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To be fair we have it far easier in Sydney than over in Silicon Valley. For example most (but not all) Sydney Googlers choose to stay in Sydney even though they
by shric 6y ago
To be fair we have it far easier in Sydney than over in Silicon Valley. For example most (but not all) Sydney Googlers choose to stay in Sydney even though they have the chance to relocate to e.g. Mountain View or Sunnyvale for more than double the comp. This is because of the work life balance and culture here in Sydney compared to over there.
(I worked at Google Sydney for 5 years)
- ZephyrBlu 6y agoWhat are the differences in W/L balance and culture between SV and Sydney?
- shric 6y agoIn Sydney It's generally fine to arrive at 9 and leave at 5 as long as you produce reasonable output. In SV I noticed almost everyone worked way over 40 hours per week, overtime was the expectation and the norm. I would assume this is not across all teams in all cases, just my first hand experience and also second hand anecdotes from colleagues.
- ZephyrBlu 6y agoInteresting. I would have thought things at Google would be relatively chill. People on /r/cscareerquestions who work at FAANG usually say they work less than 40hrs a week.
- shric 6y agoMaybe it's chill compared to other FAANG. I hear horror stories from Googlers in Seattle that are ex Amazon
- flukus 6y agoI would be shocked if that sub wasn't thoroughly astro-turfed. The constant influx of new devs and repetitive questions, the relative lack of experienced devs and the potentially large payoff make it the ideal breeding ground for manipulation.
- ZephyrBlu 6y agoThere are quite a few regulars, and funnily enough most people on the sub are quick to call out possible astro-turfing. It seems unlikely that it's thoroughly astro-turfed.
- threeseed 6y agoApart from Sydney having almost perfect weather and being one of the most stunning cities in the world there are the political aspects. Free healthcare, basically no gun crime, far less polarisation, more family friendly, far less homeless, a more successful multiculturalism environment, strong societal bonds i.e. we were able to get most of the country to agree to large scale lockdowns and mask wearing. Mateship and community are embedded in the DNA of the country whereas in the US it's freedom and individuality. And those different styles permeate through everything. But then S/V has the incredible IT and startup community which is unparalleled anywhere in the world.
- astrange 6y agoUS FAANG health insurance is better and cheaper than (Australian) Medicare, which doesn't cover dentists/therapists/psychiatrists/etc. Universal systems are of course better once you're too sick to keep your job. Also, Sydney's cost of living and housing crisis is apparently even worse than SV, though I don't understand how that's possible. We're very dedicated to making housing expensive here.
- shric 6y agoAU FAANG pay for health insurance too.
- astrange 6y agoI was actually just looking at this and our benefits in AU seem to be A$3000 a year allowance towards a private plan. That doesn't seem like a lot, but maybe it's enough.
- shric 6y agoThat gets a good private plan here. Also that's after a large corporate discount
- InvertedRhodium 6y agoI'd be inclined to bank the 3k/year and insure yourself - PHI in Australia is a borderline scam and half the time you'll end up in the public system anyway.
- bonjourmr 6y agoYeah, I touched on the lifestyle here being good, I completely relate - I just think it creates a conundrum. Given this reality, we'll continue to be safe/slow followers to the rest of the world. Which is sad given this statistic! It is a huge wasted opportunity where we could be leaders in ideation, creations, thoughts, inventions etc. I don't want life to change, but in the bigger picture, I don't want us to fall behind in the pack.
- nightowl_games 6y ago> Which is sad given this statistic! It is a huge wasted opportunity where we could be leaders in ideation, creations, thoughts, inventions etc. The statistic is about devs doing well on coding tests, not about any of the creative, innovative things you list. Perhaps they are inversely related.