Well, I made it through my first week with Amazon. Suffice to say, it’s been a very interesting, eye-opening, tiring and refreshing experience. I spent much of this first week in meetings, sitting quietly, as a way to get exposed to as many things as possible. This also means I haven’t really produced anything, although I have managed to conquer a number of access/login issues and cross quite a few new hire tasks off my list.
A couple people have asked what it’s like or how I like it. Five days isn’t nearly enough to allow me to describe a new job (especially in a new city, in a new part of the country), so I’m not sure how much I can offer. Since much of my week was spent observing, what I can say is there are a number of things that have really struck me as “different” from other jobs I’ve had. Here are five things that have stood out this week.
- Dogs – They are everywhere. I’m really not sure what it is, but walking down the hall past someone with a dog is supremely cool. I love dogs and they are far from a distraction, which is sort of counter-intuitive. I can’t say I’ve heard a single bark this week, which allows them to easily become just another part of the work experience.
- Age – I’ve always felt like one of the younger people at the companies I’ve worked at. There are certainly people older than I at Amazon, but for the first time it seems as though I’m closer to the median (if not average [stat nerd!]) age of employees. This could be a threat to some people; I see it as a welcome sign the company can attract young minds.
- Food – A few things in our cafe: Elk Sliders, Grilled Salmon, Roasted Butternut Squash, Pho, Grilled Paneer Sandwich and Sashimi. Sweet.
- People – If you look lost, someone will ask you if they can help. If you sneeze, someone will say “bless you.” If you seem tired or otherwise in need of a pick-me-up, someone will buy you coffee. If you make eye-contact, the other person will smile and/or say hello instead of looking at their shoes.
- Growth – There are roughly 1000 companies in the US that have as many employees as Amazon has hired in 2011. For reference, the 2007 Census estimated the number of US businesses at roughly 28 million. This massive level of growth permeates everything.
The interesting thing about this list, is that it probably paints a picture reminiscent of the tech boom days. While it’s hard to buck that notion, I can tell you most everything I’ve experienced is one of a company that is very serious about getting work done and very serious about being successful. It’s much more “corporate” than one might expect, but more of a function of its size and less of bureaucracy. All in all, a welcomed new experience for me. I look forward to what the future may bring.
Merry Christmas everyone.