Day 10: Full day at Google!

01/17/2018

Day 10 lived up to all the hype for me! Today was our full day at Google and Googleplex, their headquarters in Silicon Valley!

We started the day meeting our two hosts, Ellen and Craig, who led us across their campus throughout the entire day. We started by taking a walk to our conference room, discussing some of the logistics behind their campus, their history, and how the do their part to leave very little footprint on the environment in this sunny, warm area. It was very interesting to hear about the very different ways that people commute to Google, whether by bus, car, electric car, or bike.

I found that the atmosphere on this campus was very refreshing! While the business and work behind their doors is serious and innovative in every aspect, it is also fascinating to see all of the components of their campus dedicated to their employees and their mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Next, we went to our conference room to meet with a programmer over conference call, who's main advice was to say 'yes' as much as you can! If you don't, you could easily miss out on an opportunity to change your life. He told us about the plentiful projects he has been a part of, whether they succeeded or not, and how he got involved with Google. We heard from Anurag Batra, a product manager at Google, who told us about the importance of team chemistry, and how working in various team sizes can actually be much better, even if the number of members is much larger.

We met with two members of their University Education program, one of which got her Ph.D in English and taught while holding administrative roles for several years, and is very fresh to the program. These people taught me how much Google can reach out towards other industries and influence many people without having a technical inclination to change their products.

We then went to lunch on campus, where they had wonderful Indian food which was exactly what I was craving at the time!

Next, Craig opened up about the challenges, difficulties, and tough conversations that go into a couple's decision to move long distances for a job for one of them. This resonated with me and I learned that following the two questions "What's the worst that can happen?" and "Is that 'worst' worth it?". Craig also taught me that large companies, even though they can seem the most enticing, they simply aren't for everyone, and that's okay! Even though he was enthusiastic about Google, he definitely understands that following one's own path is the most important thing.

Below is a picture of me in front of one of the four main buildings that make up Googleplex and their campus.

This was a very eye-opening, fun day full of touring, discussion, and enjoyable conversation with a great host!

LinkedIn tomorrow!