- About 6 months ago, I decided to quit my very good job at Google to explore a different way to live life. I had a loose plan of how I wanted to spend my time, but the main reason I left was that I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t put it into words at the time, but something inside of me was telling me I shouldn’t continue down the career path I was on. I felt strongly that it wasn’t getting me closer to where I wanted to be, though that destination was largely unknown, and I had to get off that road. Each month I stayed, I grew more anxious and, in turn, resentful. I could wait until I knew exactly which exit I was supposed to take, but I knew it would be harder to turn around as time went on, and what if I never knew which exit was right? The only thing of which I was certain was that no one was going to tell me how to get there; not my manager, not my co workers, not my friends, not my parents. I envisioned an older version of myself with a wonderful husband, beautiful kids, a mortgage and a crippling sense that I had missed my opportunity to dig deeper into what I really wanted out of life. So I swerved in January 2013 and took the next exit.
This section of this piece encapsulates the reason so many people willingly trap themselves in bad situations. It can be a job, a relationship or a university. I guess I've never had a problem walking away from something others told me I was crazy for leaving. I've also worked tirelessly at things others have thought was foolish. Live for yourself. When you are married and have a family, live for them too. -if it's a good situation that tends to be a symbiotic thing anyways. Frankly, she's lucky she has options. Too many people don't, at least not good ones. This is certainly a first world problem.I wish my own inner voice had said, ‘Hey Elle, this gig does have a lot of great things going for it, but maybe it’s time to leave.’ Instead it said, ‘Hey Elle, everyone wants this, so you probably should too. Find a way to love it. Be good at it. Stop complaining. ’
Very true, and I must say I'm jealous of the opportunity to even walk away from something like Google. One of the things I love about this story, however, is that it is a classic example of a person going through Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Perhaps that's just because I finished a first year Psych course. Still, I find these kind of stories interesting; the sort of, "Even with all my ambition and success I was still wanting for something more" story. I just finished reading David Mitchell's Back Story and it's rather similar. A memoir of achieving great ambition (he's followed in the footsteps of people like Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie) and inevitably realizing he's been missing something huge.Frankly, she's lucky she has options. Too many people don't, at least not good ones. This is certainly a first world problem.
I suppose I could wake up one day and realize that I've been missing out on something huge too. I just want to be a sculptor dammit! But I count myself extremely lucky in that my professional career gives me the time I need to pursue the hobbies that fulfill me. Music, podcasts and even Hubski. Without these things, I would likely feel similarly to her... without these things, I might go postal. Google sure has done a good job positioning themselves as the place to aspire to be. I have several friends that count them as their dream employer. Is it the ping-pong tables, the great cafeteria, the in-house barber and dentist? Because it sure as shit isn't the don't be evil, is it? The gild is off the lilly so to speak.
I think that's a big part of it, for me at least. It's part a reflection of the playfulness that for many hackers was a driving force behind their abilities and a sign of an effort to address all the needs of employees in order to help them reach their full potential. Plus, they put seem to emphasize (they may have been the first big company to do this, I'm not sure) the importance of developers having parallel career tracks for things like management and programming. In a traditional org you will find that you inevitably plateau unless you get into management. I probably, like many other developers, overly romanticize working at a place like Google. I'm sure there are your standard gripes from working at any big corporation: shitty management, uncaring bureaucracy, etc. Which is probably why so many people pursue that kind of environment in startups (just check out Dropbox's jobs page).Google sure has done a good job positioning themselves as the place to aspire to be. I have several friends that count them as their dream employer. Is it the ping-pong tables, the great cafeteria, the in-house barber and dentist? Because it sure is no longer the do no evil, is it?
Music studio... and Whiskey Friday's? Sign me up Drop Box. My company always talks about the 4 F's -Fast, something, something and Fun. For the most part they live up to them, I think. I forget the middle two F's. The biggest thing I require is autonomy. I don't care if your office is across from Disney World, I want to work from home. I don't want anyone breathing over my shoulder or messing with me unless I'm not meeting your expectations. Leave me alone and let me get what you asked me to get done, done. ... plus Whiskey Fridays.
I especially liked that moving to Los Angeles is more cost effective and leisurely. I can concur: LA is cheaper than Boston, where I lived for a dozen years. It's tough when you realize there are things you just cannot do. You may have the skills, but your body will send you other signs to say "keep this up and you're gonna die." For me it was outbound sales: I had a minor breakdown after a team meeting. I don't miss the dot-com era.