work more hours without getting paid. That's called slavery. This is why unions exist.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Then you're wrong. I have never worked an hour over 40 in a week in my 12+ year career as a software developer other than one time, and I'm no longer with that shitty company.

Poorly ran companies work their people more than 40 hours a week. If you're working employees more than 40 hours a week, it means you have shitty management who has no clue how to run projects.

Sorry - and I don't mean this offensively - but I think you're just one of a few in the lucky boat. Every consulting practice that I have ever been a part of works like this. Same usually for legal practices, audit practices, tax practices, etc... the list going on and on. I've heard of hard and ridiculous timelines with programming based positions as well.

Consider yourself lucky?

 

[purbeast0]

Sorry - and I don't mean this offensively - but I think you're just one of a few in the lucky boat. Every consulting practice that I have ever been a part of works like this. Same usually for legal practices, audit practices, tax practices, etc... the list going on and on. I've heard of hard and ridiculous timelines with programming based positions as well.

Consider yourself lucky?

I'm not really lucky, I'm just good at what I do and work for a good company.

Again, it's shitty companies that work their employees like that. Good companies don't do that because if they do, their employees would leave for better companies.

I'm sure it is also market dependent, but I'm just talking about in my field of software development. I know that tax season and stuff is crazy hours for CPA's and what not.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I'm not really lucky, I'm just good at what I do and work for a good company.

Again, it's shitty companies that work their employees like that. Good companies don't do that because if they do, their employees would leave for better companies.

I'm sure it is also market dependent, but I'm just talking about in my field of software development. I know that tax season and stuff is crazy hours for CPA's and what not.

I would imagine that just about every Fortune 100 company operates around this (depending on the department) as we all know based on topics like this, departments like HR are a joke regardless of the company. I'm sure they are prancing around with 35 hour weeks if anything. Plenty just give ridiculous time crunches that involve staying after and working extra late before something is due - or being on call incase shit hits the fan and you have to login to work at 2 AM.

Even my world has its bullshits, there are certain stereotypes of people in the consulting world that show up to work at 9:00 (which is true for some, I'm an 8:00 person), and then take 1-2 hour lunches, and then leave at 6 after discussing where to eat for dinner for an hour. I've worked a 60-hour week here and there like I've said, but it's not the majority. I would average it at 45 hour weeks. What kills me is commute time on top of it.

It's hard to say shitty companies, as I posted in another thread, I'm currently on 4 months of paid leave. It's pretty sad that my paternity leave is 2x the amount of time off and 3x the pay (100% pay for me vs. 60% disability pay) of my wife's and I didn't even have to go through a shitload of pain 😉 So it's definitely no shitty company, but it's just the work culture - and from my experience in life that is usually emulated in a lot of the Fortune 100.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Welcome to the corporate world.

Yup. Article sounds like my job.

"In some ways, my experience is not so different than that of other twenty-somethings in corporate America. Yet Google’s low-level HR employees are barraged by higher-ups about Passion! and how we are Changing People’s Lives!"

Except one key thing. He probably has way better pay and benefits than I do. I'd gladly take his place.

 

[RossMAN]

*skimmed thread*

2 pages and over 40 posts, not a single pcslookout reference?
https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/google-accepted-me-for-a-job-offer.63367/

I am disappoint.

 

[John Connor]

I always do a Google search for people I am considering hiring. One guy ran a tree trimming business on the side. There were several reviews that said the owner of the company was horrible, lied to them and was unethical. Guess who did not get offered a job.

I would like to think that this guys whiny little rant will blackball him for years to come.

I always thought that employers did this. I've Googled my name from time to time and the only thing really there is my voter registration (which could be a bad thing) and an old pinterest account. I don't use my real name for Facebook.

 

[urvile]

God damn lazy millennial. He was lucky he had a job and it hadn't already been offshored to Mexico. Back in my day i had to walk 15 miles in 30 foot snow drifts to get to work. With nothing but a compass to guide me.

Did I complain? Of course not.

 

[urvile]

And then when I got to work my manager would spend the day putting cigarettes out on my forearms. Did I complain about it? No. I sucked it up and got on with the job.

 

[urvile]

And then when I arrived home after a 23 hour working day and walking 30 miles through 60 foot snow drifts. With only a broken compass and sextant to guide me. My father would cut into me with a bread knife.*

Did I complain about it? No. What do you think I am some kind of lazy millennial? Of course not. Back in my day we never complained.

*apologies to monty python

 

[urvile]

I'm not really lucky, I'm just good at what I do and work for a good company.

Again, it's shitty companies that work their employees like that. Good companies don't do that because if they do, their employees would leave for better companies.

I'm sure it is also market dependent, but I'm just talking about in my field of software development. I know that tax season and stuff is crazy hours for CPA's and what not.

It depends on some variables I think. I spent years working for a multi national that had to competitively bid for contracts. In some cases they would win bids knowing that they weren't going to have enough budget to complete the project on time. I worked there as a software engineer but they did everything from building satellites and weapon systems to tolling systems and software for military applications. The thing with those sorts of corporations is you don't have to work overtime. As an employee you are never explicitly told that it's expected.

However if you don't do the overtime if it is required to deliver on time. Then you can forget about being promoted. The company only values those who can deliver and make them money. That's the culture.

I just spent two years as a contractor which means I cannot work overtime. I am a budgeted resource and will only be paid for an allotted number of hours per financial year. If I don't get paid. I don't work. Being a contractor isn't a career. Although it does pay well contractors are disposable resources and nothing more and to be honest one of the reasons I am leaving is because I am bored.

I start my new job with a start up in the security space next month. Which will be the second employer I have worked for that is based out of europe (time difference makes things amusing). I know I am going to get worked hard but the opportunity is their to grow with the business. Plus the money is good. So variables. 🙂

 

[snoopy7548]

I always thought that employers did this. I've Googled my name from time to time and the only thing really there is my voter registration (which could be a bad thing) and an old pinterest account. I don't use my real name for Facebook.

I Googled your name and I found this...