4 ms·

I’m always wary of the hip companies that offer all the perks and try and seem cool. It’s not altruistic. They expect in return to work you like crazy. I would

by helmsb 7y ago

I’m always wary of the hip companies that offer all the perks and try and seem cool. It’s not altruistic. They expect in return to work you like crazy. I would much rather work somewhere boring where I work a solid day and go home, don’t have to think about work on the weekends with solid monetary compensation. Free donuts and coffee can’t make up for lost personal time nor can it pay for a mortgage. I’m a professional, treat me like one.

liberte82 7y ago
That's why they're always looking for fresh college grads, many of the older people wise up eventually.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
SpicyLemonZest 7y ago
Different strokes for different folks. Some people (by which I mean me) honestly don't like the "work a solid day and go home" model; I don't have the kind of mental switches to stop thinking about personal stuff at 9 am and stop thinking about work stuff at 5 pm. My current company gets 50+ hours a week out of me, but nobody complains when I watch a Youtube video and I don't need permission to leave early when it's necessary - I consider that a fair trade.
- wolco 7y ago
  Do you get to work at 4am or do you still follow office hours?
- wil421 7y ago
  Are you married? Do you have kids? Do you have a dog? Do you have hobbies that require you to be away from computers? If you don’t answer yes to one of my questions I suggest you try one or more. I’ve gone through lots of hobbies outside my house (preferably outdoors) over the years including running, working out, walking my dog, and now kayaking. If your able to get your work done you should swap the YouTube time for someone else outside work.
  - nostrademons 7y ago
    Speaking as someone who is now married with a kid who worked a whole lot when I was younger, I'd advise the opposite for the OP. Work as much as you can, and ideally get your employer (or customers) to pay you as much as possible for that work. Save that money, and invest it well. Because you won't be able to do that when you have kids. The period from 0-5 years old is just brutal on all of time, attention, and finances. Having a financial cushion is pretty critical if, for example, you get hit with $50K in hospital bills while also needing to figure out daycare and baby supplies and your wife is spending 6-8 hours/day nursing and you're both sleeping 3-4 hours/night. Many new parent problems can be solved with money, and most of the rest are a lot easier if you're not worried how to get the money.
    - robin_reala 7y ago
      Does the US system not seem crazy to the people who are stuck inside it? I mean, I guess this is a low-effort comment etc, but I’m still staggered that pulling massive overtime in advance, and $50k for medical bills is seen as a potential part of having a kid.
      - nostrademons 7y ago
        Yes, yes it does. But not something I could do anything about, other than voting for single-payer if it ever came up for a vote, which it won't.
        Moru 7y ago
        It always feel like grinding in salt in open wounds when discussing US medical and family building. For example when we had our daughter 10 years ago, we had more than 300 days (can't remember exact) to share between us of paid time off work. All medical treatment and dentist is absolutely free up to 20-ish, as are schools. Child care is about 60 eur per month depending on salary of both parents. 70 eur is about max.
        7y ago
president 7y ago
What I've found is that there are lots of people who base their lives and even their identity around their work/company. For these people, work life is more interesting to them and so these perks are great for them.
sfkdjf9j3j 7y ago
Most engineers I know at companies with all the nice perks (myself included) only work about 40 hours a week. It's not an either/or. Besides, it's my most productive 40 hours a week, during the prime of my life. I don't want to spend that as a work-robot who dutifully produces exactly 40 work-units, no more no less, then vanishes into the night. I find it much more fulfilling to have both personal time AND investment in my job.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
TulliusCicero 7y ago
The average work life balance at Google is actually quite good, though. Hours are normal and there's a lot of flexibility. Hell, even when I was at Amazon my work life balance was fine. The main downside of these high paying, prestigious companies is that the places they offer jobs in are usually the really expensive cities.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

by helmsb 7y ago

liberte82 7y ago

That's why they're always looking for fresh college grads, many of the older people wise up eventually.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

SpicyLemonZest 7y ago

Different strokes for different folks. Some people (by which I mean me) honestly don't like the "work a solid day and go home" model; I don't have the kind of mental switches to stop thinking about personal stuff at 9 am and stop thinking about work stuff at 5 pm. My current company gets 50+ hours a week out of me, but nobody complains when I watch a Youtube video and I don't need permission to leave early when it's necessary - I consider that a fair trade.

wolco 7y ago
Do you get to work at 4am or do you still follow office hours?
wil421 7y ago
Are you married? Do you have kids? Do you have a dog? Do you have hobbies that require you to be away from computers? If you don’t answer yes to one of my questions I suggest you try one or more. I’ve gone through lots of hobbies outside my house (preferably outdoors) over the years including running, working out, walking my dog, and now kayaking. If your able to get your work done you should swap the YouTube time for someone else outside work.
- nostrademons 7y ago
  Speaking as someone who is now married with a kid who worked a whole lot when I was younger, I'd advise the opposite for the OP. Work as much as you can, and ideally get your employer (or customers) to pay you as much as possible for that work. Save that money, and invest it well. Because you won't be able to do that when you have kids. The period from 0-5 years old is just brutal on all of time, attention, and finances. Having a financial cushion is pretty critical if, for example, you get hit with $50K in hospital bills while also needing to figure out daycare and baby supplies and your wife is spending 6-8 hours/day nursing and you're both sleeping 3-4 hours/night. Many new parent problems can be solved with money, and most of the rest are a lot easier if you're not worried how to get the money.
  - robin_reala 7y ago
    Does the US system not seem crazy to the people who are stuck inside it? I mean, I guess this is a low-effort comment etc, but I’m still staggered that pulling massive overtime in advance, and $50k for medical bills is seen as a potential part of having a kid.
    - nostrademons 7y ago
      Yes, yes it does. But not something I could do anything about, other than voting for single-payer if it ever came up for a vote, which it won't.
      - Moru 7y ago
        It always feel like grinding in salt in open wounds when discussing US medical and family building. For example when we had our daughter 10 years ago, we had more than 300 days (can't remember exact) to share between us of paid time off work. All medical treatment and dentist is absolutely free up to 20-ish, as are schools. Child care is about 60 eur per month depending on salary of both parents. 70 eur is about max.
        7y ago

president 7y ago

What I've found is that there are lots of people who base their lives and even their identity around their work/company. For these people, work life is more interesting to them and so these perks are great for them.

sfkdjf9j3j 7y ago

Most engineers I know at companies with all the nice perks (myself included) only work about 40 hours a week. It's not an either/or. Besides, it's my most productive 40 hours a week, during the prime of my life. I don't want to spend that as a work-robot who dutifully produces exactly 40 work-units, no more no less, then vanishes into the night. I find it much more fulfilling to have both personal time AND investment in my job.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

TulliusCicero 7y ago

The average work life balance at Google is actually quite good, though. Hours are normal and there's a lot of flexibility. Hell, even when I was at Amazon my work life balance was fine. The main downside of these high paying, prestigious companies is that the places they offer jobs in are usually the really expensive cities.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]