Well it’s 97 today where I live. Thank god for the air conditioning. It’s expected to be 104 tomorrow. Not liking that one bit. Anything over 80-85 is just too much. You’d think going to the city (San Francisco) would help cool things off a bit, but nope. Yesterday during my lunch break, I walked with one of my work buddies down to the San Francisco ferry pier. I just wanted to get some nice cool air. There was nothing cool about it. It was the warmest weather I’ve experienced in San Francisco.
Well, let’s get to some other stuff. Today I’m working on my performance review for work. This time, mine is a little bit different because I am working on the next step in my career and trying to move on up to the next level. I can’t believe I am almost a Systems Engineer II. This indeed is a dream come true to be doing what I’m doing. On another note, this week, it’s been 4 years since I graduated college. 4 YEARS!! Where has the time gone? So if you are asking to yourself, what have I been doing for the last 4 years, let’s rewind a little bit and let me try to put this in as much as a nutshell as I can.
2013, I graduated from the Oregon Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, Applications Development.
This was one of the most happiest moments of my life. I was the first one in my family to receive a Bachelor’s degree. A month before this day, May 1st, 2013, I received a call from Google, telling me that I got the job I applied for, the Internal Technology Residency program, for new college graduates. This was another huge milestone for me. I GOT A JOB AT GOOGLE. The program at Google was a 2-year fixed-term program. Basically, I supported all Googlers, had the opportunity to travel, and lived the dream. To this day, it has been one of the best companies I’ve worked for. I honestly cannot say anything negative about them because I never experienced anything negative. If you want to read about what I did in detail, please feel free to visit my LinkedIn page. I had an amazing experience there and will never forget all of the amazing things this company had, the amazing people I’ve worked with, my wonderful manager, and all of the unforgettable travelling adventures I went on.
</center> After almost two years of working at Google, I knew the end of my two-year program was coming up soon. We had the opportunity to either apply again for a full-time permanent position or apply elsewhere, which Google would still help you achieve, I might add. I did so much thinking about this and really couldn’t make up my mind. After the many weeks and months of thinking, I decided to apply elsewhere because I believed that my work would go further at a smaller company. Do I like where I am currently? Yes. Would I go back to Google? Absolutely; however, I did what I did. After a few job offers on the table from a few companies, I decided to accept a position at Uber Technologies as a Service Desk Technician II.
I was in this position for 1 year until I received a promotion and gladly accepted a role on the Corp Site Reliability Engineering Team as a Systems Engineer I in the Tech Services Org. In this role, I’ve honestly learned more in a year than in the last 3. There are so many services I’ve learned and didn’t know existed until after I’ve joined. My team is amazing. In fact, I can’t thank my manager and one of the senior staff members enough for taking me onto the team, knowing that I didn’t know much about what I will be doing for the rest of my tenure at Uber. The things I know now is astronomical. Next month will be my 1 year on the team and this month is my 2 years at Uber. It’s been quite the adventure. Now, I am pursing the position one level higher. I believe I am doing all of the expectations of the role already, but we can only wait and see. If not, I’ll still be happy with what I do and just keep on trying.