MathWorks

Lots of flexibility in job requirements. Over the dozen or so years I have been here, I have pretty much written my own job description. Small side projects became larger projects and then job requirements. I have not had a manager give me 'an assignment' in the last 8-9 years. It is a very self-directed environment.

All the creature comforts are here:

• Free drinks
• Breakfasts
• Summer Outings
• Anniversary cruises etc...

All the benefits that matter are here:

• 401k match
• Insurance plans
• Profit sharing Respectable salary.

Being a worker-bee with no eye towards management, I am quite happy to do the 9-5 and not think about work at all when I am gone.

There are not a lot of promotions here. That said, I think people come in with weird expectations: It is not high school; you do not get a promotion every year. Realistically, every position I have held here had the possibility of being a lifelong career position. If there are only five levels to each job, and I could be here for 40 years (a real possibility!), exactly how fast do you expect to move through the ranks?

We are a wee bit conservative. Every time that gets me upset, I think to myself, "Do you run a half a billion dollar a year company?" The answer has always been no, so I figure the more conservative path that got us here has merit.

Raises have been pretty feeble the last five years, but I never even noticed "the Great Recession" has been occurring around me, so is it really that bad?