<p>I might have posted before in this thread, but people want to work for the biggest companies (Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple) because:</p>
<ol>
<li>The perks are REALLY awesome (especially Google but goes for all big tech companies)</li>
<li>Being a part of creating an important product for society (i.e. REWARDING)</li>
</ol>
<p>Same goes for VC-funded startups. Then again every company needs a programmer guy so while most of the jobs are well paying, not all of them are glamorous.</p>
<p>Well established companies with positive cash flow are always a good place to start your career. Atmosphere is generally up-beat; you get good pay and perks. Plus, you get opportunities to explore and pursue different career paths - management & technical.</p>
<p>Whether these places are good for you long-term really depends on how you manage your career path once you get in. Life at these companies can become a hell if after a few years all you are good for is to fiddle with Gantt charts. </p>
<p>If can put up with some uncertainty there is nothing like start-ups. I have always enjoyed working for and be part of start-ups - clear goals, very little politics, focus on development rather than process.</p>
<p>My dad’s a software programmer, now an IT manager. We live in Atlanta and he works for a large company. They work with msft and google as well as other companies- I don’t think I’ve ever heard him mention working with Apple tho, but who knows. </p>
<p>Anyway, I just wanted to add to yal’s discussion- because alot of my friends want to go into IT (I don’t) and some of the things you guys are saying seem crazy. My dad works ALOT of hours. If a product is going into production or there are problems in testing- he might be on conference calls thru the night. He says that’s just what is required in the industry.</p>
<p>As far as employees leaving and coming back- people work in groups and groups change. My dad has hired previous employees that have left and are wanting to come back- because he liked them and they were competent. He also hates having to hire people- cuz it takes time away from other things he needs to do, so alot of times he’ll go with a previous employee or coworker that had bypassed HR and emailed him directly- then he only has to send HR their contact info and he can skip the whole interviewing process. So, I just wanted to post to add that you guys seem to be overstating some things because I know from my dad that in IT networking is extremely important & IT managers hate having to interview cuz its time consuming- and it sounds like some of you guys might be in HR, but my dad’s company’s HR department forwards resumes and sets up interviews, but IT groups hire IT employees for specific groups, not HR.</p>
<p>Also, he says IT is skills based- its about the skills you have from working on specific projects and competency- not the name brand of ur employer. And he knows people in companies all over the place- so there’s the whole 6 degrees of separation thing and everybody knowing somebody who knows somebody who knows them- so, its about being competent and having a rep for competency and being pleasant to work with. </p>
<p>And even if you don’t work for google, or apple or msft- you end up working for them- because the IT industry is interconnected. Just last weekend, I had to be quiet cuz he was on a conference call with google… stuff like that happens all the time- that’s just the industry.</p>
<p>I write software for connected gadgets and we have worked with Microsoft in the past, now with Google and Facebook, and use Amazon cloud stuff as well. Not to mention Apple, Verizon, AT&T, and the like.</p>
<p>I would not say I work FOR them (I get regular emails in LinkedIn from some of the above names) directly but if we succeed they succeed. We’re small fry compared to them but that’s how some of their more esoteric stuff gets promoted and used.</p>
<p>Much of what’s said in that article reaffirms my belief that alma-mater diversity in the workplace is a good thing. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the biggest reasons I love working in Aerospace. You could be working on the same project with grads from MIT to Cal State Long Beach, and every school in between. Each person has something unique to bring to the table, and you end up seeing things from different perspectives. All of this allows for a more innovative and collaborative work environment IMO.</p>
<p>I know a couple of people with graduate degrees who work at Google, and they say their job is to sit and review ads to make sure there’s nothing illegal about them.</p>
<p>When I asked them whether they liked working at Google, they said they did, but the way they said it made me think they really didn’t. From what I can tell, they stay because they’re paid well.</p>
<p>The article reminded me of when I worked at Sun in the 80s, when it was THE place to work in Silicon Valley. It was insufferable. Everyone tried to act like they had PhDs in CS. Forget about getting into a discussion about world affairs or the 49ers.</p>
<p>And you never saw so many balding guys with ponytails.</p>
<p>A lot of Sun people - the famous ones at least, a couple of which I did get to meet - did have PhD’s (Gosling, Schmidt, Nielsen, Rosenthal, etc). Pity the young generation will never get to know who some of those people were. To this day I recall getting stuck on curses, posting a question on Usenet on comp.something.curses, and receiving Ken Arnold’s answer by email…</p>
<p>Haven’t worked at Google, but having worked at some similar outfits I can confirm and sympathize with the massage chairs making more noise than would be optimal. No job’s perfect, I suppose.</p>