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| Medley |
| Wednesday, January 17, 2007 |
Fortune has announced the 100 best companies to work for in 2007. Google tops the list. I am a fan of Google. The company has made remarkable progress in the last year. I like what they have come up with. Stock prices have soared high so much, I am sure all the Googlers are plenty rich with their options.
All that said, I dont like the hype they are making of the so-called Google Culture. Some info on Life at Google can be found here. For those who are lazy to click the link, I will give a gist. They recruit the best minds no doubt. They have long working hours like any other software company, except they make up for the long hours by providing free food, gym, massages, language classes, dorm rooms, pool table and fooseball table, even a swimming pool, along with a college-like atmosphere. One can bring their dog to work too.
All this might sound to be too good for a grad student just out of school. One can spend all day at work, creatively thinking and producing excellent outputs. What about work-life balance? For grads right out of school, it might be a perfect balance, but what about those who are married and have children? Yep, stay all day at work, spend all the time with your colleagues, have breakfast, lunch and dinner at work, play, swim, do everything on campus. What about your spouse? Your children? Your parents? Your friends, not working at Google? Or are middle aged people not given jobs at Google?
This is a culture adopted by many other companies too, in India, and in the US. After a while it will only make sense to get married to a fellow colleague, that way you can both spend all your time at work, together.
I think the trend is changing slowly. I am wondering how things will be 10 years from now. Recent job profiles, not limited to Google, require you to be online almost 24 hours a day, you take a vacation you are forced to log in once a day to be available in case of crisis. If you have to be at home for a postal delivery, you work from home. If your child is sick, you work from home. If you are sick, okay, you are allowed to reply to emails a little late, but not later than 24 hours. With most of us working with others across the globe, we need to attend conference calls at odd hours, be it 7AM in the morning, or 8PM in the night. They give you laptops and cell phones so they can always get you. Though I like the fact that we are so technologically advanced, we are being so efficient, yada yada yada, a part of me, which still likes the old fashioned ways, wonders what the world has come to.
I am guessing this will be the way of life for us. We cannot be like our parents, having regular 8 - 5 jobs.
All the complaints written off, I wouldnt mind working for Google, if they agreed to let me in that is, :--P, just for the money I would make with the Stock Options. Sadly they dont do anything I would be remotely interested in working on, givena choice.
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Surprise of surprises, the little town, barely known to many, mention of which makes people knot their eyebrows trying to recognize the name, when I say where I live, has made it to the Top 100 Best Places to Live in the US. In California is stands third, following Santa Clarita and Livermore. For such a tiny city it is a big achievement I think. My not so tiny University town has made it to the list too.
With all these 'Best' things published, do people change jobs, or change their homes based on this data? What is the use of these lists, I am wondering.
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Too much I say..
- A friend wanted to borrow a book I owned. Its been a long time since I saw that book, I couldnt think of where I could have placed it. I wished I could do a Google Home Search to find where it was.
- After locking the car with the remote control, my hand still gropes the remote as I near my apartment door, hoping I can use the remote to open my apartment door too.
- When I am upset, I say to myself, things like "This is so not fair. I hate this. O God O god. I am dead. Please help." repeatedly. I not only say, but I mentally type those words on a virtual keyboard.
- To find a favorite passage in a favorite book, my hand twiches to do a Ctrl+F and search.
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posted by SK @ 8:45 PM  |
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| 3 Comments: |
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>>To find a favorite passage in a favorite book, my hand twiches to do a Ctrl+F and search.
I know :-)
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you know how many times i have told Mr , Mr, can you please delete this paper or delete this book for me...:)))))
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J,
:--))
IBH,
HAha I have done that many a times too! :--))
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>>To find a favorite passage in a favorite book, my hand twiches to do a Ctrl+F and search.
I know :-)