[ChuckMcM]

See the 'lying' thread. Yes folks hire non-degree holders, Google doesn't. When I was working there and talking/dealing with HR and the Google Hiring process I once tried to refer a non-degreed friend but they were having nothing of it.

Basically at the time (2007 - 2009) they had a very firm "No degree, no job." And a more insidious, "if you get acquihired in and the job you are in would normally fall under this rule, and you don't have a degree, we manage you out of the company."

Given the size of some of their later acquistions I don't know if they could stick with that model or not.

[j_baker]

They've loosened up a bit. I was acquihired as an engineer without a college degree. And thus far, I don't think I'm getting "managed out", but perhaps they're just doing a bad job of it.

That said, I don't know what they're doing for people who apply the "regular" way.

[ChuckMcM]

That is good to hear, I always felt it was pretty ridiculous. Presumably you've been slotted? That was the base mechanism which caused a ton of ill will.

[nodegree_throw]

Interesting stuff :) I'm glad things are going good for you. I could understand it more if I just fired off my CV to them, but Google approached me ... though I suspect they approach a lot of people ... a lot.

[ChuckMcM]

I was asked by an engineer about using my contacts to 'get him into' Google, I suggested that he do three things:

1) Make sure he had a LinkedIn presence

2) Create a Github account and put one or more projects in it, preferably written in one of Java, Python, or C++

3) Register with StackOverflow and build up some karma.

Then let the trawler pick you up the next time it goes by :-)

[nodegree_throw]

Wow, "insidious" is right. That's pretty brutal given that you must have performed well up to the acquisition.

[nodegree_throw]

Just read the lying thread (presuming it is the one surrounding Blank's recent post). Very interesting, esp the top post.