AT&T

The Technology Development program is a decent place to start if you're fresh out of college and have little experience in the professional world. While working within the Technology Development program, you can transition to different clients fairly easily, gaining exposure to different technologies.

As the title suggests, if you don't intend on working hard or accomplishing much professionally, then AT&T is ideal for you. The ambitious and hard-working need not apply.

• Raises are terrible (around 2% per year), and the starting salary is uncompetitive, especially if you're a developer. Even if you're a developer from a great school, you'll get paid roughly the same amount as non-technical people from inferior schools. No matter how hard you work, no matter what you do to set yourself apart, your raises are mostly determined by your seniority in the company.
• AT&T oozes with cheapness. As a developer, you'll receive a cheap Windows machine. My office space is dull, uninspiring, and tawdry, with hardly any perks or amenities whatsoever.
• The TDP program is too long. Eighteen months is far too long to babysit people. Realistically, you'll only get a minor pay and title bump after those 18 months are up.
• Sometimes you go without work for long stretches of time. It is simply unbelievable that developers can sit around with nothing to do.

Reward individuals based on their merit and hard work. Paying your best up-and-coming employees the same amount as your most mediocre employees inevitably results in everyone leaving the company except for those too untalented and unmotivated to work elsewhere.

Co-located employees should be put on the same project. Employees should be encouraged to work collaboratively and learn strong interpersonal skills. Too many developers sit off in their own corners working on a project where absolutely everyone else is remote.