Thread regarding VMware layoffs

Get out while you can, it's about to get really messy. The numbers in EU support are going to plummet next month and that load needs to be picked up somewhere

Getting out of GS will probably be one of the best decisions you can make in your life. It’s a great place to grow up and learn, but you’re naturally and financially capped in GS. If you are internal check out the mentorship program on Slack or in Google spaces as that can be a great way to prepare for a transition like this.

I am sorry if i sound harsh. Not my intention at all, but If you really want to leave GS, then leave?

Are you wanting to stay with BC?

As someone who had gone through the GSS pipeline I can chime in. To be honest it's a cool job, however with some BUTs. First, the good parts:

1. The breadth and depth of the job is immense. You are in situations where literally tens of thousands of people's mobile connections are effected (Telco), life-critical system service availability (healthcare), or whole factories slowed down due to a latency spike in their DB servers (manufacturing). Finding solutions to those situations can be intellectually, neurophysically rewarding depending on the person.
2. The intensity of the job allows for improving one's skills at a short amount of time. Need to be cross and in-depth skilled. Depends on the person.
3. One learns to navigate through the hardest situations, negotiation, problem-solving and communication skills, also depending on the person. Believe me, it's the most lacking skills in many "higher" positions (dev, architecht, etc.).
4. OK/decent work-life balance, usually clocking out at 5pm. It was a good working environment, before the pandemic days where you would work with literally everyone in the GSS at one point, due to cross-skill requirements. Gain new friends. Also depends on the person.

The downsides

1. As you have figured out by now, a lot of the pros of the job depends on the person. It requires a special set of character traits who is open/adept to learn, get their hands dirty, handle stress well, and get satisfaction through solving technical/psychological problems at the same time.
2. A lot of the positive aspects of the job was pre-pandemic, meaning that post-pandemic world where everyone is glued to their in-home chairs it feels like a barrage of demanding questions from other "people" that are just a set of profile pictures or names. Not someone you had banter/complain in the canteen or went to pub after or spend weekends together, sharing the same experience.
3. Let's be real here, in VMware GSS was mostly an afterthought by the VP and up level executive management. It was considered just a cost center, and VMware was overly valuing the evangelists over the doers while a lot of the product improvement was happening due to GSS' exposure multitude of customer's environments each with their bottlenecks, constraints, deviations from the optimal configuration, issues. I don't know how BC is to regard GSS, but its pretty sure for a fact that they can't satisfy their top 2000 "quality revenue" customers with anything below than excellent support.

I think the last is the most important, to what degree BC will consider GSS important, however the reality dictates that with their model it has to be much more than an afterthought.

There are many ways to accomplish a job. Doing a great job is stressful.

Are you EUC or Core?

Also in GS but for much longer than you. Prem has always sџcked. And the weekend thing really bothers me too. My advise is do as much training as you can for the next job, because this one is going nowhere good.