I'm a Noogler

[pphaneuf]

So I'm now what they call a "Noogler", in Google lingo. They use real strong stuff for their brainwashing (and I worked with apenwarr!). This is, presumably, so they can stuff my head with the million things I have to figure out merely about the simple fact of working there.

I can't say much, other than it's awesome, that I'll be working on Safe Browsing, that my only hope of not becoming desperately fat is that I will not be working on a "real" Google office (until they "fix" that) and that, every day, millions of people search on Google for information (it's true!).

Steve Yegge's got it right, though. I feel a bit like a fraud, getting to work in such a wonderful environment, surrounded by über-smart people, who, it is only a matter of time, are eventually going to discover that I'm Just Some Guy and ditch me.

I should go to sleep now, they're going to put more things in my head tomorrow.

Comments

[eeyore42.livejournal.com]

Cool, I was on the Google Mountain View campus today, interviewing...

[(Anonymous)]

Congratulations for the new job. And don't worry, you're just as smart as they are. Maybe YOU will find out soon you just overestimated them... ;-)

[pphaneuf.livejournal.com]

Well, there is Guido van Rossum a few doors down from where my team is. They're not awful, in any case.

And yes, I know I am probably overestimating them, but that's how it feels. Reality will probably set in soon enough, and it should help that I'll be working in "normal offices" rather than the surrealist Googleplex.

[sailorfrag.livejournal.com]

I've seen you, and I've seen the people there. You're quite capable of holding your own. Sure, there are a few big names you see wandering around there, but you're rather smart yourself. Don't let the feeling get to you. It should wear off after a few months. :-)

And yes, the Googleplex is surrealist. My whole strategy for the next couple years is to ignore the real world and go back into what I was calling "la-la land" for a while. Hehe.

[pphaneuf.livejournal.com]

I know that it's just a feeling, but it kinds of keeps me on my toes. One of my teammates was explaining the system to me, and I could see that I was picking up pretty quickly, so that was comforting. :-)

I sometimes have the feeling (not just at Google, but in general) that people think I'm smarter than I really am, because I touched on a very wide number of subjects without necessarily becoming an expert on the vast majority of those (obviously!), and paired with raw coding not being one of my major skills (unlike, say, apenwarr, who kind of has this high-pressure flow of code coming out of him at any given time!), that someone will realize "hey, he's okay, but not nearly as good as we thought he'd be".

It'll wear off, hopefully. ;-)

In the meantime, I'll (actually!) be in Disneyland, if you need to find me. :-P

[taxlady.livejournal.com]

It's partly because smart/competent people tend to underestimate themselves. :D

[pphaneuf.livejournal.com]

I've noticed that too. Specifically, the tendency seems to be that smart/competent people perceive themselves as "normal", and are then shocked by the idiocy/incompetence that surrounds them, as opposed to them being "special" or "better".

Oh, the human psyche...

[pphaneuf.livejournal.com]

You're so gracious. :-P

[urbangeo.livejournal.com]

Does the Google gig mean you'll be moving again?

[pphaneuf.livejournal.com]

Nope, it's going to be for Google Montreal, so no worries. It's less than 10 minutes of metro from where I just moved in. :-)

[peaceful-dragon.livejournal.com]

congrats!

[pphaneuf.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[pphaneuf.livejournal.com]

Well, first, I have to learn it myself, and then, I'll have to find out if I'm allowed to tell. ;-)

[wlach.livejournal.com]

Congrats dude! This seems like a much better fit for you than some of your previous jobs.

Just don't drink too much of the kool-aid and disappear into a google void, ok? It'd be a shame if we didn't get to talk about technology again!