Commuting from SF to Google Mountain View?
How are folks’ personal experiences? Do you prefer Caltrain or Google Shuttles? I live close to SF Caltrain station, but have always worked in SF. This would be my first time commuting to South Bay. Thanks in advance! TC: 290k #commute
Either way is going to be absolute misery.
Is that from personal experience? Can you elaborate on what makes it miserable? Living in south bay is not an option but I have offers from SF companies that can be accepted instead, if commute’s gonna make me hate my life.
Yes, I commute from SF to Menlo Park, which is even closer than Mountain View. My personal recommendation is take one of the SF offers.
Personal experience. SF is awful Commute is long but doable. But it wears on you. I didn't last a year before moving back to Seattle
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Looks like no one’s liked the commute from SF! To my surprise, the Netflix employees have a different opinion on commuting to south bay.
I think the Netflix shuttles take 280, which is a much nicer ride than 101.
I don’t mind the shuttles, which have comfortable seats and WiFi. I catch an early bus (usually around 645) and there is usually no traffic. Gets me in with enough time to eat breakfast and even hit the gym, and still get to desk before most of colleagues. The later buses can take a lot longer due to traffic
Thanks for sharing your experience. Are shuttles more convenient than train? Taking into account all aspects
I haven’t taken the train before so can’t comment, from where I live (which isn’t too close to a Caltrain) shuttle is definitely more convenient. I’d imagine that the train is a bit quicker, but might even out if you have to take a shuttle from the MTV train stop. Also factor in the monthly train cost (vs shuttle which is free). i really don’t mind the shuttle, especially when it’s an early one. I almost never have anyone sitting next to or across from me, can take a nap or get work done. I’d suggest trying out both the shuttle and the train and see what works best for you
I haven't done it personally, but so far none of my coworkers or friends were able to do it 5 days a week in the long run. They either work from home or the SF office 1-2 days a week, which will cause a little bit of friction with manager and team. Motion sickness is a real problem, especially on the upper deck in stop and go traffic. Some people avoid specific shuttle times because of certain drivers who drive like madmen.
Interesting. An old colleague used to say the same about motion sick rss. Damn I wish there was an easier trade-off than these: 1) moving to South bay 2) going through long-commute/motion sickness 3) joining an SF-based company or Google SF (the latter having such limited headcount!)
The good thing about Google is that you can try it out for a year, and then you'll have a lot of options to change things up, either moving to a team based in SF or even in San Bruno.
Thanks all for the responses. This thread was really eye-opening. Gonna chat with the recruiter tomorrow. I may end up 1) moving closer to MV, 2) accepting another SF offer, or 3) trying to land sth at Google SF, which is super tough these days!
Any additional tips would be appreciated
The shuttles are fine. If you take the early bus there’s no traffic and they drop you off on campus. It’s a pain getting from Caltrain to campus.
Thanks very helpful 🙏 How early? Is working during the shuttle ride an option (or not comfy enough)?