A name synonymous with the internet. A company that is patronized, admired and looked up to ( pun intended) throughout the world. ( maybe , excepting China). It’s funny how much our life, virtual and otherwise, is actually influenced and if I may, dependent on Google and its myriad products on the internet that almost control what, how, how much information is accessed, shared and developed all over the globe. And yet, we hardly stop to appreciate or even think about what the Google story is all about.
For me, the respect goes back to my quizzing days when Google questions used to be the favorite with both the quizmasters and the participants. The most repeated one being “ how did the name Google” come about? And the response would be a parroted "
Google started when Stanford Grads Sergey Brin and Larry page- both less than 21 ( yeah when people like us are confused about whether pink or purple is the hotter colour of the season!) started a search-engine project while at Stanford , originally titled backrub , which became 'Google' as a play on the world “Googol” which is 1 with a lot of zeroes, derived from the complex calculations and algorithms that go behind the search engine" and the rest is well, legend.
Personally, Google to me is a way of life. And I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I say nothing that's not flesh and blood, has influenced my life more, considering the amount of time I spend on the net. Every product, every innovation by Google has touched my life in some way or the other. As it has for most of us, I guess.
Google- the search Engine- From searching for movie reviews to information on universities; just about anything including Googling myself and others for lark! Who can imagine doing a project or assignment without using Google products or “Googling it” ? And I knew it’s a true story when at a small shop yesterday, I asked the shopguy about a particular query about a brand and his immediate response was “ Madam Google search karke dekhlijeye and tell us which you want!”.
Orkut ( well, at least in the pre-facebook days) got me to stop being incommunicado and gifted me some of my greatest friends today.
Blogger helped me get beyond my “dear diary” days, and earned me a place in the intellectual sphere, so to speak. And the fact that you’re reading this today
Gmail took care of my ‘huge storage ’ needs forever.
Picasa got me to share my story with the world, without saying a word.
Youtube has had me in splits, emotionally moved or wildly surprised with every video watched.
Adwords ( And precisely what I’ll be working on. See the ad => on the right side of this post? THAT ) and Adsense , the advertising programs of Google that have helped millions across the world earn millions just sitting at home , apart from being the breadwinner for Google itself. ( yes these are the products that make all the wonderful products of Google free for all)
So when this company, the biggest brand on earth, and the world’s number one employer, actually invites job applications for it, like “ Come work for THE Google ? ” Do you have any choice but to plunge? It’s almost like a premeditated response but I guess I realized it too late because when Google came to my own college last year for campus recruitment, I did not even apply! Why? Cos virtually the entire college flocked to try their hand and too impatient to wait till my turn, I up and left! As flimsy as that! But then opportunity does actually knock twice and like they say there’s always something better in store. Yes it is. I applied to Google once again following an ad in the paper ( Bless you Times of India) and voila 45 days and 6 rounds of the hiring process ( touted to be the most strenuous in the world) later, I had an offer to join the Google family. This was one Google invitation that you don’t take a rain check to . Imagine if I’d joined work at those other companies I actually applied at and didn't make it or didn't take it, and had got stuck doing finance and accounting work crunching numbers day in day out ,sitting in a boring, gray office! (Talk about blessings in disguise.) As opposed to the colorful, fun and humane environment at a Google office, lounging on a beanbag with a macbook on the lap and a redbull in the other hand, contributing to work that's changing the world!
And the fact that it has been constantly voted as the ‘best place to work at” thanks to its flexible, relaxed and fun working environment and the amazing perks, and the stats that have it that a minimum of 25,000 resumes are forwarded to Google every day, makes me proud to be working at this little work heaven , very soon.
I don’t think there is any other place, person or reason, that could make a homeloving , Cancerian like me leave my family, friends,dogs and a comfortable and convenient life back home in Bangalore- in my favorite city in India - and give it up all for a job.
Google has me owned….much like the internet itself.
