Comcast

My co-op at Comcast was essentially the first professional work I had done in my field. Now that I've worked a few other places, I can look back and say it was a great place to get started.

I found all of my co-workers to be helpful and knowledgeable. At the time, I really didn't know much, and my supervisor and other engineers were ready to give me whatever I needed to complete the task at hand.

The highlight of my experience actually came more than a year after my co-op ended, when I went to a friend's house and noticed that he was using a product that I had worked on while I was there. I really enjoy seeing the impact of my work, and knowing that my work is now in millions of American homes is pretty awesome.

I would be happy to go back.

As mentioned in most of the reviews here, the worst part about Comcast is the reputation from poor experiences with customer service. (Personally, I'm not convinced that the reputation has a sound basis--I've been a Comcast customer myself for several years and have only ever found customer service to be accommodating.) Still, the reputation persists. Mentioning to friends and family that I was working at Comcast pretty consistently led to frowns and condolences, and my defense that it's actually a really great place to work.

Also, I worked in the Philadelphia headquarters. Working in Center City in general means high taxes, frequent transportation challenges, and lots of reasons to pack your own lunch.

Comcast's headquarters is built directly over Suburban Station, so it's well-situated for commuting from the suburbs. However, that easy connection to the suburbs also means Comcast is somewhat insulated from the city itself. It seemed that corporate employee involvement in the community tends to be through a Comcast community engagement program, rather than through simply being a part of it every day.