My eye-opening visit to Google HQ in California got me thinking and comparing it to recent tours of Pixar and ILM San Francisco. It also challenged my views of success, desire, and fulfillment. I shared what I thought would be most fun, interesting, relevant, and helpful in this article. What happens when AFTER you climb the ladder of your dreams?
Context
My family and I had the opportunity to visit Google HQ in Mountain View. We explored some of the enormous campus and could enter multiple buildings thanks to our host. It was surreal, but not for the reasons you might expect. Here are a few reflections on the experience.
What are your goals and what’s at the top?
Many of us don’t think much or are uncertain about our top goal, only what’s next. Being hired to work for a major global company like Google is already the dream for many. You have a great salary, brilliant colleagues, impactful work, and amazing perks like free meals! But what about after you get the job? There is the prestige, allure, and mystery of Google as a company that makes people like me excited and curious to visit.
I am thankful to my friend who currently works there for providing us with guest passes. While it was a new adventure for my family, she said our visit was the most interesting part of the day for her. When fantasy becomes reality and daily routine, it can become mundane, no matter how impressive at the beginning. Hardworking humans want a real challenge: to struggle and achieve something. My friend at Google transferred to a different team despite rising high in the ranks and having to start over (including lower pay) for this reason. My wife and I were able to make this trip because both of us aren’t currently working. So there I was, a person with no income walking around Google feeling surprisingly satisfied with my life.
Pixar vs Google
Last year we had the chance to visit Pixar, another company I once dreamed of working for in any capacity. My friend there apologized for the food from their cafeteria (which is excellent), since it’s: “Not free, like Google.” We had no expectation of free food, but he said some people visit Pixar after visiting Google with the assumption that it will be the same. Pixar may not have the same perks, but I loved all of the amazing artwork throughout their studio. Google can’t compete with the sheer artistry within Pixar, since they have different products and objectives.
ILM vs Google
We also visited ILM in San Francisco, the pioneering VFX studio that many of my former students wish to join. Several of my former students have achieved that goal after getting hired by ILM Vancouver or ILM London. Sometimes those students write to me when they’ve achieved their top goal (e.g., working at ILM or on a Marvel movie) because they feel unsatisfied and don’t know what to do next. I encourage them to consider the direction they are going, not only the milestones along the way. Sometimes we work hard and climb up a ladder, only to discover near the top it was the wrong ladder for us. I don’t think that’s wasted time; sometimes we need to experience what we don’t want to know what we truly want. Much of life is about learning and trying different things so you can narrow your focus towards what matters to you.
Work AND Play
All three of these companies are still, to me, very cool. Each seems to understand that by encouraging “play”, creative thinking thrives. Google has an outdoor beach volleyball court and a slide in one building, as shown below. What I first thought was fun but silly might actually be the most efficient way to descend floors in an emergency.
Where is the best place to work?
Dami Gittens, CFP® CLU® CIM®, wealth advisor, once told me: “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It’s a quote attributed to Theodore Roosevelt. Comparison is necessary for many of the things we do, especially before making an important decision. But when applied to how we look at others and what they have (or appear to have), comparison can take us down depressing and misleading paths. Social media makes comparisons of success easier to do and also less reliable.
If you’re interested in learning more about this, I recommend looking into René Girard’s mimetic triangular theory of desire. The basic idea is that we won’t know what to desire, so we look at (or imagine) what others desire and imitate them. I see this all the time with my children, who will ignore a toy until the other child starts to play with it. The closer you are to the person whose desire you’re imitating, the more likely there will be conflict. It’s why I’m still frustrated that my colleague has a better GPU than I do, but don’t care about the GPU’s of strangers. (And I don’t need a faster one, to be honest).
The Secret to Happiness
When it comes to career goals, try not to fall into the “grass is always greener” trap. A Google Manager might wish they worked at Apple. An Apple Manager might be trying to move to Amazon. An Amazon Manager might be longing for more time with their kids or less stress. Recognizing and appreciating what you have, as well as looking for what you can do, fix, and improve in your current situation, is how you move closer to a more ideal life. No job, company, or income can give you everything you need or want. You have to search for that and discover it yourself.
I’ll close with this video from someone who has studied the science of happiness and whose work has inspired me: Dr. Arthur Brooks.
