Is working at Google really like the movie, "The Internship"?

So much has happened in the last week, I will have to flood this blog with posts tonight! I have another post due before class tomorrow, and I am planning to write another about the guest speaker we had in one of my other classes - I am super excited about that one too! Hopefully there will be time to write everything tonight, in between studying for a Spanish exam. This post is also really long because I love the Google office and really, really would like to work there... gotta get my internship in order. Sorry in advance! But seriously, if you ever have the chance to visit a Google office, go. The Pittsburgh office is apparently considered relatively conservative compared to the rest, but awesome nonetheless.

Perhaps you have seen the movie, "The Internship"; where two best friends in their late 30's/early 40's or so get an internship at the Google headquarters, and realize how awesome it would be to work at Google - three meals a day provided, snacks, you can work wherever you want as long as you get your stuff done, a really cool office with all kinds of themes and innovations. I can now confirm with you, that "Yes. The Google offices are that cool."
Yesterday, our Digital Marketing class had a field trip to the Google Pittsburgh office in Bakery Square, where we were joined by the clients we will be working with and a few guests from Chatham. The closer we got to getting inside the building, the more excited I got. I was really excited - I had heard good things, and I had seen "The Internship". I was hoping it would be like the headquarters in California that were used to film the movie. We gathered in the main lobby and took the elevator up to the seventh floor, where we were given visitor tags and briefed on the security protocols (unfortunately for everyone, photos are not allowed). The first thing one sees when walking in to the offices is a games room (what a great start, right?) and micro kitchen. The Pittsburgh headquarters has quite a few micro kitchens, two cafeterias, office space for 300 people, and much more spread out over four floors of the Bakery Square office building.
The building is very unique and each floor is themed: there is a Kennywood themed floor, a tunnel and outdoor areas of Pittsburgh themed floor, and a Nabisco themed floor (the building was once a Nabisco factory). Nabisco is the company that makes Triscuit crackers, Ritz crackers, etc. and each room on the Nabisco floor is named after a Nabisco product, each room of the Kennywood floor is named after a ride at Kennywood, and the Pittsburgh floor had rooms named after parks, tunnels, and landmarks in Pittsburgh. One of the best features of the whole tour was the cargo net lounge, which is a cargo net suspended above some of the office space, with pillows. When we went by, there were Google employees seated comfortably in the net with laptops propped up on pillows, working. That's the beauty of Google - you can work anywhere in the building and make your own day as long as you get your work done. We were walking past the language support office space and were pleasantly surprised to see an adorable French Bulldog wagging her tail at us a we passed. You can also bring your dog to work as long as you have proven that they are a safe animal to have around. The cafeteria has a hydroponic spice garden, an outdoor summer garden and beehive, and a heated chicken coop outside with laying hens. Not only is Google innovative, they are trying to be more friendly to the earth, and promoting healthy diets among their employees. The micro kitchens were filled with healthy snacks like dried fruits and açai berries, fresh fruit, and various healthy snacks. The kitchens have feature chefs every once in a while, and serve a delicious spread which we unfortunately were too late in the afternoon to experience.
After our tour, we attended a private presentation on Search Engine Optimization, and were able to network and have a question and answer session with experts at Google. My questions about link farming were answered and I got to find out for myself what Google is really like. The visit to Google gave me hope that I can someday have an office job (I am not the type of person that easily sits still and does the same thing all day, in the same cubicle, with the same people, every day) and that I would like it.