Google, Microsoft, tech jobs, etc... are no longer "dream" jobs..

[F1980]

I remember in the early 2000s hearing and reading about what it's like to work at Google, Apple and other big and small tech companies. Well, things are changing fast. They're no longer the "dream" jobs they used to be and it's only going to get worse...

I remember the talks about their personal chefs, masseuse, slides, etc...

 

[Rob Battisti]

I mean, they definitely are better than you’d expect but it’s just that they are so big you can’t get anything done within them anymore so it’s not fulfilling.

 

[Beechwood]

My tech nephew was bad mouthing Apple once again while he visited over the weekend. He doesn't like Apple and the people that work there. I get the slight opinion he wouldn't want to work for them.

 

[Spounman]

Yeah it's been like that for a while. I worked at tech giant from 2007-12 and it was great. I got to work from home which I'd usually do 3x a week. I'd go in on Tuesdays & Thursdays just for a change of scenery. My cubicle was on the 3rd floor and many of those days there was nobody else on the floor. The motion sensor lights would turn on as I walked around. I always knew when my boss had been there based on the date of the newspaper in his cubicle, usually it was 6 months or so. He lived maybe 20 minutes from the office and he never came in to the point where he'd have me ship him printer paper rather than coming to get it.

All went downhill after that. I then worked at a tech giant from 2014-18 and it was bad, constantly micro managed and made to go to useless meetings. I worked at Tesla for a year too and that was good and stress free. Then I worked briefly for a startup and that was hell, they were trying to give me work to do at night after my 8 hour shift.

Tech industry is mostly contractors who are overworked compared to what they are paid.

 

[Kenshi]

A recruiter from Microsoft reached out to me in Feb to setup an interview. I had to fill out a questionnaire and then the first round phone screen would get scheduled. I was super stoked as I had always wanted to land a gig there.

After getting the questionnaire back to the recruiter a few days had gone by and I didn't hear back. I reached out after 3 days and was told the position got cancelled. I spent several days doing some serious prep and didn't even make it to the first round - what a joke. I can't imagine actually getting the job and always wondering if you'll be laid off at the end or start of the year.

 

[Natural Order]

Wife's cousin was recruited by Google. He made it about a year down in California before almost losing his mind and coming home. They're rich, dork havens and the culture is almost cult like. Yeah, no thanks.

I'm sure though they are very much still dream jobs for millions of people and that likely won't change.

 

[J.M.M]

What jobs are we comparing them to? Don’t think they have gone more downhill than any other line of work. Still probably offer the best benefits.

 

[Bornstarch]

My job is a dream job to most people. We have a free buffet for employees. We got a Chinese section, Italian, there's a chef that can make you whatever sandwhich you want. There's an omelette station where someone can make you whatever omellete you want. Pancakes, waffles, soft serve ice cream, coffee, donuts, they rotate the menu often.

And I only work maybe at most 1 hour out of 8 hours per day. We got a good union pension and matching 401k. 6 weeks of vacation per year. Nobody ever gets fired. We got wifi in the shop to watch netflix, youtube, etc... We can order whatever tools we want. I can order an AC unit for my house and have the company pay for it.

 

[TribalDrumz]

That show Silicon Valley was cringe city

 

[Flower2dPeople]

That show Silicon Valley was cringe city

It's garam masala valley now.

 

[ObsoleteSoul]

A recruiter from Microsoft reached out to me in Feb to setup an interview. I had to fill out a questionnaire and then the first round phone screen would get scheduled. I was super stoked as I had always wanted to land a gig there.

After getting the questionnaire back to the recruiter a few days had gone by and I didn't hear back. I reached out after 3 days and was told the position got cancelled. I spent several days doing some serious prep and didn't even make it to the first round - what a joke. I can't imagine actually getting the job and always wondering if you'll be laid off at the end or start of the year.

I worked for them, at the Redmond campus, and you are right; people were always worried about losing their jobs. It was common to hear people everyday in the buildings with food at lunch time, talking about budget cuts, and what the next quarter would bring, or not bring. It was anxiety inducing just walking through there and hearing the idle chit chat.

Still, most people there made bank, so just have to learn to save and invest right, and play the game.

 

[Long Dark Blues]

They aren't fulfilling.

I was a programmer for 13 years; full-stack Web, Web services, enterprise applications, data analyst, etc.

Switched to the requirements gathering/business analyst side of the coin two years ago, liked it better for a while but it is still majorly unfulfilling.

Pays the bills though.

My kid got a great job in Chicago following the same path as me, but it isn't what he wants to do.

I told him to pay his student loans off as quickly as possible with this job, then find his dream job and make a career. You'll be able to stomach more risk with no loans.

I mean, they definitely are better than you’d expect but it’s just that they are so big you can’t get anything done within them anymore so it’s not fulfilling.

100%.

 

[Kenshi]

I worked for them, at the Redmond campus, and you are right; people were always worried about losing their jobs. It was common to hear people everyday in the buildings with food at lunch time, talking about budget cuts, and what the next quarter would bring, or not bring. It was anxiety inducing just walking through there and hearing the idle chit chat.

Still, most people there made bank, so just have to learn to save and invest right, and play the game.

I agree. It's still an appealing company and I would try to make the most of it if I could.

 

[Madmick]

Suddenly these white collar types care about mass layoffs despite record profits and stock values because they're the ones being replaced by robots.

Hmmm. Fancy that.

 

[Osculater]

That show Silicon Valley was cringe city

Kiss my piss

 

[ObsoleteSoul]

I agree. It's still an appealing company and I would try to make the most of it if I could.

You would be a fool not to. It is a gateway to many other companies and fields. Just having the name on your resume will propel you forward if you don’t burn bridges.

 

[Aegon Spengler]

This Greek finance minister (lol) argues that big tech has nearly killed capitalism. He say old timey capitalists would run narrow profit margins, reinvesting the majority of their capital, while tech companies put around 2% of their revenue into salary etc

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

I have a second cousin that’s about 8 years younger than me that’s been working with Microsoft since 2016. I remember we visited Seattle in 2017 and he gave us a tour around the “campus” or whatever. He’s still with Microsoft though he moved to New York City in I think early 2021. I don’t know if MS has offices there or if he works remotely. I assume he likes it. I know he’s making pretty good money.

 

[Jack Reacheround]

Suddenly these white collar types care about mass layoffs despite record profits and stock values because they're the ones being replaced by robots.

Hmmm. Fancy that.

Yeah, this is something that people need to understand has been happening to manufacturing jobs, and other blue collar workers, for years. People always say, “Retrain your job skills.” That isn’t always the easiest thing to do. It takes some time. And you don’t always have the kind of time you need to invest in something like that when you’re supporting a family.

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

My job is a dream job to most people. We have a free buffet for employees. We got a Chinese section, Italian, there's a chef that can make you whatever sandwhich you want. There's an omelette station where someone can make you whatever omellete you want. Pancakes, waffles, soft serve ice cream, coffee, donuts, they rotate the menu often.

And I only work maybe at most 1 hour out of 8 hours per day. We got a good union pension and matching 401k. 6 weeks of vacation per year. Nobody ever gets fired. We got wifi in the shop to watch netflix, youtube, etc... We can order whatever tools we want. I can order an AC unit for my house and have the company pay for it.

you hiring?