5 ms·

I also felt the same. The place was draining, distracting, chaotic, cramped, and noisy (in 2010). A complete waste of time in hindsight that's still with me tod

I also felt the same. The place was draining, distracting, chaotic, cramped, and noisy (in 2010). A complete waste of time in hindsight that's still with me today (haven't been able to work again since leaving at the end of 2010). Everyone still says Google is so great. Enough that I still wonder what happened. I also couldn't settle in, didn't like anyone, and was continually interrupted/harassed/followed.

sigi45 8y ago
oO you didn't like anyone there? Sounds like a problem with yourself. Can't imagine that you were sourrounded by assholes.
- baccheion 8y ago
  It didn't matter if they had an off-putting personality or were "OK." Either way, I just wasn't feeling it. On the other hand, the same happens wherever I go. Maybe Google's reputation of attracting certain personalities led me to believe there would be others that were similar or like-minded. Instead, they were mostly unhealthy judger types (though I'm not sure if the source is reliable, a few years ago 23.6% were said to be INTJ and 12.5% ENTJ: https://www.quora.com/Do-most-software-engineers-have-an-INTP-personality-type/answer/Steven-D-LePire https://www.quora.com/Do-most-software-engineers-have-an-INT...).
  - joyeuse6701 8y ago
    You seem to mention the Myers Briggs a lot in your posts... I’m not sure how useful it is. The reduction of individuals to acronyms sounds to me like unhealthy judgment, so maybe Google did a better job than you realized in attracting “like minded” individuals!
    - baccheion 8y ago
      It's not that useful, but is another way to help illustrate what I'm trying to say.
  - TulliusCicero 8y ago
    > I also couldn't settle in, didn't like anyone, and was continually interrupted/harassed/>>followed<<. > On the other hand, the same happens wherever I go. Is that you, mchurch?
    - baccheion 8y ago
      No. Someone much less known.
- sosense 8y ago
  Sounds like any given open office environment to me.
C1sc0cat 8y ago
Most places that do "interesting" work do have some elements of distracting and noisy. At my first job on campus at Cranfield university my shared office was a portacabin which was next to the hardstanding between two of the hangers and they used to test run executive jets after being serviced < 100m away now that is loud.
- baccheion 8y ago
  The work wasn't interesting.
  - C1sc0cat 8y ago
    Ah that's a problem but at least you where paid fabulously.
    - baccheion 8y ago
      Pay was (industry) median in my case.
      - C1sc0cat 8y ago
        At Google? When I worked at a tier 1 RnD org I was paid about 1/3 of the same grade in the Uk Scientific civil service.
fipple 8y ago
Unless you were assaulted there or something, the fact that you haven’t been able to work in 8 years is probably indicative that there’s something you personally need help with rather than something structurally wrong with Google.
- baccheion 8y ago
  Well, I say I became a Targeted Individual. Others would say it's Paranoid Schizophrenia. I was implying sabotage.
  - fipple 8y ago
    Here’s what I suspect. There’s something “off” about you compared to the average person. People lock in on that and basically recoil from you so you see people as having targeted you because they don’t do this to anyone else. The right kind of person can help you ascertain what this thing is that makes you “off” and help you correct or conceal it.
    - baccheion 8y ago
      Not really. I'm as "off" as an INTP is off in the world at large. I was generally seen as nice. Though some would say/imply I wasn't, it was consistently shown to be done as part of an attempt to use/screw me. Maybe my tendency toward being introverted/quiet bothered some people (in the world at large). My use of the term Targeted Individual was more literal (another reason most would say Paranoid Schizophrenia): https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=targeted%20individual https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=targeted%20i....
badpun 8y ago
> Everyone still says Google is so great. Enough that I still wonder what happened. I also couldn't settle in, didn't like anyone, and was continually interrupted/harassed/followed. In Western cultures, people put so much spin on what they say that I wouldn't assign much value to it. "Loving the job" may often literally mean "the job sucks less than the all my other previous jobs, my long-term depression is somewhat better now". Sharing the unpleasant truth is usually seen as career and social suicide, so people put on a face.

sigi45 8y ago

oO you didn't like anyone there? Sounds like a problem with yourself. Can't imagine that you were sourrounded by assholes.

baccheion 8y ago
It didn't matter if they had an off-putting personality or were "OK." Either way, I just wasn't feeling it. On the other hand, the same happens wherever I go. Maybe Google's reputation of attracting certain personalities led me to believe there would be others that were similar or like-minded. Instead, they were mostly unhealthy judger types (though I'm not sure if the source is reliable, a few years ago 23.6% were said to be INTJ and 12.5% ENTJ: https://www.quora.com/Do-most-software-engineers-have-an-INTP-personality-type/answer/Steven-D-LePire https://www.quora.com/Do-most-software-engineers-have-an-INT...).
- joyeuse6701 8y ago
  You seem to mention the Myers Briggs a lot in your posts... I’m not sure how useful it is. The reduction of individuals to acronyms sounds to me like unhealthy judgment, so maybe Google did a better job than you realized in attracting “like minded” individuals!
  - baccheion 8y ago
    It's not that useful, but is another way to help illustrate what I'm trying to say.
- TulliusCicero 8y ago
  > I also couldn't settle in, didn't like anyone, and was continually interrupted/harassed/>>followed<<. > On the other hand, the same happens wherever I go. Is that you, mchurch?
  - baccheion 8y ago
    No. Someone much less known.
sosense 8y ago
Sounds like any given open office environment to me.

C1sc0cat 8y ago

Most places that do "interesting" work do have some elements of distracting and noisy. At my first job on campus at Cranfield university my shared office was a portacabin which was next to the hardstanding between two of the hangers and they used to test run executive jets after being serviced < 100m away now that is loud.

baccheion 8y ago
The work wasn't interesting.
- C1sc0cat 8y ago
  Ah that's a problem but at least you where paid fabulously.
  - baccheion 8y ago
    Pay was (industry) median in my case.
    - C1sc0cat 8y ago
      At Google? When I worked at a tier 1 RnD org I was paid about 1/3 of the same grade in the Uk Scientific civil service.

fipple 8y ago

Unless you were assaulted there or something, the fact that you haven’t been able to work in 8 years is probably indicative that there’s something you personally need help with rather than something structurally wrong with Google.

baccheion 8y ago
Well, I say I became a Targeted Individual. Others would say it's Paranoid Schizophrenia. I was implying sabotage.
- fipple 8y ago
  Here’s what I suspect. There’s something “off” about you compared to the average person. People lock in on that and basically recoil from you so you see people as having targeted you because they don’t do this to anyone else. The right kind of person can help you ascertain what this thing is that makes you “off” and help you correct or conceal it.
  - baccheion 8y ago
    Not really. I'm as "off" as an INTP is off in the world at large. I was generally seen as nice. Though some would say/imply I wasn't, it was consistently shown to be done as part of an attempt to use/screw me. Maybe my tendency toward being introverted/quiet bothered some people (in the world at large). My use of the term Targeted Individual was more literal (another reason most would say Paranoid Schizophrenia): https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=targeted%20individual https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=targeted%20i....

badpun 8y ago

> Everyone still says Google is so great. Enough that I still wonder what happened. I also couldn't settle in, didn't like anyone, and was continually interrupted/harassed/followed. In Western cultures, people put so much spin on what they say that I wouldn't assign much value to it. "Loving the job" may often literally mean "the job sucks less than the all my other previous jobs, my long-term depression is somewhat better now". Sharing the unpleasant truth is usually seen as career and social suicide, so people put on a face.