View Full Version : Wish me luck - Job@nVidia
I suppose at least some of you know that I got contacted by nVidia about a month or so ago asking me if I was interested in a job. So, we've been talking about me doing at least my "examination work" (still don't know how I really should translate this swedish counterpart of a master thesis) over there this fall, and possibly continue working there after my education is done (at the end of the year if everything goes well).
I've been through three telephone interviews now, and now they are calling me in for a real interview over there. So, I'll be going to the US on friday, be interviewed on tuesday and return back again on wedneyday (nVidia pays it all, flight, hotel, rental car :)).
This feels kinda big for me :), not only for the job, but also because I've never been any farther than to finland, which isn't too far from sweden where I live.
Anyway, wish me luck for the interview. Anyone have any good suggestions on how to prepare for it, except reading through the whole OpenGL spec and repeating my linear algebra?
Good luck Humus.
Just be yourself and stay calm :wink:
edited: try to enjoy the weekend there.
John Reynolds
21-Apr-2002, 23:07
Good luck!
Oh my God! He has fallen to the Dark Side! ;)
Nevertheless,
My best wishes and good luck.
µße®LørÐ
21-Apr-2002, 23:15
Good luck with the job :)
But if you get employed, would they ask to to ask ATI to remove your demo link from their site - and tailor your homepage a bit? ;)
Randell
21-Apr-2002, 23:16
good luck.
LeStoffer
21-Apr-2002, 23:17
What a [pleasent] surprise! The very best luck for your interview. 8)
Sabastian
21-Apr-2002, 23:23
Good luck, as far as advice hmm, none really. Just threaten to make more demos for ATi . ;) Again, best of luck.
Sabastian
good luck!
...and for the tip --> make sure your demos running properly with geforces ;)
Oompa Loompa
22-Apr-2002, 00:39
Anyone have any good suggestions on how to prepare for it, except reading through the whole OpenGL spec and repeating my linear algebra?
Make sure you know how to pronounce Jen-Hsun Huang's name! ;)
Sounds like a good job, hope it turns out for the best. =)
Typedef Enum
22-Apr-2002, 01:25
When they ask you, "Is there anything else you would like us to know that might help make the decision easier for us?"
...Respond with, "OK...If you hire me, I will yank out all the Pixel Shader 1.4 calls from my demos..."
:0
YEs, put in an application to ATI as well :). Their loss if they don't bite :P .
jackkoho
22-Apr-2002, 03:04
Good luck humus, thats really awesome that they contacted you.
Just curious, what level of education are you talking about finishing up?
jack
Reverend
22-Apr-2002, 03:30
I'm sure it's a big thrill for you and for that I'm happy for you.
Oh, and make sure you get to go to that underground lab and tell us all about it.
LittlePenny
22-Apr-2002, 06:44
Great work. My guess is that you already have the job, they just want to see you in person and check on your communication skills. Really though, this is just more stress for me, because now we will have another person in the know who can't share!
Well done!
Do you realise what this means?
Six figure pay packet, US$$$ too!
Well done indeed! Prick. :D
Doomtrooper
22-Apr-2002, 07:32
Very happy for you Humus, yet I will miss your Radeon 8500 support, ATI you let a good one get away :(
Good luck on your future.
Wenzula
22-Apr-2002, 07:37
Hi Humus,
sounds really cool and interesting. So, I hope you will get the job and good luck.
JF_Aidan_Pryde
22-Apr-2002, 07:52
Congradulations. :)
As already mentioned, be yourself during the interview. Express your passion and let them know your external interests. Companies always welcome not just multi-talented but socially active people.
Kristof
22-Apr-2002, 07:58
Good luck... those phone interviews are fun ain't they (went through some of those myself though not with NVIDIA) :lol:
Good luck with the job :)
But if you get employed, would they ask to to ask ATI to remove your demo link from their site - and tailor your homepage a bit? ;)
I'll try to keep my site clearly separated from my job. It'll probably only mean that I can now afford having both nVidia and ATi cards. I'll continue to try to keep my demos working for as wide audience as possible.
Good luck humus, thats really awesome that they contacted you.
Just curious, what level of education are you talking about finishing up?
jack
University level, Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering.
Dave Baumann
22-Apr-2002, 10:27
Good luck Humus - perhaps we'll have another NVIDIA engineer posting here soon!
Great work. My guess is that you already have the job, they just want to see you in person and check on your communication skills. Really though, this is just more stress for me, because now we will have another person in the know who can't share!
Too bad my communication skills aren't the best, not even in my native language, even worse in english. :-?
The first phone interview was horrible. The guy was nice and all, but I had some serious trouble understanding him, and even bigger problems talking myself. Explaining math and 3d stuff in english is not the easiest task I found out. I ended up with a headache that night. :)
The second interview was much easier though, the third wasn't much of a problem at all. I hope that trend continues at least. My a little shy and asocial nature may be a problem though.
Very happy for you Humus, yet I will miss your Radeon 8500 support, ATI you let a good one get away :(
Good luck on your future.
Don't worry about Radeon 8500 support, I'll continue to code my demos for as wide audience as possible.
Nick[FM]
22-Apr-2002, 10:55
humus,
Grattis! ;) Hope you'll find what you are looking for!
perhaps we'll have another NVIDIA engineer posting here soon!
There is another? ;) (I have been away for some time, so excuse me if I'm lagging behind.. )
demalion
22-Apr-2002, 12:33
My goodnes, what a pleasant surprise. It must be thrilling to be recognized for your work. ;)
Nevermind all that "darkside" stuff...you're not going into a management or marketing position, after all. :lol:
Good luck...the only advice I can offer, as a shy person myself, is that you remember to feel your enthusiasm more than nervousness, and share it. If you should feel as though you have "messed up" or "embarassed yourself" in attempting to communicate, use the enthusiasm to carry you through. For myself, performing with excellence and proficiency in a demanding and onerous task was my source of enthusiasm...however, I suspect the opportunity to make lots of money by doing something you enjoy already could suffice in a pinch. :P
Congrads on the potential offer and best of luck. The tough choice is when you have the offer. Well for some its a tough choice. For others its about a microsec :)
Side note:
Does anyone else find this incredibly ironic that the person who has coded so many demos and other things on ATI products gets an offer from nVidia? Maybe its poetic justice :)
Best of luck my fellow Swede! :)
Does anyone else find this incredibly ironic that the person who has coded so many demos and other things on ATI products gets an offer from nVidia? Maybe its poetic justice :)
Actually I think it's pretty logical, get someone with knowledge from the "other side".
Hey Humus maybe they'll bribe you to leak some NDA info ;)
Kristof
22-Apr-2002, 14:27
Side note:
Does anyone else find this incredibly ironic that the person who has coded so many demos and other things on ATI products gets an offer from nVidia? Maybe its poetic justice :)
Maybe they are just desperate :wink:
Congrats Humus! All politics aside a job is always nice :)
Ailuros
22-Apr-2002, 16:06
Congratulations Humus.
As for the questions concerning how NVIDIA came to make such an offer I'd rather guestimate that any company can recognize a talent in somebody no matter what his preference is at a certain period of time.
What puzzles me is that how come ATI didn't make a similar offer all this time or have I missed here something?
Galilee
22-Apr-2002, 16:14
Congratulations Humus :)
And in norwegian/swedish:
Gratulerer! Dritfett da, jeg er så sinnsykt misunnelig :D Driver å studerer til Sivilingeniør i elektro selv i Norge, så den jobben din der kunne jeg tenkt meg selv :D Lykke til.
however, I suspect the opportunity to make lots of money by doing something you enjoy already could suffice in a pinch. :P
Yeah, but to be honest, the money isn't pushing me at all. It's nice to get a nice pay (well, he haven't even talked about that, so I don't even know anything about that yet), but money is not the key to happiness. I mean, I'm a student on a budget, but if there's anything missing in my life I'd put things like a loving GF (no, not GeForce ;)) higher on my wishlist than loads of cash.
Doomtrooper
22-Apr-2002, 16:21
however, I suspect the opportunity to make lots of money by doing something you enjoy already could suffice in a pinch. :P
Yeah, but to be honest, the money isn't pushing me at all. It's nice to get a nice pay (well, he haven't even talked about that, so I don't even know anything about that yet), but money is not the key to happiness. I mean, I'm a student on a budget, but if there's anything missing in my life I'd put things like a loving GF (no, not GeForce ;)) higher on my wishlist than loads of cash.
Errrrr money and women don't mix well ...trust me :P
Congrads on the potential offer and best of luck. The tough choice is when you have the offer. Well for some its a tough choice. For others its about a microsec :)
For me it was a touch choise actually. When I got the first mail asking if I'm interested in a job @ nVidia I first though like "that would be cool", but after 15 minutes of thought I had a lot of concerns about it. I wasn't sure I wanted to work in the US, mostly concerned about the language, but also about how much of a trouble it would be moving over there, plus that I'll be quite far away from everyone I know, my family and friends and so on ...
However, those concerns went away with the time. I also have some friends that have been pushing me, telling me I'm nuts to even be concerned about it and that they should have taken it without a second thought :)
Hey Humus maybe they'll bribe you to leak some NDA info ;)
Well, I don't think I want to take the penalty of a broken NDA ... not that I have any info to leak anyway ..
king_iron_fist
22-Apr-2002, 16:31
Good luck :)
Oh and try and persuade them to actually use 3dfx/rampage/gigapixel tech in their next product ;).
What puzzles me is that how come ATI didn't make a similar offer all this time or have I missed here something?
Well, I think ATi's weakest point is developer relations. nVidia clearly produces more material for developers, tools, pdfs etc. They have understood that application support is the key to sales, especially in the long run. ATi must be much more active both in fetching people and put tools into the hands of developers. While they are very helpful and such once you ask I think they should work on getting better on taking the first step. I wouldn't have thought much about working at either nVidia or ATi if I didn't get the offer.
PrzemKo
22-Apr-2002, 16:50
Best of luck, Humus! Nice to see a good coder being recognized by one of top-level companies :). btw If they want to interview you about math&stuff, why don't they take a look at your OGL tutorial? ;). AND: how do you think, what they might want from you? Are they looking for someone to remove framerate-drops in Halo for X-Box or something?
DDM_Reaper20
22-Apr-2002, 16:56
First off, my heart-felt congrats & the best of luck to you! :D
As to your English -- your written English is, IMO, excellent (I'm working as an English teacher in my leisure time), so don't worry about spoken English. You'll pick it up faster than you can code another demo for the 8500.
Errr, I hope that was not TOO obvious a hint. :wink:
I hope everything will work out for you!
Good luck.
DDM_Reaper20
Kristof
22-Apr-2002, 16:57
Humus, just a couple of pointers. Getting a workers visa will take several months upto half a year. I went through this process for 3dfx (mine came through when 3dfx was already part of nvidia). Take into account the cost of living when you get an offer, if they want you in the bay area think very very hard and long since its very expensive compared to most european area's. Language is probably your least worry, one month in a fully english environment does the trick :lol:
Most important is that you get to do something you like...
Reverend
22-Apr-2002, 17:08
... Most important is that you get to do something you like...
Yeah... and with colleagues you like working with too.
BTW, Humus, you'd be in dev rel, correct?
Hey, just wishin' ya some good luck :)
Your english seems pretty good, it doesn't appear that you have communication problems on the net. Remember, you *can* ask people to speak slower so you can understand a little better. I'm quite sure they wouldn't mind. And be prepared to get out some shorts, I'm not sure what the weather is like over there, but if it's different from some places here(I assume you're going to southern California?), the temperature is probably already 30-40C.
Other than that, have fun :) Nvidia, despite the fact that I'm not particularly liking their market practices, does have exceptional relations with developers and even 'normal' people.
Question though, what exactly did you learn in that field in uni? I mean, anything specific(but not too complicated 'cause I won't get it) but give a little description of what kinds of things you did...if I can get the money, I might look into going for that field.
Typedef Enum
22-Apr-2002, 17:46
That's a very good point...
The cost of living in that part of California is ridiculous, as compared to the vast majority of other cities/towns/states/etc.
So, before you get excited over the $$ figures, make sure you undertand this...
If you have a day or so to 'hang out' while you're there, it would be a *very* good idea to see if you can talk to some realtors in the area...
The other thing you have to take into consideration is traffic...I was in San Jose within the last 9 months, and I really don't envy it at all. It takes me 3 minutes to get to work, as I live about ~1 mile from work...
We visited some friends that live about 30 minutes outside of San Jose, and he (the guy we visited) commutes to San Jose everyday, and he *averages* about 1 1/2 hours each way due to traffic....His typical work day is getting up around 6:00 am, getting on the road @ 7:00, arriving to work around 9:00, working until 7-8, and getting home around 9-10. I would have thought the traffic would be significantly less harsh @ that time of day, but he said it basically is always rush-hour traffic.
Anyhow, just some things to take into consideration before you go...and some things you should really try to squeeze in while you're there.
Good luck.
Language is probably your least worry, one month in a fully english environment does the trick :lol:
I can see it now for some reason Humus gets stuck in the "bad part" of town and thus his enlish is that of a LA Gansta :) and we will see post from him like: l33t nVida ow3nz j00!
hehehehe
Yea good points. I have had to turn down a few offers before because of other conditions like housing, location school for your kids, ect. Luckly you wont have that concern yet :) But take as much time as you can spare to look around the place you could be living, talk to people to get an idea of where are the good places to look for someplace to live. Little things like have a good place to buy food, or other things you enjoy can help to make it a "better" place.
And don't get worry about the english. Your being interviewed on what you know, not what you can speak. Yes commincation is important, but that is something you can pick up quickly. Just relax and have fun, if you do, I am sure the interview will be easy.
darkblu
22-Apr-2002, 18:22
Anyway, wish me luck for the interview. Anyone have any good suggestions on how to prepare for it, except reading through the whole OpenGL spec and repeating my linear algebra?
good luck, man, and thanks for all the good stuff! and never, ever leave behind a good linear algebra book - remember, 3d illusion is 60% imagination and 40% linear algebra ( + epsilon % numerical methods ;) -- imagination is innate, whereas algebra takes polishing.
As to your English -- your written English is, IMO, excellent (I'm working as an English teacher in my leisure time), so don't worry about spoken English. You'll pick it up faster than you can code another demo for the 8500.
Thanks! :)
Written english is something I practice every day on forums like this and while reading tech docs etc, but I sort of never speak english. I'm taking a course right now in english though where we speak a lot english, which hopefully helps.
Humus, just a couple of pointers. Getting a workers visa will take several months upto half a year. I went through this process for 3dfx (mine came through when 3dfx was already part of nvidia). Take into account the cost of living when you get an offer, if they want you in the bay area think very very hard and long since its very expensive compared to most european area's. Language is probably your least worry, one month in a fully english environment does the trick :lol:
Most important is that you get to do something you like...
Workers visa ... ehm, what's that? :oops:
I assume that something that grants me the right to work over there or something? I know nothing about stuff like this ... this is what has been worrying me the most, that I'll forget about something important.
BTW, Humus, you'd be in dev rel, correct?
I assume so, but we haven't talked too much about exactly what I'm supposed to do.
Kristof
22-Apr-2002, 20:00
Workers visa ... ehm, what's that? :oops:
I assume that something that grants me the right to work over there or something? I know nothing about stuff like this ... this is what has been worrying me the most, that I'll forget about something important.
Well the US is quite protective of its own workforce, so you can not just go to the US and work. Before you can go and work there you need a visa, in your case probably a workers visa although there are some alternatives. In anyway NVIDIA has to get this for you it involves a lot of paper work, lawyers and $$$ in the end you can go the US embassy in your country and collect a little piece of paper that they will stapple into your passport and that grants you permission to enter the US and work for a specific company (the company that applied and paid for the visa). Tricky bit is that the visa is company specific, so if you do not like NVIDIA and want to leave for, say, ATI then thats a No-Go... you'd have to leave the country and apply for a new Visa. Another option is that you join NVIDIA Europe and they get some kind of visa that involves a permission of a worker of a different branch to go and work in the US, with other words the fact that you work for NVIDIA Europe can get you into NVIDIA US quicker but I do not know the details. Last option is the green card, there is an annual lotery to get one (don't laugh) and its kind of a free entry to the US for work etc. You can also get a green card if you have been in the US for a longer period under one of the other visa's. Anyway lots of details, there are several websites out there that explain things. (I guess it shows that I was on my way to the US, sadly never made it)
As said if you have ok written skills in english then talking will come quickly, its a matter of getting there and doing it (you get thrown into the deep end).
DevRel is kewl (its what I do), but I am not sure you want to be in NVIDIA devrel, since you seem to do a lot of demos you might want to be part of their demo/research team, you know the people that brought you the wolfman and other ugly things ;)
And be prepared to get out some shorts, I'm not sure what the weather is like over there, but if it's different from some places here(I assume you're going to southern California?), the temperature is probably already 30-40C.
Yeah, I'll be prepared for that. Will be quite different from the Swedish climate, I'll probably sweat to death :) I'm used to summer temperatures of 20-25C, and right now we have around 0-10C.
Question though, what exactly did you learn in that field in uni? I mean, anything specific(but not too complicated 'cause I won't get it) but give a little description of what kinds of things you did...if I can get the money, I might look into going for that field.
Nothing. :wink:
Really, most of what I know I have looked up myself. Genuine interest, that's all. The closest thing that I've read at Uni is the course in 3d animation with maya, if we don't count all the math of course. They don't give much 3d related courses at my uni, but it starts to appear though, that 3d animation course was given for the first time this year. They are also starting some new programmes in game developement these days, not here in Luleå though but in Skellefteå, another small city in the neighbour hood.
Tricky bit is that the visa is company specific, so if you do not like NVIDIA and want to leave for, say, ATI then thats a No-Go... you'd have to leave the country and apply for a new Visa.
This isn't strictly true, some visas can be transfered between companies, without leaving the country. And the transfer will come through a lot faster than the original application.
Visas are a pain in the ass, you should apply for a green card as soon as you get here, even if you have to do it off your own nickle, application time is about 6 months to 3 years depending on the coutry of origin (assuming you don't luck out in the lottery).
The visa you want to be on if possible is an H1B, some companies will use other types E1's/E2's are common if the company has a european office, but they have to pay you from the euro office which can be a pain. The other visa I've seen are O1's my understanding is that this is the least desirable option, since it's difficult to extend and part of the application states that you have no intentio of staying in the US permanently.
Note -- The above is my opinion only, based on my experience with various visas working in the US. I'd recommend legal advice if your really worried about something.
Typedef Enum
22-Apr-2002, 22:17
I would be *really* shocked if nVidia doesn't have a dept/individual(s) that will totally square you away, as far as Visas/etc. are concerned.
When left up to the individual, it can be a nightmare...But when you're dealing with multi Billion-Dollar organizations like nVidia, I would be shocked if they didn't take care of everything for you.
I'm pretty sure that they will probably get into that end of things once you arrive
Unless we're talking about ATi west - which is only an engineering team, you'd be working in Canada, not the US.
hrm ATI ? I thought it was Nvidia . In which case Canada wouldn't make any sense :)
Oh, I'm sorry. I should have referenced Kristof's quote.
He mentioned -as an example- that work Visas are company specific and if Humus wished to work for ATI he'd have to get another.
Oompa Loompa
22-Apr-2002, 23:22
Workers visa ... ehm, what's that? :oops:
Don't worry, the company will assign a lawyer to take care of everything. Your contribution will be providing him with plenty of documents over several months. One scary bit is realizing that while you're in the process of applying for a green card you technically can be refused entry to the U.S. (if you leave for a vacation, for example)
But get the job first, *then* you can worry about all this. ;)
Ailuros
22-Apr-2002, 23:59
What puzzles me is that how come ATI didn't make a similar offer all this time or have I missed here something?
Well, I think ATi's weakest point is developer relations. nVidia clearly produces more material for developers, tools, pdfs etc. They have understood that application support is the key to sales, especially in the long run. ATi must be much more active both in fetching people and put tools into the hands of developers. While they are very helpful and such once you ask I think they should work on getting better on taking the first step. I wouldn't have thought much about working at either nVidia or ATi if I didn't get the offer.
I didn´t think otherwise hence my former post.
In any case I wish you again all the best. Reading the whole thread I only wish I was about 15 years younger....I would know what I´d choose to do with my life now. Late discoveries *sigh*....
I guess what one could call "healthy" jealousy is allowed in occassions like that.
Oki, I'll see if I get it at all first.
All this bureaucrazy ... why do we even have different countries at all? Seams like mostly like a big problem generator to me, especially these days when the world keeps getting smaller.
DevRel is kewl (its what I do), but I am not sure you want to be in NVIDIA devrel, since you seem to do a lot of demos you might want to be part of their demo/research team, you know the people that brought you the wolfman and other ugly things ;)
I was under the impression that demo coding would go under devrel too?
Sharkfood
23-Apr-2002, 00:33
Congrats Humus. You'll be a neighbor if ya come out here. :)
Where are you touching down? SJ or SFO? I hope SJ as the drive from SFO is a little harsh coming down 101. :)
As far as the previous posts go, I cannot emphasize enough the point about salary vs. cost of living. This area is very expensive to live in, with mid to low end townhouses fetching about $300,000.. and rent is like $1200-$1800 roughly for small condo/townhouse style dwellings. Steals can be had obviously, so if your NVIDIA career plans insist on a relocation, be sure to schedule some time for the living arrangements, finance and other considerations- especially if you have a family to bring out or if you are going solo. Heck, NVIDIA may even simply have you as a remote employee if things go well, so who knows.
If you do relocate out here, I think you'll love it here. :) The weather is nice, lots of things to do. Beach is a short drive west, snow skiing is a medium drive east (Tahoe isnt that far!), forrestry and California redwoods north- Yosemite is a short drive, Monterey for diving.. just everything you could ever possibly want is within reach for a weekend activity. :)
Unemployment doesnt last more than a matter of minutes out here too. If you are worth your weight in beans, you'll spend the better part of your voicemail retrieval fending off headhunters. AMD, Intel, AMD, IBM, SGI, Sun, Motorola.. all the biggies have offices out here. Lots of game companies too (Cyclone just closed shop near my former employer->3DO, Core/Eidos has an office, as does Campcom.. Nihilistic is just over the bridge in Petaluma, and *hundreds* of others).
I hope you can find a way to stay the weekend after Friday and spend some time sight-seeing. Sat->Sun go visit Sunnyvale/Mountain View.. maybe catch a ride up to SF and eat some of the best Chinese food you've likely ever had in Chinatown. Hit the Wharf and try out some of the clubs. :)
Cheers,
-Shark
Oki, I'll see if I get it at all first.
All this bureaucrazy ... why do we even have different countries at all? Seams like mostly like a big problem generator to me, especially these days when the world keeps getting smaller.
things between skandinavian countries is easy that you usually don't even notice it, how many things you have to check when going to other countries...
demalion
23-Apr-2002, 09:30
however, I suspect the opportunity to make lots of money by doing something you enjoy already could suffice in a pinch. :P
Yeah, but to be honest, the money isn't pushing me at all. It's nice to get a nice pay (well, he haven't even talked about that, so I don't even know anything about that yet), but money is not the key to happiness. I mean, I'm a student on a budget, but if there's anything missing in my life I'd put things like a loving GF (no, not GeForce ;)) higher on my wishlist than loads of cash.
Of course it's not, but it removes a worry...and allows you to buy "toys" related to your 1) current hobby that you like 2) your job. It is not often that your "toys" can directly pertain to what you do for a living...
Congrats Humus. You'll be a neighbor if ya come out here. :)
Where are you touching down? SJ or SFO? I hope SJ as the drive from SFO is a little harsh coming down 101. :)
<snip>
I hope you can find a way to stay the weekend after Friday and spend some time sight-seeing. Sat->Sun go visit Sunnyvale/Mountain View.. maybe catch a ride up to SF and eat some of the best Chinese food you've likely ever had in Chinatown. Hit the Wharf and try out some of the clubs. :)
Cheers,
-Shark
I'm touching down in San Jose in the friday evening. The intervew will be on tuesday, so I'll have plenty of time to look around a little.
Congrats on the job Humus!
Doing what you enjoy is a great thing!
Thanks!
Note though that I don't have the job yet, I'm going for an interview. I think it's a good sign though that they are bringing me over all the way from Sweden to the US to meet me in person, for a total cost of $1,050 as I read on the travel itinerary I've just got, which they pay of course.
Anyway, if anyone wonders, ATi has shown their interest too the latest days. They are fully aware though that I'm going for an interview with nVidia and wished me best luck with it, but hoped that I would at least consider talking with them too before signing anything with nVidia. As I've come quite far in my talks with nVidia, (I've been in touch with them for over a month now about it) it will of course take precedence over ATi's offer, but it's always nice to have something to fall back onto in case nVidia decides they don't have a suitable position for me.
Hehe, I could use it as a discreet threat during the interview, "well, ATi have shown their interest too ... " ;)
Dont do that :)
Enjoy the travel. Why not visit the Great American Park and the Top Gun rollercoast?
Remenber work hard play hard :wink:
Entropy
23-Apr-2002, 23:59
:D
Guess you won't have trouble getting your m*tts on a GeForce card anymore.
Lycka till!
Jonas Palm
midnight creature
24-Apr-2002, 10:34
Humus, just a couple of pointers. Getting a workers visa will take several months upto half a year. I went through this process for 3dfx (mine came through when 3dfx was already part of nvidia). Take into account the cost of living when you get an offer, if they want you in the bay area think very very hard and long since its very expensive compared to most european area's. Language is probably your least worry, one month in a fully english environment does the trick :lol:
Most important is that you get to do something you like...
Bay area isn't terrible if you live in the east bay. I live in emeryville (near berkley/oakland) and pay 1200 a month for a nice loft. So long as you use public transportation or live close to where you work its only 1.5-2.x the price of other metro areas stateside (which while a lot is worth every penny if you've lived here and actually use the area to its potential). Do not use apartment listings from places like apartment.com or you will be paying 1500-1600 minimium. Use local pages like http://wwwcraigslist.com to look for cars, apartments and possible gf's ;)
Mephisto
24-Apr-2002, 12:07
Anyway, if anyone wonders, ATi has shown their interest too the latest days. They are fully aware though that I'm going for an interview with nVidia and wished me best luck with it, but hoped that I would at least consider talking with them too before signing anything with nVidia.
Well, no wonder, at least two 3d hardware newssites liked to your post about the opportunity. Don't you think company people read newssites? I guess your interview partner at Nvidia has read all your comments in this thread as well as the hints from the others.
RiotSquad
24-Apr-2002, 13:22
GL Humus...just bring a few "Norrlands guld" with you so that you all can be yourselves for a while and you should be set. :)
If you need something to fall back on,get some moonshine and offer it to them,they'll be drunk and sign anything in no time. :)
BenSkywalker
24-Apr-2002, 13:23
Best of luck to you Humus. Good to see someone's good work being recognized and possibly rewareded decently:)
Anyway, if anyone wonders, ATi has shown their interest too the latest days. They are fully aware though that I'm going for an interview with nVidia and wished me best luck with it, but hoped that I would at least consider talking with them too before signing anything with nVidia.
Well, no wonder, at least two 3d hardware newssites liked to your post about the opportunity. Don't you think company people read newssites? I guess your interview partner at Nvidia has read all your comments in this thread as well as the hints from the others.
Yeah, I know. I didn't really expect this to spread like a fire on dry grass a windy day. :-?
I posted it here and only here simply because this is neutral ground and we have some experienced people here. I was just hoping to get some good advice before I go there so I don't make any silly mistakes. Chances are though that posting it was the biggest mistake. :-?
I'm sure they have read it all and I'll have to answer a whole lot of questions about it and some comments I've made. NVidia will of course want me to be a nVidia only guy, but at the same time I feel bad about letting the community down, I have a lot of friends on places like rage3d, and loads of people likes my demos. It's impossible to be on both sides, and I can't just be neutral either if I'm suppose to work for nVidia.
After all though, in my current unemployed state my wish when I release a demo is of course that as many as possible will be able to run it, and I'm sure nVidia understands this. But I understand that they will have concerns if I continue to release ATi specific demos if I get employed.
I've also come to know from well meaning people that the mentality over there is very different from the one in Sweden, that in the US they expect as whole different kind of loyalty. In Sweden it would never be accepted if a company would dictate what employees can do and not on their spare time, what products to buy and use for their own hard earned money etc. If you visit a swedish company like Ericsson you'll find that several employees own Nokia cellular phones instead of Ericssons phones and use them on working time too, and it's not seen as a problem at all.
I just suppose I'll have to adjust to how things are in america, I may need to get informed and get a little time to adjust. They will have to understand that having used ATi cards for the latest 1.5 years does leave some scars that may take some time to heal too.
Dave Baumann
24-Apr-2002, 14:00
Don't you think company people read newssites?
I know that we've clocked Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, ATI, Matrox, SiS, STM, Img Tech (of course!), 3Dlabs to name but a few IP addresses reading Beyond3D - of course we don't know who in those companies are reading (although in some cases we can have a pretty good stab at at lease some!).
Sabastian
24-Apr-2002, 14:35
Hmm, now your hitting some political social issues. Probably best to not make any more comments about demos for ATi and social issues. On the nice side in the US you will have considerably less in the way of TAXES then in Sweden. ;) It would be worth it if you could get a Job with nvidia to make some sacrafices, IMHO. Anyhow again Good luck.
Sabastian
PS. It would probably be best for you to let this thread go.....but that is really your call I suppose.
RiotSquad
24-Apr-2002, 14:53
I just suppose I'll have to adjust to how things are in america, I may need to get informed and get a little time to adjust.
Yep,it's very far from the Swedish way in companies over there...I read an ad where it stated 2 weeks payed holiday as a benefit...(which of course seem very weird to us Swedes)
I have a mate who went over there to work (he's Dutch) and he couldn't adjust to it,so he went home again after 3 or so months...but we all differ...
Whether you'll stay or not it's still a chance to get a really nice job and clearly worth it to give it a try and see if it suits you. :)
Just want to wish you good luck with the interview Humus.
I might add that i was in your situation some time ago (used to work for an American company).
And i can tell you that i was pretty nervous when i did the interview.
First an interview by phone and then i went down to Amsterdam for another interview.
Wasn't fun at all (well, the Amsterdam trip was fun but not the interviews :-)) but all went well and i got the job.
Hope you'll have the same luck as i did.
/Björn
Humus,sorry for my late congrats! I just back from Shanghai....
Kris cover some bits on Work Visa,if u wanna more,just go google to search "Work VISA".
Actually one of my buddies got Work offer last year before 9.11,now he lives in Washington DC.the life is not bad,if u can sucessfully get the offer(not very difficult),u can even go with your wife. :P hmm,not your GF... :o
Thanks everyone for your support!
I'll be on my way within 12 hours now ... I'm beginning to get a little nervous now, but I'll survive, or so I hope :)
LittlePenny
25-Apr-2002, 18:55
Yep,it's very far from the Swedish way in companies over there...I read an ad where it stated 2 weeks payed holiday as a benefit...(which of course seem very weird to us Swedes)
I am curious, what do Swedes get for an annual vacation package?
bystander
25-Apr-2002, 19:24
Good luck Humus.
Yep,it's very far from the Swedish way in companies over there...I read an ad where it stated 2 weeks payed holiday as a benefit...(which of course seem very weird to us Swedes)
I am curious, what do Swedes get for an annual vacation package?
We have five weeks paid vacation mandated by law. It's pretty sweet. ;)
7 hours and I'll be on the bus on the way to the airport. Guess I'll have to sacrifice some sleep tonight, still has some packing to do.
Just make sure they give you a complimentary GF4 4600 while you think about any offer they are giving you. Plus let ATI out bid them in any job opportunityy if they will. Working with the demo guys at ATI seems to me to be much more excitting (better demo's by far) than Nvidia's camp. Maybe that is the reason they are trying to recruit you, to get their demo's up to speed :).
I've also come to know from well meaning people that the mentality over there is very different from the one in Sweden, that in the US they expect as whole different kind of loyalty. In Sweden it would never be accepted if a company would dictate what employees can do and not on their spare time, what products to buy and use for their own hard earned money etc. If you visit a swedish company like Ericsson you'll find that several employees own Nokia cellular phones instead of Ericssons phones and use them on working time too, and it's not seen as a problem at all.
People don't have that kind of restriction in the US at all. To go with your Nokia example I know people at Motorola that walk around with competitor's phones. Companies like you to use their products, but they can't dictate what you spend your money on. People like to buy products from their own company, but in the end practicality (usually price) wins out.
Humus, hope the interview went well, best of luck!
Serge
Back again from the US. :)
The interview went well, or should I say the interviews as there were seven of them, each 30min talking to one guy at the time, except for the lunch interview which was an hour long.
The image of how the interview was going to be that I had before the interviews were that I would be sitting there in the middle with all these guys around me asking all kinds of hard to answer questions, but I didn't get any really hard questions, the mostly recurring questions were regarding details about my demos and how I implemented it.
Anyway, I think it's pretty much a safe bet that I'm going to do my examination work over there at least, the actual project is yet to be decided though, and unless they didn't like me I suppose I can continue to work there when my education is done.
The trip was kinda cool too. :) Never been farther than to finland before, so 1/3 around the earth was kinda far to go, haven't even travelled by airplane since I was a kid either. But I liked the place. Santa clara is a kinda beautyful and pieceful place, I think I could live there. I went to San Francisco too, had to see and walk the golden gate bridge. That bridge is HUGE, my feet hurt after having walked it too the middle and back. :) Saw the dark side of america too there though, homeless people living on the street, something that hardly exists in sweden. It feels a little sad when I see these guys homeless people living on the street, yet the streets were filled with lots of shiny new cars and people that obviously have quite a few dollars to spend. Oh, well ...
Loved the environment though, palms and other kinds of vegetations that doesn't exist in sweden. Saw some pretty nice places, some which I didn't even plan to see, but with my driving and orientation skills I ended up in many odd places :) Not that it mattered though, it was just nice to see more places. Have taken plenty of photos, I wish I had a digital camera, but I hope my crappy old camera could produce some decent pictures at least. I'll scan them in an publish them on my site when they are ready.
Good everything went well and you liked US. :)
You should try go to Japan to see what is a long trip :wink:
San Francisco is a nice city, but I like more the old (before 1990) San Francisco. The Sea food is very good.
incurable
02-May-2002, 21:19
Great to hear you enjoyed your trip and everything went fine during the interviews!
But please, only walking the GGB half way? Tell you, it's much more fun to walk the whole way, making photos and video captures as you go along and finish it off by touching some mysteriously shimmering piece of metal only to find out your palm is now "International Orange". (don't ask, just see my nick ;-) )
cu
incurable
That does sound encouraging Humus, hope you find what you are looking for there. Also you might want to stay away from Polk Street in San Francisco :wink:.
I lived in Valejo/Napa California a number of years and also agree with you of the excellent climate there in San Francisco. You havn't really seen anything yet, California is a big state with an unbelievalbe amount of things to do or to explore.
Simon F
03-May-2002, 09:02
Back again from the US. :).....
I went to San Francisco too, had to see and walk the golden gate bridge. That bridge is HUGE, my feet hurt after having walked it too the middle and back. :)...
Is that all? On a business trip we walked from Pier 39(?) all the way across and back. Mind you, I was a lot fitter then (now just fatter); also did the walk from the Yosemite valley floor to the top of the main falls. (That was tiring, but you got to see/hear a lot a wildlife, e.g. heard a rattle snake - Australian snakes don't give you any warning ;-) )
Saw some pretty nice places, some which I didn't even plan to see, but with my driving and orientation skills I ended up in many odd places :)
I know the feeling. Drove out of LA airport once and missed the freeway turning. Ended up driving towards south central LA not long after the riots with (as a colleague puts it) "cameras dangling out of the windows". A woman pulled up beside us and said "Are you guys lost? Wind your windows up, turn around, and get out of here". :)
Simon F
03-May-2002, 09:03
Hmm deleted double post server hiccup
But please, only walking the GGB half way? Tell you, it's much more fun to walk the whole way, making photos and video captures as you go along and finish it off by touching some mysteriously shimmering piece of metal only to find out your palm is now "International Orange". (don't ask, just see my nick ;-) )
Actually, I walked it a little longer than half, more like 2/3. Went to the second pillar. Planned to go the whole way, but my legs hurt already, and my ears too, the traffic is kinda load, so I turned. Oh well, I'll probably get more chances to walk it :)
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