General Motors

I was so excited when GM recruited me from my university. My family had bought GM vehicles all our lives, and I was excited to work for them.

There is no shortage of work; expect longer than average workdays. There are many opportunities to get involved with the Arizona Innovation Center and plenty of good people.

Anyone is fair game for elimination at any time. We had a small team of programmers in Chandler, and we were very busy, working non-stop 10 days a week.

In February, we were individually escorted to a conference room where each of us was 'separated' from the firm. None of this made sense, as we were doing good work and always busy.

Also, it takes 3 years for your $401K to fully vest. As I was coming up on 3 years, the large amount of money that GM had contributed to my retirement was gone. Keep in mind that your $401K will be at risk of not vesting if you leave the company before 3 years or your job is eliminated.

Consider the families you are affecting when you eliminate people's jobs.

I lost many classmates and friends all because the 'company' decided to eliminate jobs during a time of record profits. In my opinion, layoffs should only be considered as a last resort.

Also, only lay off the people who truly deserve to go. Good, busy programmers do not deserve to be shown the door in such a demeaning way.