3 ms·

> entirely my fault, not Google's No. Do not do this to yourself. Google is all about making you think that your job as an employee is to only solve billion do

by 1_2__3 10y ago

> entirely my fault, not Google's No. Do not do this to yourself. Google is all about making you think that your job as an employee is to only solve billion dollar problems and everything else is failure. You are constantly told you need to do more, work faster, be better... But also you're entirely responsible for own career, and no one in leadership is there to help you. So no, it's not your fault. Google doesn't provide an environment for people to succeed, and I suspect it's by design. They think they're a meritocracy, and express that by not helping anyone.

at-fates-hands 10y ago
>> Google doesn't provide an environment for people to succeed I'm not sure why more people don't pick up on this. There's a bunch of development companies that I have interviewed at that mirror a lot of what Google does and as soon as I started hearing the same stuff, I just "noped" right out there. These places are designed to burn you out - the whole business model relies on people working themselves into a ditch and then taking a few weeks (or much less) off before starting all over again. The smart ones get out after one cycle, others take a few cycles before they figure it out. Either way, this business model is not conducive to your overall health and well being (even though they try to make you think they really care) and I've had several friends burn out epically; one was so bad he was hospitalized and spent 2 months in the psych ward.
- xapata 10y ago
  Google doesn't work you into a ditch. I'm not sure where you got that impression.
hoorayimhelping 10y ago
>So no, it's not your fault. How can you possibly have the arrogance to tell a stranger that their analysis of their own behavior is wrong based on a paragraph they wrote about themself? GP laid out, very clearly, the insight they had in dissecting their own imposter syndrome and found it was from an incomplete model of the world. In your rush to slag Google and assure GP they're a good, valued person, you seemed to completely miss their entire point, and along with it, the feeling of success that I assume they felt after having grown personally and professionally.
- joyeuse6701 10y ago
  "How could you possibly have the arrogance to tell a stranger..." I could say the same to you and I don't think we'd get anywhere. How could anyone say anything to anyone about anything, we're all strangers neh? The post was open for response so I don't think responding with disagreement is arrogant. Nor do I think that someone's own thought about themselves is correct just because it's their own. Know thyself is a pretty hard commandment to follow and a stranger is entitled to contribute their interpretation. Why are you so concerned about the well being of this individual? Or is it critique of the corporation that jimmied your loins? The irony in your name can't be ignored.
- Rexxar 10y ago
  I think they are both wrong because they do "absolute" affirmation. > entirely my fault > So no, it's not your fault. But each of them bring us valuable information based on a different point of view : 1- You can decrease the imposter syndrome if you are more aware your own strength and weakness and those of your co-workers. 2- Google's internal organisation can accentuate the imposter syndrome problem. Both can be true at the same time.
rsp1984 10y ago
But also you're entirely responsible for own career, and no one in leadership is there to help you. That's really what irritated me the most when I worked there. The leadership is kind of invisible and often, so I felt, powerless. As an engineer you are supposed to find your role among your peers pretty much by yourself. I think they are doing this to apply some kind of "natural selection" where the "leaders" show themselves more quickly but all it does is create a Lord-of-the-flies-like informal organization where manipulative and political behavior is rewarded.
jeffbush 10y ago
One thing that I think is important, and I've struggled with, is making 'fault' be a synonym for 'control'. There's this broken thought pattern where any perceived failure is either: 1. My fault (I failed) 2. Out of my control (I'm powerless/helpless). Both are pretty shitty ways to feel. I think many people who advise/coach/mentor forget this when they give this sort of advice. I remember listening to one well-meaning coach talk through the "victim vs. owning mentality" and I walked out of the session thinking about everything that was wrong at work and how it was because I was incompetent. Feeling inadequate is common and natural in a highly competitive environment. It's not our fault, we're human beings. Bear in mind, everyone who works at the company contributes to this culture. When you say "it's by design," you're implying there's some elite group of people at the company who are doing this out of malice. Even the execs who we might cast most of the blame for this on (who are also human beings) are probably feeling inadequate too. But at the same time, we have the ability to recognize these thoughts and challenge them. So there is hope to rise above it, even though we will probably always struggle with it to some degree.

by 1_2__3 10y ago

at-fates-hands 10y ago

>> Google doesn't provide an environment for people to succeed I'm not sure why more people don't pick up on this. There's a bunch of development companies that I have interviewed at that mirror a lot of what Google does and as soon as I started hearing the same stuff, I just "noped" right out there. These places are designed to burn you out - the whole business model relies on people working themselves into a ditch and then taking a few weeks (or much less) off before starting all over again. The smart ones get out after one cycle, others take a few cycles before they figure it out. Either way, this business model is not conducive to your overall health and well being (even though they try to make you think they really care) and I've had several friends burn out epically; one was so bad he was hospitalized and spent 2 months in the psych ward.

xapata 10y ago
Google doesn't work you into a ditch. I'm not sure where you got that impression.

hoorayimhelping 10y ago

>So no, it's not your fault. How can you possibly have the arrogance to tell a stranger that their analysis of their own behavior is wrong based on a paragraph they wrote about themself? GP laid out, very clearly, the insight they had in dissecting their own imposter syndrome and found it was from an incomplete model of the world. In your rush to slag Google and assure GP they're a good, valued person, you seemed to completely miss their entire point, and along with it, the feeling of success that I assume they felt after having grown personally and professionally.

joyeuse6701 10y ago
"How could you possibly have the arrogance to tell a stranger..." I could say the same to you and I don't think we'd get anywhere. How could anyone say anything to anyone about anything, we're all strangers neh? The post was open for response so I don't think responding with disagreement is arrogant. Nor do I think that someone's own thought about themselves is correct just because it's their own. Know thyself is a pretty hard commandment to follow and a stranger is entitled to contribute their interpretation. Why are you so concerned about the well being of this individual? Or is it critique of the corporation that jimmied your loins? The irony in your name can't be ignored.
Rexxar 10y ago
I think they are both wrong because they do "absolute" affirmation. > entirely my fault > So no, it's not your fault. But each of them bring us valuable information based on a different point of view : 1- You can decrease the imposter syndrome if you are more aware your own strength and weakness and those of your co-workers. 2- Google's internal organisation can accentuate the imposter syndrome problem. Both can be true at the same time.

rsp1984 10y ago

But also you're entirely responsible for own career, and no one in leadership is there to help you. That's really what irritated me the most when I worked there. The leadership is kind of invisible and often, so I felt, powerless. As an engineer you are supposed to find your role among your peers pretty much by yourself. I think they are doing this to apply some kind of "natural selection" where the "leaders" show themselves more quickly but all it does is create a Lord-of-the-flies-like informal organization where manipulative and political behavior is rewarded.

jeffbush 10y ago

One thing that I think is important, and I've struggled with, is making 'fault' be a synonym for 'control'. There's this broken thought pattern where any perceived failure is either: 1. My fault (I failed) 2. Out of my control (I'm powerless/helpless). Both are pretty shitty ways to feel. I think many people who advise/coach/mentor forget this when they give this sort of advice. I remember listening to one well-meaning coach talk through the "victim vs. owning mentality" and I walked out of the session thinking about everything that was wrong at work and how it was because I was incompetent. Feeling inadequate is common and natural in a highly competitive environment. It's not our fault, we're human beings. Bear in mind, everyone who works at the company contributes to this culture. When you say "it's by design," you're implying there's some elite group of people at the company who are doing this out of malice. Even the execs who we might cast most of the blame for this on (who are also human beings) are probably feeling inadequate too. But at the same time, we have the ability to recognize these thoughts and challenge them. So there is hope to rise above it, even though we will probably always struggle with it to some degree.