So, what's it really like to work at Google?

I've been a full-time employee at Google for about 6 weeks now, and I keep getting questions from various friends, family and acquaintances about how it is, so I figured it was time to follow-up after my first impressions post I wrote after my first day.

One question people keep asking me is where I'm working; some assume I'm in Kirkland, WA; others presume I've relocated to Mountain View.  Others think I'm in San Francisco, New York, or Zurich.  But no, I'm quite happily commuting from my home north of the University of Washington to Google's Seattle office, which is in the eccentric but yuppified neighborhood of Fremont.

The commute is pretty ideal for me: about 20 minutes of biking, about 90% of it on bike path, to a locked bike cage in the underground parking garage.  There are a shade over 200 Googlers (yes, Googlers) working there, mostly engineering, but some salespeople as well.  Our office overlooks the canal, right next to the Fremont Bridge, so we can see all sorts of watercraft going by: rowers, Argosy cruises, tugboats pushing cranes... and today I spotted my first police boat, zipping off to some emergency.  It's been surprising to see how often the bridge has to open for tall vessels.

At Microsoft I always had an office (although I did have to share one both as an intern and also for my first 6 months full-time), but no one at Google Seattle has an office.  My manager's desk is right next to mine and there are about ten desks in our room.  It's a bit tight, and we're in the process of finding a different space in the building to move to, but having a south-facing canal-view room is something we're willing to squeeze in for.

People ask how I like the shared space instead of individual offices, and thus far I'm a pretty big fan.   Being a noogler (yes, noogler) on the team, overhearing conversations gives me an idea of how things work, how the team works together.  The close proximity of coworkers allow me to quickly ask questions, sometimes to individuals and sometimes to the group at large.  I'm definitely trying not to ask too many questions, usually trying to figure things out on my own first.

The food in the cafeteria is superb.  In 5 weeks at the Seattle office, I don't think they've repeated entrees once.  It's a small cafeteria and due in part to lack of cooking facilities, the food is prepared by a catering company mostly off-site and brought in daily.  Some things, like omelettes (on Tuesday mornings), pancakes (on Thursday mornings), and some stir-fry items are cooked in the cafeteria, but even those things prepared elsewhere are high-quality and tasty.  There's always a good variety of fruits, vegetables and salads and the dessert is always fantastic.

And yes, the food at Google is all free: breakfast, lunch, and dinner (well, there's no dinner on Friday).   I'd probably be eating very well and healthfully at our office if it weren't for those desserts and the micro-kitchens.

Each floor at Google generally has a "micro-kitchen" which includes snacks and drinks.  The drinks range from juice to soft drinks to espresso to hot chocolate.  Snacks include fruit, nuts, cliff bars, dried fruit, potato chips, and (here's the problem) m&m's.  All right, the m&m's aren't the only problem... the cashews, almonds, and peanuts have been consumed in copious amounts as well.  So yes, it is safe to say that I've put on a few pounds in the last 6 weeks!

One of the features of Microsoft buildings that I came to take for granted in the eight years I worked there was the showers and locker rooms. There's only one shower per gender at our building at Google Seattle, but in the ~20 or so times I've used it, I've only had to wait a few times for my turn.  To me, the office in general and the bathrooms in particular have a relaxed, friendly decor.  There are pictures on the wall, all sorts of useful things in the bathrooms for all to use (saline! shampoo! conditioner!  toothpaste!).   And yes, there is a towel service.

Well, I think that sums up the building pretty well.  Next time I'll delve into what the work is actually like!