Intel

Pay is good, but not great. Benefits are excellent. Bonuses are excellent. Many perks are available for employees of such a large company.

Intel is a very high-pressure workplace. They cultivate what they refer to as a "sense of urgency," which translates into expecting everyone to do the work of two people. If you're a Type-A hyperactive overachiever, ADD, anal-retentive, overbearing, control-freak workaholic who doesn't mind essentially turning your life over to the company, you'll do fine. If you aren't, you won't.

It's a huge company, and the bureaucracy is absolutely ponderous. Everything is all about rigidly defined procedures, and yet it's extremely difficult to make decisions because nobody wants to take responsibility.

If you have a good manager there, life is tolerable; if not, it's hell on earth. It has a reputation as a sweatshop, and it's well-deserved.