Intel

I worked in two groups during my seven years at Intel, and they were both fantastic. The people were great, the work was challenging, and I felt I was evaluated fairly.

It can be a tough place to work, as aggressive timelines are set with high expectations. However, my management was always very supportive and did a great job removing roadblocks and helping me do my job, always asking if there was anything they could do to help.

I enjoyed the culture of the groups I worked in as well. They enjoyed solving really tough engineering problems, but also liked to joke around and have a good time. My groups both presented very positive work environments, and I felt fortunate for that. It made it fun to go to work.

My immediate management was very good as well. No complaints. They let me do my job without interfering and trusted my suggestions and input. I felt like they actually listened to me.

It's harder to speak about upper management, as I didn't have much direct contact with them.

I felt compensation was very good as well. They have:

• Great onsite cafes
• A bonus structure
• Stock opportunities
• Good salaries Again, work hard, play hard.

Overall, it's a huge company that works on a lot of different products, so there are a lot of different opportunities for challenging, fun work (even for Mechanical Engineers - lots of thermal/mechanical problems to solve!).

You've got to remember that Intel is a huge company, so it will take all the time you want to give it.

It's easy to get into the habit of working 10-hour days without thinking much about it, as there is always more to get done. The pressure can feel pretty high sometimes as well.

There are definitely ebbs and flows.

As with any large company, the culture can change from group to group, as well as the management style.

Keep it up.