Why I Was Scared to Leave My Google Job as an NRI

Actually, I didn’t.

I mean, I did leave Google. Eventually. But when I moved from the USA, I moved with Google. Why couldn’t I leave Google?

I could say I didn’t have the courage.

I could say it was simpler to internal-transfer.

The truth is, I made assumptions about life outside of Google. That hand of fear kept a grip around me.

Here are the top reasons I was scared to leave Google while moving to India.

There are Dimwits and Monsters outside

It was clear to me, from all quora answers, that life outside the world’s number one company, is going to be hell. Managers are going to whip you, your offsite will be in Garuda Mall, and all your teammates are stupid because all the smart people are at Google right? I made a movie of it in my head — that I’ve joined ClipFart. It’s my 18th day at the office. I, in my Anthropologie dress, am presenting a one-pager to my teammates, who are frightened or awed by the brilliance of a one-pager, because no one outside of Google would know how to write a one-pager right?

Leaving the Status of Google

India is about status — ok? Someone on Twitter said. So It must be true. Anyway, if I join companies like ClipFart or BaseFook, or BrazilWomenWarrior, I mean, come on, who will take me seriously? pffffsh. I gotta sit in Google forever because saying “I work for Google” is the ultimate door opener. Try it. Simply stand in front of any door, say “I work for Google” and watch its hinges creak. It’s the only way to get opportunities. Heck, my cousin even told the watchman we deserve car parking because “hum Google se aayen hain” and my friend from NYC stepped out of a rickshaw in front of Mannat and asked to meet Shah Rukh Khan because “I’ve come from Google”. Don’t judge that we didn’t get car parking and my friend was shoo’d away from Mannat, but still, we have to be able to say “I work for Google” coz that’s the only way Indians will, um, listen to me.

Can’t Adjust to Other Tools

Pretty much every Tool in Google is built internally. I loved the smoothness of the bug system. The ticketing systems’ most complex SQL queries were available company-wide… just copy-paste! The networking visualisation tool, mmmmuah. And Memegen, who can beat that? No way can any company beat this sophistication. I was so proud of it, almost as if I created it myself. Tooling is the ultimate God. I would reject working for any company that didn’t have Google docs or Gmail. When I briefly joined BirdCompany, my ultimate breaking question for the recruiter was not “give me more stocks’’ or “give me more money.” It was “Do you use Gmail?”. If they said “No”, I decided I would flick my hair behind because Google tools are superior and who wants to join an inferior-tooled place, right? Are there even any competing products? I could not see any from the desk I was sitting at in MTV. Hah! I bet other companies email around a 24 MB excel spreadsheet to track company-wide bugs. See I told you? Don’t leave Google.

So you see, these reasons prevented me from leaving Google. But after 1 year at Google India (and my 10th anniversary at Google), I felt — Hey, I am in India. No visa restrictions. One decision away from exploring the outside. Coincidently, I got a call from the Prime Minister’s Office to come work on a project. Well, why not? If I’m going to leave Google might as well plunge into the “diametrically opposite”(so I assumed from the outside), but unique experience. And as Indians say, “I did the needful’’.

Googlers must stop burdening one company with all their expectations. Other companies too have experiences you might enjoy. In BirdCompany, the breakfast was better than Google. I had found Clinkedins MicroKitchen better than Googles. BaseFook apparently has an ice cream counter and a sports day. That bug tool Bira might be better than Google Bugs Organiser, who knows. Smarties? I met stunningly Intelligent people at the Govt. In my current company, the people are so much fun, and the tech leads write clarity documentation, as one would expect to see at Google. There is so much goodness out there, go and explore it and find it.

Uhhh, Actually wait, you might want to first read why life was hard after leaving my Google job before you leave your job :D

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Hi, I’m Nupur, the founder of The NRI Study. I counsel NRIs to make critical decisions on where they should live. Book a session with me or buy my book!