A massage therapist who can code?
How many of Google's massage therapists could solve the puzzles that Google uses to recruit software engineers?
I'm a geek. I think like an engineer, and for a long time I thought I'd be one. I'm tremendously curious, methodical, analytical, always striving to learn. I like to commit my attention completely to a task, to do the best job I possibly can, and to discover how to do even better next time. As you can see, I enjoy applying myself to all sorts of different tasks. But while solving these puzzles has been fun, it has also been incredibly exhausting. Giving a massage, on the other hand, is invigorating to me. So professionally I've chosen bodywork, instead of computers, as my focus.
Years ago, fresh out of massage school, I applied to work at Google. I knew that if I could only meet someone there in person, I could impress them. But on paper, I didn't look like anything special; so there was nothing for me to do other than to launch my application into the black hole that Google's recruitment process can often feel like, and go on with my life.
When I found these programming challenges, I realized this could be an opportunity to stand out. Someone with my skills and knowledge would fit right in at Google. I can talk to developers about their health and their bodies in their own language. I can discuss nutrition and ergonomics in ways that feel comfortable to them. I can even chat with them about their own work — imagine coming back from a massage, not just relaxed and refreshed, but with new insights about that problem you've been working on!
If you like this idea, please use the links at the top of the page to check out my professional website (particularly the "Home" and "About Me" pages), and forward this to someone who is involved with hiring for massage therapist positions.
Thanks so much,
Josh Hanson