Apple

Work with stellar and deadly dedicated people on amazing products. Learn what it is that makes Apple different. Frequent opportunities to move to the project you like. Receive broad and career-changing visibility if you are able to do something great. Forget longish and back-breaking analysis work. It is acting by the seat of your pants that gets the job done in time, and if you've really got the vibes, Apple is the place to be. Enjoy good food and cool beer bashes.

With too many superstars, it's difficult to shine and sparkle. Everyone strives to get a rare chunk of management's attention, always. Coworkers are wisely behaving nicely, as only teamwork keeps you in the loop, which is so essential for survival at Apple. But don't be foolish. Everyone has her secret personal agenda.

Your boss will most likely be an accidentally promoted engineer, not a manager.

Good ideas are always welcome, but don't act surprised when yours are put down at first and later get presented by somebody else than you, in a meeting where you are not invited.

Be prepared to fight for your family life and against burnout, every day.

Expectations and pressure can be almost unbearably high.

On a day where you decide to not work at night, everybody else on your team will, and you will learn the next morning that you have been blocking at least half of them.

Even though I feel that Apple is going to kill me in the long term, it's the greatest workplace I've ever been part of. But there are tendencies towards too many keypoint slides and operational planning meetings. Don't lose your "Think Different"!