So, if you follow news about social media or Canadian startups, or any number of major news outlets really, you’ve probably heard that PostRank was acquired by Google. Well, I’m along for that ride too and so very soon I will be moving to the Bay Area to work for Google in their Mountain View headquarters, the Googleplex.
I was down there these past two weeks for Noogler orientation — yes, they call new Googlers “Nooglers”. It was quite a rush; there are so many things to learn at once and two weeks isn’t nearly enough to get a grip on it all. It’s pretty much like this. And by most accounts, it will probably continue to be like that for the next couple of months. But it’s also incredibly exciting. As Ilya writes in the PostRank blog post, this is our chance to really push the boundaries of social media analytics and bring our groundbreaking work in the field to millions and millions of users. While I can say nothing of what we’re cooking up at the moment, I assure you (perhaps just as everybody else is) that it will be truly awesome.
This week, I am putting my life in order and getting it ready to be packed up and shipped across the continent and my cat and I will be flying over on July 1. Yes, the irony of leaving Canada on Canada Day is not at all lost on me. It’s the way the timing worked out: flying out on a Canadian holiday and landing close to a U.S. one will make the entire transition much easier. The company has been quite generous in helping me with my relocation which is the only reason I can even imagine getting myself over there in the span of a month (the acquisition deal closed at the beginning of June).
While I am very excited for this new opportunity, I am also sad to be leaving friends and family to take it. While I have gotten a bit used to moving where my work takes me, it never gets much easier. And this is not just a new chapter of my life; it’s a whole new story. I am starting completely anew, armed only with the knowledge, skills, and experience I have picked up along the way. I wanted my youth to be an adventure and I don’t think it gets much more exciting than this. Or maybe it does. I’m about to find out.
So, before I jump on a plane to California, goodbye Canada. I’ll be back, I promise. =)