Life at College.... er, i mean Google
I have been out of college for over 3 months now, just enough time for an entire quarter at UCLA to have passed by. I've been thinking about my friends who are still in college, or at least the academic life, and reflecting on both my current situation and past situations.
While in college, i had an unusual, or at least i think it was unusual, view towards school. For me, college was like a job. I went to class, did my class work, took the tests, and was evaluated with a grade. Even though i didn't spend much time outside of class studying, i was very diligent about getting my work done on time, and going to class. I also wasn't very interested in the people i was in class with, with a few exceptions. After class would end for the day, and i had done my work at my part time job, I would just go back to my apartment and seclude myself from the college atmosphere. So i never really went to parties, never went out drinking with classmates or people i'd met in student groups, in reality i didn't do much outside of class and work.
To some extent i kind of regret that i didn't try to be more personable to my classmates, but at the same time i realize that all that typical college stuff really isn't my cup of tea. Nor have i ever been really good at bonding with people quickly. When i only see someone for a few hours 2 days a week, there really isn't much attachment or fondness.
But that was college.
Now i am in the working world, where my work can have a real impact on a companies state, and my co-workers state of mind. And while i still take my work rather seriously, and have no intentions of slacking off, the social interactions at Google have become what i though of as a typical college nature.
I see the same 20 people every day, We talk about our weekends, the work were doing, random musings. We eat together, and discuss how the food is at least twice a day. When one of our birthdays approaches, we plan a small party where most recent college grads at work will all attend. Sometimes this even happens when one of our team members is in the good mood to cook for a few of us. These parties, or social gatherings, occur on Fridays, shortly after we all get our work done, and we will all hang out until midnight playing guitar hero and what not.
Maybe this isn't so strange for most people, but for this to all be happening to me in only 3 months has been quite striking. It took me over a year to really gather a group of friends that i could hang out with frequently. And now in 1/4 that time i have become part of a group that does just this. Sadly i don't quite have the same emotional attachment i have to the friends from school, nor do i really think i will before i leave, but it is still nice to have some interesting people to spend my time with.
This just makes me wonder what graduate school will be like. Who will still be in LA? Who will be my class mates? My lab mates? Will i continue to hang out with a lot of people from my undergrad, and the new people i meet separately? I am curious to find out.
While in college, i had an unusual, or at least i think it was unusual, view towards school. For me, college was like a job. I went to class, did my class work, took the tests, and was evaluated with a grade. Even though i didn't spend much time outside of class studying, i was very diligent about getting my work done on time, and going to class. I also wasn't very interested in the people i was in class with, with a few exceptions. After class would end for the day, and i had done my work at my part time job, I would just go back to my apartment and seclude myself from the college atmosphere. So i never really went to parties, never went out drinking with classmates or people i'd met in student groups, in reality i didn't do much outside of class and work.
To some extent i kind of regret that i didn't try to be more personable to my classmates, but at the same time i realize that all that typical college stuff really isn't my cup of tea. Nor have i ever been really good at bonding with people quickly. When i only see someone for a few hours 2 days a week, there really isn't much attachment or fondness.
But that was college.
Now i am in the working world, where my work can have a real impact on a companies state, and my co-workers state of mind. And while i still take my work rather seriously, and have no intentions of slacking off, the social interactions at Google have become what i though of as a typical college nature.
I see the same 20 people every day, We talk about our weekends, the work were doing, random musings. We eat together, and discuss how the food is at least twice a day. When one of our birthdays approaches, we plan a small party where most recent college grads at work will all attend. Sometimes this even happens when one of our team members is in the good mood to cook for a few of us. These parties, or social gatherings, occur on Fridays, shortly after we all get our work done, and we will all hang out until midnight playing guitar hero and what not.
Maybe this isn't so strange for most people, but for this to all be happening to me in only 3 months has been quite striking. It took me over a year to really gather a group of friends that i could hang out with frequently. And now in 1/4 that time i have become part of a group that does just this. Sadly i don't quite have the same emotional attachment i have to the friends from school, nor do i really think i will before i leave, but it is still nice to have some interesting people to spend my time with.
This just makes me wonder what graduate school will be like. Who will still be in LA? Who will be my class mates? My lab mates? Will i continue to hang out with a lot of people from my undergrad, and the new people i meet separately? I am curious to find out.