>I'm seeing it more and more--job descriptions with perks about nerf guns and happy hour, or new grads who joined a startup and are bragging about ping pong tables and free coke. This is apparently something that people see as a fun culture, a sign that this is a place you'd enjoy working at and has people you'd enjoy working with.
Heh. It took me awhile to find these:
>Excellent opportunities with an exciting, fun 6 year old .com company!!!
Skills wanted: JAVA, Weblogic, EJB, Solaris, Oracle. Fun atmosphere- pool table, ping pong table, foozball table, and cafeteria. @90-95K plus stock options $$$$$$
Don't miss out!!! This is a hot one, sunny California, in Culver City- very close to Santa Monica and Marina Del Rey!!! Beautiful beaches, blue skies and the ocean!
If someone could reply with the correct spelling of foozball, we have a bet going in the office!
> Free meals when working late; unlimited cold beverages; vacation homes in Lake Tahoe; monthly beer bashes; complimentary use of a Porsche Boxster when designated as "Employee of the Month;" and, additionally, a chance to win a $3000 bonus plus the chance to drive a Porsche Boxster for two years with each participating referral booked in the Employee Referral Program.
I agree that these things really don't matter. But to be honest, I'm a little happy to see some of it coming back. The last 10 years has been hard to be a programmer in my area; most of the jobs are large companies, most of the work is boring, and the startups are few and far between.
complimentary use of a Porsche Boxster when designated as "Employee of the Month"
Maybe it's just me, but that seems like a terrible idea. You get one person to feel good about being employee of the month and n-1 people feeling slighted for being passed over. again.
Heh. It took me awhile to find these:
>Excellent opportunities with an exciting, fun 6 year old .com company!!! Skills wanted: JAVA, Weblogic, EJB, Solaris, Oracle. Fun atmosphere- pool table, ping pong table, foozball table, and cafeteria. @90-95K plus stock options $$$$$$ Don't miss out!!! This is a hot one, sunny California, in Culver City- very close to Santa Monica and Marina Del Rey!!! Beautiful beaches, blue skies and the ocean! If someone could reply with the correct spelling of foozball, we have a bet going in the office!
>Wednesday, September 27, 2000 19:05
Source: http://www.coderanch.com/t/9714/Jobs-Offered/careers/JAVA-De...
> Free meals when working late; unlimited cold beverages; vacation homes in Lake Tahoe; monthly beer bashes; complimentary use of a Porsche Boxster when designated as "Employee of the Month;" and, additionally, a chance to win a $3000 bonus plus the chance to drive a Porsche Boxster for two years with each participating referral booked in the Employee Referral Program.
> Friday, September 15, 2000 13:40
Source: http://www.coderanch.com/t/9700/Jobs-Offered/careers/jobs-ex...
I agree that these things really don't matter. But to be honest, I'm a little happy to see some of it coming back. The last 10 years has been hard to be a programmer in my area; most of the jobs are large companies, most of the work is boring, and the startups are few and far between.