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First Garden Harvest

It has been seven months since starting in the company which I had wanted to get in for some time.  Why would it be sophisticated to write about it?

Against an odd of one in hundreds, getting a job offer was among those moments of dream coming true.  At the start, there was the constant reminder that it would take a while to know enough to contribute.  As such, other than an occasional worry of under-performance, it was back to college days surrounded by smart minds, healthy food, supportive coworkers, intelligent speakers and lots of freedom.  Many co workers are at the early stage of forming a family, I run into more folks expecting a baby than seeing any slackers.  With steady meals, nice gyms and tennis clinic, It is rejuvenating.

There is no lack of encouragement to ask many questions.  That sometimes translates into effort to overcome a self-inflicted intimidation factor as people around are smart and young.  The laissez faire culture nurtures self motivation and some never-enough sentiment though freedom also breeds insecurity and alignment issue.  In comparison, the status report and weekly progress report, adopted in traditional companies, give more gravity, even it becomes counter-creative over time.  A majority of hard-core engineers in a house don’t make much of a social environment, nor business-savvy organizations.

Even the best company has the similar ingredients as other good companies, just being cooked in different dishes – tribal hierarchy takes the place of organizational structure; voice of workforce survey exists in different names; employees have similar concerns on commute and work-life balance; and then that performance evaluation process.   It is more the accumulation of small differences that make the company look distinctly different from others.

The longing of a dream is gone at the same time when the dream is realized.  Friendly co workers warned, with certainty, a plateau would be ahead, and likely a sense of disorientation for a period of six to twenty four months (or forever).  It is a new cycle to start from somewhere again. And one tends to morph into similar species of the surrounding.  It reminds me of the beginning in another high-tech company many years ago.

Is there an easy way to answer “how do I feel about the company?”  It is not everything great but is hard to explain adversity when others think it is all great.  Maybe what matters more is do the best and dream on.

Posted in Career Management, Dear Diary