I remember thinking to myself when I first started working at OpenDNS, “Man, I am really enjoying this job and this company. It’s gonna be a sad day when I no longer feel like working here anymore.” This was a reference to previous jobs that I had worked – I was 24 years old at the time, and it seemed to be a natural reoccurrence that after I had worked somewhere for awhile, I would just be over it. Tired of what I was doing. Well, it’s been 5 years since my first day of employment at OpenDNS (which is the longest I’ve ever been at any company) and I STILL look forward to coming into work every day. My role at the company has changed a bit since then, and while this is a big part of why I feel this way, it’s not the only reason.
This place has always had an incredible company culture. I feel like I’m constantly surrounded by incredibly smart, talented and personable human beings, all of whom work very hard and believe wholeheartedly in the brand. I don’t know if you’ve ever been surrounded by people like this all day long, but it’s a trip. Infectious even. I find myself working harder and better than I ever have, in the name of being excited about where the company is headed, not being the weakest link, and most importantly, not letting my team down. Oh, and you know that jerk at your job that everybody hates having to deal with or talk to? They don’t work here!
Our executive team is, not surprisingly, also a great group of people. A respected and respectful group of individuals that constantly lead by example. They aren’t just telling us to run and climb and jump, but are right there running and climbing and jumping with us. Inspiring us to work towards enabling the world to connect to the internet with confidence anytime, anywhere and from any device. I might be drizzling a little too much sugar over my superiors here (not sorry), but these are true facts. Believe it.
I could go on about the various fun team building events that are held, or the positive feedback I’ve received every single time I talk to someone outside of the company who has heard or read about us, or the food truck lunches that are provided every week and so on and so forth. Those things are all incredible perks, but when it comes down to it, what makes this such a great place to work is the people that I get to hang out with and work alongside day in and day out.
It’s been a fun, productive and gratifying ride watching the company grow from 20 people (sharing an office with 3 other companies) to becoming a company of close to 150 people (and counting). There are a few things that have changed, and a few faces that I was sad to see go, but the underlying vibe has remained the same. From my first day of employment all the way up to now, we’ve been a company full of great people with a worldwide presence and a big dream. If things keep on in the direction they’ve been going, I may never get tired of this place.
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