Chris.Derecola

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.

Remember this post? Well today, Melissa and I tendered our resignations with our respective employers.  We will be with them through the end of the month, then we’ll be uprooting our lives and moving to the other side of the country. Naturally, this is a pretty hectic time and I have so many thoughts floating around in my head, I don’t even really know where to begin. I could probably ramble on ad nauseam about every detail, but the best thing to do is answer some of the questions you likely have. If I missed anything, feel free to ask followups in the comments.

Where and why are you moving?

I received a job offer from Amazon (yes, that Amazon) to work as a Senior Operations Analyst at their headquarters in downtown Seattle, Washington. My first day of employment is slated for December 19th; six short weeks away.

What are you going to be doing?

Honestly? It would probably bore you if I tried to describe it. Suffice to say, my skills and experience as a data guru will be well exercised. I’ve been describing it as “turning data into awesome” and while that’s certainly tongue in cheek, it’s not entirely inaccurate. I specialize in making sense of unordered data and process improvement; this role will make use of that.

This doesn’t seem like a good time, so why now?

Life rarely gives you a choice when it comes to opportunity and that’s the case here. Amazon is a company I well and truly respect, so I said “yes” when they asked if I was interested in interviewing. One thing led to another and eventually I ended up with a job offer (doing something I enjoy) that included an extremely comprehensive relocation package. We are getting to a point in our lives where we’re ready to move on, so it would be hard for us to pass up such a generous offer to live somewhere else.

Relocation? What is Amazon covering?

When I say generous, I mean GENEROUS. I’m no relocation specialist, but it seems to my untrained eye to be the closest thing you can get to cut/pasting your life. Reading the package, it occurs to me that not only have they thought of every little detail, but we are unlikely to have a deal this good around every corner. I don’t want to get in to specifics; suffice to say that nearly every aspect of moving is designed to be as stress and hassle free as possible.

What about Melissa’s school?

Yeah, about that. This opportunity definitely puts a wrench into her schooling, but we have a plan. She is going to take the spring semester off so we can move to Seattle together next month. She’ll look for an internship and/or part time job for the first half of the year and then return to northern Virginia for the fall semester. We’ll reunite during her winter break and then she’ll have another three month stint in the spring to finish up her degree. While we have no delusions about this being a true test of our marriage, we are confident that ours is strong enough and take solace that our servicemen and women deal with far less favorable terms of separation.

What about your friends and family?

The irony of this is, since we’re out in Ashburn, we don’t see our friends and family that often. Much of my family has moved out of the area, Melissa’s family is in New England and most of our friends are either raising kids or living the single life inside the Beltway. We would love to see them more, but it just doesn’t happen living and working away from everyone else. The internet has changed the way we interact with those we care about, so we’ll be making good use of it. Besides, if people’s reactions are to be believed, we’ll be getting a lot more visitors in Seattle than we ever did in Ashburn.

Seattle? Do you like rain?

Would you believe Seattle gets less rain in a year than most major US cities, including Washington, DC? Seattle does have a reputation for poor weather, but it’s mostly because their winters are wet and gray instead of cold and snowy. The upside is not only are summers much drier than DC, it’s also much cooler. Since I have a serious distaste for Mid-Atlantic summers, this is going to be a welcomed change. Melissa is also happy because she wants to leave the Vermont winters of her childhood in the past. Look, I made a graph!

Where are you gonna live?

Amazon’s campus is pretty close to the downtown (Belltown) area. We have realized we want to live in a walkable community, where stores, cafes, bars, culture and a social life are steps from our door. I doubt we’ll be living in an apartment in the heart of Seattle, but we fully intend to live within biking distance of all the hotspots (including the tourist attractions) and Amazon. I really want to walk or bike to work, so this will play a large role in our search. Much of Seattle’s downtown public transportation is free, and I’ll also get a free commuter card, so buses and surface trains are definitely fair game. The beauty of the area is we’re a mere 45 minute drive to pretty much everything we could possibly want to do in the outdoors. I’m really looking forward to adopting a more active lifestyle, exploring the countless National Parks and getting to know Mount Rainier a little better. Yes, we would love to have visitors.

Are you nervous and/or excited?

We are terrified. In a good way. This is the largest leap of faith either of us have ever taken, which makes it a very scary proposition. The good thing is there are so many things about it that are exactly what we want in our lives, we just can’t say no. We don’t want to be those people who look back and say “I wish we woulda” so we’re doing it. Had we not done things like travel Japan alone or backpack through France, we probably wouldn’t have the confidence to move… but alas, we did and we are.

Are you gonna party before you leave?

Heck yeah! Watch your email for an invite a farewell party on 12/10.