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Prestigious, but stressful

Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET)
Current Employee
Has worked at Microsoft for less than 1 year
September 14, 2008
Redmond, Washington
4.0
RecommendsApproves of CEO
Pros

Smart people around you; good reputation; you see the impact of your work outside the workplace (products); your friends will praise you. The best benefits package I have ever seen. There are some problems with the way the dental plan is handled by the local dentists (see below).

Cons

Stress on a regular basis; pressure; competition can lead to some sort of mixed feelings about your peers.

One big thing: dentists in the Seattle area will do everything they can to take all the money from the insurance company. At Microsoft, they give you a limit of $1500 per year for dental treatment. However, if you need, for instance, a canal for a tooth, dentists here will charge you... well, guess what? $1500! That means, for a simple canal, they will eat up all insurance money at your first visit. Then, if you need to do something else (say, a crown for that canal?), you have to pay for it yourself, and it's a rip-off. So, the dentists here are literally thieves!

Dental insurance should be unlimited, just like medical insurance.

Advice to Management

Senior management is great. What's not great is middle management (LEADS). Many times these people are terrible leaders (great technically) and block your career advancement.

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