Epic Systems

High expectations - There's a level of trust and seriousness that is rewarding to someone on their first "real job". Because of those expectations, there's plenty of opportunity to learn and grow, as you'll take on responsibilities that are outside your job description (of course, you could see that as a con).

Industry leader - Epic has the largest market share out of any EHR, which brings with it certain advantages. There's a lot of security and stability for employees, with some great benefits. There's a lot of expertise among the employee body, so it's easy to learn a lot about the industry and software. The fact that the software is so widely used means that you can easily take that knowledge elsewhere.

Great campus - Like a lot of new tech leaders, Epic has made it a priority to have an interesting campus. There are plenty of flowered courtyards to enjoy during the spring and summer, and in the autumn and winter you can enjoy the quirky interior decorations. The architecture is very experimental overall, so if you're into that, it's a great place to work. They're just wrapping up work on the new buildings and starting some others. The location is also nice as well. You'll hear people complain about traffic, but if you're familiar with real city traffic (think the New York, LA, or Chicagoland areas), you won't notice it at all.

Vague expectations - Epic will expect a lot from you, but if you have a team leader who's not very good at communicating those expectations with you, you're going to have trouble meeting them. Internal resources describe expectations as "demonstrate initiative" or "fix processes," which don't actually mean anything concrete.

Inconsistent management - Management styles can vary widely between different team leads (the Epic term for your manager/supervisor). Because the internal definitions for employee expectations are so vague, each team lead has a lot of flexibility with their charges. This can work for you, but if it works against you, there's not much you can do about it, and it can be devastating to your career. You really need a team lead who can give you interesting assignments with which you can demonstrate your capabilities. Otherwise, you'll struggle.

Flat hierarchy - The flat hierarchy is often described as a pro, but for me, the flat hierarchy meant that there was rarely any guidance for people new to the company. There's no one around who's specifically responsible for guiding new employees outside of training. Even your team leaders don't have management as their primary responsibility. Additionally, someone new to the team is expected to do about the same level of work as someone with two or three more years of experience, which is a tall order.

Have consistent guidelines to help team leaders work with their teams to meet expectations and goals. Currently, if someone switches to a different team lead, it can cause some serious upheaval.