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This sounds good if family relationships are priority. I think networking and building professional relationships are often improved over in-person interactions

This sounds good if family relationships are priority. I think networking and building professional relationships are often improved over in-person interactions. As we get more isolated in remote work, are there any diminishing returns which often not talked about? Any idea, how are these concerns for folks who are in or want to work for startups? How are WFH folks networking in bayarea?

eddsh1994 4y ago
I signed up to go to Hacker Dojo in Mountain View to get out the house, my employer pays for me to use WeWork whenever I want, and most importantly the bar (I found any freelance work I've wanted to pick up by having a beer and someone there asking for help for their startup from time to time).
- ShamelessC 4y ago
  WeWork is still a thing?
  - ShamelessC 4y ago
    This was a legitimate question. We don't all live in the Bay area and my understanding was that the business model failed.
    - eddsh1994 4y ago
      Yeah it’s still a thing! There’s 5 in SF and one in most cities down to San Jose
      - ShamelessC 4y ago
        So quite reduced from their initial operations though, correct? Why is that notion apparently so threatening? I remember people here proudly loathing the distracting music and making (apt) comparisons to existing co-working spaces, shared offices, coffee shops and public libraries (in order of increasing affordability). I never used one, but the idea that it's a household name is just tone deaf. Most people probably know it best from the Hulu series about it's demise.
soiler 4y ago
> This sounds good if family relationships are priority. I think networking and building professional relationships are often improved over in-person interactions. This is overlooked so often by (I am assuming) experienced, older engineers. And it's really a one-two punch for younger professionals. One, they may not have the family at home to spend that time with. Of course, it's also wonderful to spend time alone, but if a person doesn't have a partner and wants a partner, they're going to get more value out of going to the office for several hours than reading a book for 15 minutes at home. It may be they don't/can't/won't date anyone at work directly, but at the very least they're building their social network - which, before dating apps, was THE best source of dating partners. And punch number two is that networking is so, so important early to one's career. Sure, you can still reach out for references to people you worked with even if you never saw their face, but the connection is almost never as strong as with someone you meet day-to-day. Plus, social events mean you may meet people in their networks, etc. I am not fighting for return-to-office. Work from home should always be an option for anyone who wants it, and should be the default for many jobs/companies. However, it's a tricky situation, because if you're young and want to get the value of going in to the office, but 75% of your peers are WFH, well you're not actually getting much of that networking bonus. Then it becomes an issue of finding the right workplace - but again, that's so much harder for younger people or those earlier in their career (those overlap but are not 1:1).
- ryandrake 4y ago
  Optimistically, perhaps normalizing WFH will have the effect of reducing the importance of and the need to constantly be "networking". To me it's exhausting hanging out at the water cooler making small talk with people about sportsball, just because it happens to be a ritual that (for some people) somehow leads to career development. Now that the water cooler doesn't have anyone hanging around, it might start becoming less important to your career.
  - drewmate 4y ago
    I think this is a dangerous dream to have. The reality will probably be that the water cooler (or some virtual equivalent) will still be integral to career development, just maybe not yours. People are inherently social and no workplace will ever be a strict meritocracy. Eschew small talk at your own risk!
rilindo 4y ago
> This sounds good if family relationships are priority. I would like to think that should the default if you have a family.
OkayPhysicist 4y ago
> How are WFH folks networking in bayarea? The upside of having most of the big industry names in a relatively small geographic area is that you can't throw a stone in the bay without hitting someone working in tech. I've done as much networking, if not more, by just having a healthy social life versus going into the office.
simplotek 4y ago
> This sounds good if family relationships are priority. I think networking and building professional relationships are often improved over in-person interactions. I don't understand this comment. We're living in a world where the bulk of our social relationships have mostly an online component. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, slack, mastodon, WhatsApp, etc... It's all online. We search for jobs online. We have professional social networks. And we're expected to believe that networking is either done in person or not at all?
- sidpatil 4y ago
  > And we're expected to believe that networking is either done in person or not at all? Where did OP make this claim?
firecall 4y ago
Community relationships should be built. Not office relationships. Networking with people in the same industry isn’t as effective as meeting people from a wider base that can exchange services and support each other. Corporations are not “families”. Work colleagues are not your friends. Sometimes they become that. But real community connection that isn’t judging you on your office work is far healthier!
- TheHappyOddish 4y ago
  Let me tell you about this great investment opportunity called WeWork...

eddsh1994 4y ago

I signed up to go to Hacker Dojo in Mountain View to get out the house, my employer pays for me to use WeWork whenever I want, and most importantly the bar (I found any freelance work I've wanted to pick up by having a beer and someone there asking for help for their startup from time to time).

ShamelessC 4y ago
WeWork is still a thing?
- ShamelessC 4y ago
  This was a legitimate question. We don't all live in the Bay area and my understanding was that the business model failed.
  - eddsh1994 4y ago
    Yeah it’s still a thing! There’s 5 in SF and one in most cities down to San Jose
    - ShamelessC 4y ago
      So quite reduced from their initial operations though, correct? Why is that notion apparently so threatening? I remember people here proudly loathing the distracting music and making (apt) comparisons to existing co-working spaces, shared offices, coffee shops and public libraries (in order of increasing affordability). I never used one, but the idea that it's a household name is just tone deaf. Most people probably know it best from the Hulu series about it's demise.

soiler 4y ago

> This sounds good if family relationships are priority. I think networking and building professional relationships are often improved over in-person interactions. This is overlooked so often by (I am assuming) experienced, older engineers. And it's really a one-two punch for younger professionals. One, they may not have the family at home to spend that time with. Of course, it's also wonderful to spend time alone, but if a person doesn't have a partner and wants a partner, they're going to get more value out of going to the office for several hours than reading a book for 15 minutes at home. It may be they don't/can't/won't date anyone at work directly, but at the very least they're building their social network - which, before dating apps, was THE best source of dating partners. And punch number two is that networking is so, so important early to one's career. Sure, you can still reach out for references to people you worked with even if you never saw their face, but the connection is almost never as strong as with someone you meet day-to-day. Plus, social events mean you may meet people in their networks, etc. I am not fighting for return-to-office. Work from home should always be an option for anyone who wants it, and should be the default for many jobs/companies. However, it's a tricky situation, because if you're young and want to get the value of going in to the office, but 75% of your peers are WFH, well you're not actually getting much of that networking bonus. Then it becomes an issue of finding the right workplace - but again, that's so much harder for younger people or those earlier in their career (those overlap but are not 1:1).

ryandrake 4y ago
Optimistically, perhaps normalizing WFH will have the effect of reducing the importance of and the need to constantly be "networking". To me it's exhausting hanging out at the water cooler making small talk with people about sportsball, just because it happens to be a ritual that (for some people) somehow leads to career development. Now that the water cooler doesn't have anyone hanging around, it might start becoming less important to your career.
- drewmate 4y ago
  I think this is a dangerous dream to have. The reality will probably be that the water cooler (or some virtual equivalent) will still be integral to career development, just maybe not yours. People are inherently social and no workplace will ever be a strict meritocracy. Eschew small talk at your own risk!

rilindo 4y ago

> This sounds good if family relationships are priority. I would like to think that should the default if you have a family.

OkayPhysicist 4y ago

> How are WFH folks networking in bayarea? The upside of having most of the big industry names in a relatively small geographic area is that you can't throw a stone in the bay without hitting someone working in tech. I've done as much networking, if not more, by just having a healthy social life versus going into the office.

simplotek 4y ago

> This sounds good if family relationships are priority. I think networking and building professional relationships are often improved over in-person interactions. I don't understand this comment. We're living in a world where the bulk of our social relationships have mostly an online component. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, slack, mastodon, WhatsApp, etc... It's all online. We search for jobs online. We have professional social networks. And we're expected to believe that networking is either done in person or not at all?

sidpatil 4y ago
> And we're expected to believe that networking is either done in person or not at all? Where did OP make this claim?

firecall 4y ago

Community relationships should be built. Not office relationships. Networking with people in the same industry isn’t as effective as meeting people from a wider base that can exchange services and support each other. Corporations are not “families”. Work colleagues are not your friends. Sometimes they become that. But real community connection that isn’t judging you on your office work is far healthier!

TheHappyOddish 4y ago
Let me tell you about this great investment opportunity called WeWork...