Epic Systems

The benefits package of Epic, especially in a smaller Midwestern city, means you can have an incredibly comfortable life – financially and health-wise – right away. Paying off student loans, buying a car, and putting a down payment on a home are all achievable fast, even with non-tech role salaries. And the health benefits are certainly among the best in the nation; after five years, I pay effectively nothing for healthcare costs.

Epic's culture is amazing; it is quirky and fun, from the design of the campus and art, while also valuing excellence, both in its employees and the work that we do. I have seen the work I do be actually implemented to change healthcare workflows, not just some theoretical research or taking a cookie-cutter approach. High performers can make an impact and be recognized for it.

As with all jobs, work-life balance is what you make of it. As with tech jobs and salaried positions, at Epic, you have to actively balance the life portion so as not to let the work consume you, as Epic is always willing to ask for more, sometimes too much.

With a flat company structure, there are a lot of team leads, and the consistency of the quality of managers varies wildly. Many are amazing, most are good, and a few are awful. Epic's ability to recognize and respond to the not-good ones can be slow, especially within development and implementation, where a manager's manager is removed from their team.