The OP is more about which is socially more useful. Fuck that. It's not an individually relevant discussion. It's for people who are comfortable, and that's not our generation, not yet. People in their early 20s need to concentrate on things like getting paid, making contacts, what they'll learn, and building the credibility necessary to do what you really want to do, as soon as you can get there. If you're not at the point of being able to change the world for real and on your terms, then don't settle for the indirect substitute of working for a macroscopically "world-changing" company (but likely in a subordinate role). Instead, go and get what's right for you. No one should feel ashamed just because he works in finance-- this is especially true for the young, who have no real influence anyway.
Who wins between Google and Goldman? If you're coming into Google without any contacts or a pre-established national reputation, you better head to Mt. View. Anything else is like working in Goldman's Atlanta office (if they have one). Also, get your project allocation before you sign the offer letter. If you land on the right project-- one with new development (not legacy maintenance) and interesting work where promo every 2 years (up to Staff) is common-- then Google's a pretty good option for people who know they want to be in tech. It will set you up very well to have 4-5 years at Google with good projects and promotions.
On the whole, though-- taking this discussion away from company specifics-- I'd advise young people to go with finance if they can get it, at least in their early 20s. Why? If you do tech, you only gain credibility if you work on the interesting projects. If you do bottom-half crap work in technology, you're a nobody, and after 10 years, you'll be shat out. On the other hand, if you have Goldman or RenTech on your resume, you have a credibility that can't be taken away. (In New York, at least, most startup founders did their 20s in finance.) If you got assigned crap work, you can say "that's why they pay so well." You aren't seen as a loser if you were assigned crap work in finance, because you can blame the industry; whereas if you worked at a software firm and were assigned junk-pile work and never got beyond a junior role after 4 years, you're cooked. Relatedly, everyone will assume you made a lot more money than you actually did.
Working in finance builds credibility, and that's really fucking important when you're starting out.
Who wins between Google and Goldman? If you're coming into Google without any contacts or a pre-established national reputation, you better head to Mt. View. Anything else is like working in Goldman's Atlanta office (if they have one). Also, get your project allocation before you sign the offer letter. If you land on the right project-- one with new development (not legacy maintenance) and interesting work where promo every 2 years (up to Staff) is common-- then Google's a pretty good option for people who know they want to be in tech. It will set you up very well to have 4-5 years at Google with good projects and promotions.
On the whole, though-- taking this discussion away from company specifics-- I'd advise young people to go with finance if they can get it, at least in their early 20s. Why? If you do tech, you only gain credibility if you work on the interesting projects. If you do bottom-half crap work in technology, you're a nobody, and after 10 years, you'll be shat out. On the other hand, if you have Goldman or RenTech on your resume, you have a credibility that can't be taken away. (In New York, at least, most startup founders did their 20s in finance.) If you got assigned crap work, you can say "that's why they pay so well." You aren't seen as a loser if you were assigned crap work in finance, because you can blame the industry; whereas if you worked at a software firm and were assigned junk-pile work and never got beyond a junior role after 4 years, you're cooked. Relatedly, everyone will assume you made a lot more money than you actually did.
Working in finance builds credibility, and that's really fucking important when you're starting out.