Yup, this is the exciting news I hinted at last time! As of September 17, I am joining the ranks of software engineers at Google. To say I’m excited would be an understatement. I can’t wait to work with some of the most talented programmers in the world, at a company for which, let’s face it, some people would saw off a leg if it would help get their (remaining) foot in the door.

The interview process was as difficult as is rumored, although perhaps not as lengthy: I had one phone and four in-person interviews. The interview questions mostly boiled down to things like choosing efficient data structures and algorithms to solve a particular problem (then describing how they work, then writing the code on the whiteboard, etc.). There were no “brain teaser” questions, and very little drilling of specific knowledge about Java (for example). I’m sure a good deal of that was thanks to my particular interviewers, who did a pretty good job overall conducting the interviews.

I had a job offer within a couple weeks after the in-person interviews. I get the feeling, based on comparing my experience to those that I’ve read or heard about, that Google has been working hard to streamline and standardize their hiring processes, which is nice.

I’ll try to write a little more about my Google recruiting and interviewing experience, which was quite positive, after I’ve started and have had the chance to understand Google’s position and/or policies on employees blogging.

However, before that happens, there are still a slew of difficult and/or tedious things that Kristen and I have to get done, almost all centered around moving, for the second time in three years, to the San Francisco Bay area. We’re currently on a flight back from SFO, where we managed to find an apartment that both accepts our two Siberian Huskies, and provides a reasonable environment for the dogs.

We still have to arrange details with movers, decide what goes and what stays (we’re keeping our house in New York), and prepare for a drive across the country with two dogs, one of whom gets carsick on a two-hour ride. I have to figure out how to sell a 125 gallon reef aquarium that weighs over a thousand pounds, try to get grass planted in our recently renovated back yard, and fix a million little things around the house, all before we go.

We’re also entering the final weeks at our current jobs, mine with a company that I’ve had a great relationship with for eight years, and Kristen at a relatively new job that she loves and hates to leave. You don’t have to tell me how amazing my wife is; I already know.

I’ll keep the blog updated as we progress, and maybe get the chance to provide some insight into what it’s like working at the number one company in the US to work for. I’ve already had the chance to sample a couple of the famous free lunches, but there are bound to be a few other things to talk about .