Bobby Martin’s Post

The questions Sarah asks in this post are powerful. What answers might you discover — what possibilities might you unlock — if you considered a few of these?

Next Chapter: After taking some much needed time off, I am ready and excited to go back to work and thrilled to announce that I will be joining Google, in the Google Cloud partner team, working with Regional SI's, an area that I have a real passion for. The time off was an absolute gift, and I'm thankful for the chance to complete my degree and celebrate my graduation last week. I've had the joy of time with my sister on her maternity leave, and the privilege of watching my baby niece grow through many development milestones. Time with my parents, husband and dogs, walking the Thames path and (re)learning how to play the piano - it's amazing how different my approach is as an adult learner vs the teenage me who struggled with the 'chore' of regular practice! The weather was not quite what I expected when I planned my 'summer' off, but I have managed to swim several times a week and even get a few surfs in. I've traveled a bit, with friends and family, in the UK and beyond. I'm fully rested and am itching to get going with my next challenge. After 24 years of continuous employment in the tech sector, giving myself permission to rest and recover was actually a real challenge for me, but it was absolutely the right thing to do, so thanks to everyone who encouraged me to take this break; you know who you are. As a wise woman once told me (thanks Hilda Barrett) 'recovery is preparation for performance'. And I've just enough time to squeeze in one more city break before I start the new role. Perfect. #Noogler #GoogleCloud #NextStep #NewStart #Recovery #ExcitingTimes

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos once said that he was asked "What's going to change in the next 10 years?" "I almost never get the question what's not going to change over the next decade?" "I submit to you that the second question is actually the more important of the two." He said: "It's impossible to imagine a future where Amazon customers don't want low prices and fast shipping." I think it is impossible to imagine a future where people don't love games and stories. If you wrap a story around a laser tag scenario, give it a backstory and a reason for the players to vie for victory then you'll have a winner. The versatility and durability of our live-action gaming equipment allow missions to be played in any climate. The infrared technology means players can battle just about anywhere (no more cheesy neon!). Play indoors or outdoors, summer or winter. Cedar Springs Camp in Lake Stevens (near Seattle) Washington, USA added outdoor laser tag. Successful summer camp operator Mark McKinney said: "We have six different themes or storylines in our camps. One of the themes is history. They are immersed in the culture of the battle. Such as the 101st airborne dropped behind enemy lines. They are charging the beaches on D-Day and stuff like that.” “That’s one of the reasons for our great re-bookings for the second year of camp. When the kids were immersed, in a story. When the kids had a storyline, a background as to why they were trying to take this hill then they got really engaged. Offering a "special ops" theme in our summer camp has worked well for us," said Mark. Are you interested in adding an attraction with a story-driven experience? Experience a new way to thrill and engage your players in a new story. 

Happy belated 25th, Google! While I never donned the Noogler hat, your algorithms, SERPs, and countless updates have been central to my career since my BA in '03. To Google: Thank you for the platform upon which I’ve built a career and earned salaries at different companies. With that prosperity, I have celebrated a marriage and nurtured three children. While profound, my gratitude occasionally wanes as I grapple with your many nuances. Yet, there's beauty in the chaos - you've kept me on my toes, perpetually engaged, and always challenged. Last week, amidst my bewilderment over "yet another Google update", Kiri Masters cheekily commented, "SEO is a young man's game." It took me back to a time when Yahoo! reigned and Ask Jeeves still could afford his cummerbund. Who first whispered to me about this marvelous entity called Google back in the early 2000s? A much older college professor, Michael Kearns, at North Park University. His excitement for this new technology mirrored his passion for teaching and incessant curiosity. Age, it seems, is but a number when curiosity is boundless. As Google steps into its next 25 years, I'm both wary and eager. Old dogs, new tricks - bring it on. Here's to more learning, unlearning, and relearning. Cheers, Google! And wherever you are, Prof. Kearns, I am grateful to you. #Google25 #SEOJourney #AlwaysLearning #LifelongLearning Image Source: Microsoft Bing Image Creator (because I like to tweak noses).

The first time Daniel George thought about retiring early, he was 24. He'd just gotten a job at Google X after a summer internship. His starting total compensation would be $265,000 a year. By 2020, at age 26, he knew that he could retire and move home to India if he wanted to. George begun cautiously investing in several tech stocks, including Google, Apple, Amazon, NVIDIA, and Tesla, only putting a few thousand dollars in each. Most of his money went into his bank account, earning little interest. He didn't know much about finance and was afraid to invest too much. He learned how to optimize his retirement accounts to minimize his tax liability and while working at Google, he spent less than 10% of his income on expenses. By early 2023, at 29, George's net worth had grown. He knew he could safely retire and live anywhere since he spent only 2% of his investments a year. He thought about what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. So he left his role at J.P. Morgan and cofounded an AI startup with some friends. Now that he never needs to worry about earning a salary, he says he can afford to risk starting his own company. Click the link below for more of George's story. https://lnkd.in/eWAsHe6Y (Credit: Daniel George) #earlyretirement #carreers #saving #personalfinance #investment

Google didn't love me and I had no idea what to do next. 💔 So, the first thing I did was PANIC. I had this picture in my head of how we would grow our family with Michigan as the backdrop. I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. So at 6 months pregnant, I started frantically applying for jobs that would allow me to transfer back home.  None of them were jobs I actually wanted.  Many would require me to drop my level and pay.  Some told me my pregnancy “was a problem.” After several weeks, I admitted defeat. I was exhausted and stressed, and not focused on what actually mattered: welcoming our baby girl into the world. So I paused the job search, gave birth, and settled into a pattern of sleepless nights and drowsy days. And it was in the depths of those long, dark nights — rocking away in the chair, the baby dozing in my arms — that I started to think… What do I want out of life? What gives me joy and energy?  What drains my joy and energy?  What are the things I love spending time on? What are the things I never want to do again?  What would I do if I didn’t need to make money?  What does the world need from me right now?  What am I willing to give up to make it happen? The answers to these questions were circuitous and winding — they double backed and overlapped like the paths Alice followed through Wonderland. I would land on an answer…. Eureka! That’s it!  That’s what I’m going to do. And then the night would end. And the answers looked dull and uninspiring in the daylight. Fortunately, I had several months to mull all of this over. By the time I headed back to work, I had a solid plan about what I wanted to do after Google. And, more importantly, what I needed from Google to make it all happen. I’d realized that my relationship with Google needed to change, not end. Instead of working myself to the bone and investing only in things that would advance my career inside the company… I would pursue roles that aligned with my long-term goals.  I would invest in learning, development, and growth.   I would build a network outside Google’s walls. I needed to focus my energy on what would help me be successful after the fairytale ended. And so I did. But things didn’t go exactly as planned… 🤦♀️ *********************************** This is the third post in my #movingonandup series about how I curated my career both inside and outside of Google's walls and built a life I actually wanted to live. I hope these reflections will bring comfort and inspiration to anyone who needs it. The next post in this series will drop on Thursday, Dec 14. Follow me, Sarah Devereaux, for more honest stories. #changingwork #womeninleadership #womenleaders #lifeaftergoogle #creatingopportunity #movingonandup #creativeleadership #whitepineleadership #mindfulauthenticity #curatingmyfuture #coaching #leadershipcoaching #coachingwomenleaders #movewithgusto

TLDR: I have been laid off from Google; I am now financially free; I started my own YouTube channel! Hello friends, 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 #1: 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐛𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐞. Being asked to leave Google has been the most painful and difficult moment of my career. I spent 8 years there, engaging in meaningful work and relationships. Everyone dreams of working at Google, and I had 8 years to do it my way. I got to push boundaries and bring my own sense of adventure and humour to work every day. For that, I want to thank Google. Many of you have reached out offering support, and you made a sad situation filled with friendship and compassion. A special shoutout to a handful of senior Google leaders who have since reached out offering me to join their team. I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life. My only ask for anyone reading this is to always stay positive. In life, we never get exactly what we thought we were going to get. But if we work hard and always be kind, beautiful things will happen. Speaking of beautiful things… 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 #2: 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞! Growing up, my late mother did everything she could to provide, but I remember our home getting foreclosed and living from paycheck to paycheck. Being financially free became my # 1 career goal. Working in both tech and finance allowed me to meet and learn from many remarkable customers from all walks of life who were doing really well for themselves. I leveraged those learnings to meaningfully increase my net worth. Now, I am truly financially free. 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 #3: 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 It's called “9 to 5 Millionaire Mindset” because I truly believe that anyone working 9 to 5 can be financially free and deserves to have rich and fulfilling lives. Here’s my first video on how I achieved my own financial freedom after being laid off. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel! Till next time, keep up the faith my friends! Shao

🎉 Celebrating Google's 25th Birthday Here is what we know: 👉Sergey Brin & Larry Page's chance encounter sparked it all. 👉"Backrub" analyzed backlinks before becoming "Google." 👉The name "Google" represents an astronomical number! 👉https://buff.ly/kc7mYV was registered in '97, but the site launched in '98. 👉The first Google office? A humble garage in Menlo Park, CA! 👉Susan Wojcicki, now YouTube CEO, owned that garage. 👉Meet Yoshka, Google's first office dog, with a cafe named in his honor. 👉Google's colorful office tradition continues to brighten workspaces. 👉"Google" became an official verb in the dictionary in 2006. 👉Google's first tweet, coded in binary, was "I'm feeling lucky." 👉Google supports aspiring tech talent with scholarships. What's your favorite Google fact from this list as the company celebrates its 25th birthday? #Google25 #GoogleBirthday #GoogleHistory #TechMilestone #SearchEngineEvolution #GoogleFacts #SiliconValleyStartup #TechGiant #InnovationLegacy #InternetHistory

🎖 In a CNBC feature, the father of an 18-year-old Google engineer reveals his top parenting rule: a 'hands-off approach.' The article explores how this strategy fostered independence, leading to the teenager's remarkable success in landing a position at Google. The story highlights the power of allowing teens space to navigate their own paths. #ParentingSuccess #GoogleEngineer #IndependenceMatters