Pros: - Okay salary. - Nice offices. - Pockets of IT excellence, usually where someone technical has been promoted to MD level by accident.

Cons: - Absolutely atrocious development environment. Business units are commonly on better spec PCs for using Excel or Outlook than developers get for using heavyweight IDEs. - Windows XP. - 4GB RAM. That's right, 4. On a developer 'workstation', a.k.a the cheapest Dell box money can buy. - Everything is completely locked down, including developers' own PCs. The simplest tasks become an almighty chore involving multiple layers of non-value adding bureaucracy. - IT management is completely divorced from modern software engineering culture. MDs are typically smart, political, completely non-technical, and utterly unequipped to actively lead technical organizations. - Apps are typically supported by offshored/outsourced vendor teams of poorly trained staff. Devs, intended to be the last line of defense, end up being the first and only port of call for most issues. - High attrition rate for genuinely talented developers; good developers come in, try to change things, get frustrated when they can't, then move on. - If your manager is non-technical, it is a nightmare trying to get some decent tools to do your job. "Why do you need a ReSharper license? Jim does just fine without it." - MS has no idea what motivates developers. Everything revolves around comp and the bestowing of shiny titles. - Many MS developers have forgotten what is meant to motivate developers. Everything revolves around comp and the bestowing of shiny titles.

Pros: Great exposure, lots to learn.

Cons: Nothing much; overall experience was good.

Pros: The IT division is a patchwork of teams with different work habits, culture, and technology. One can usually expect a good work environment, modern(ish) technology, challenging problems, and plenty of learning opportunities, especially if one joins the right team. Make sure to learn about the specific team you are about to join. A great place for fresh graduates to learn technology, boost your resume, and master the English language.

Cons: Work in some teams can be stressful; others might use obsolete or firm-specific technology with no convertible market value. Promotions are decided by committees with members from your wider department. Therefore, advancement is more dependent on visibility and social connections than actual achievements, potential, or expertise. Think twice before accepting an offer of a contractor role. While treated equally to employees in usual workplace matters, contractors are not entitled to bonuses, find it more difficult or less likely to get a raise, and cannot get promoted. Conversion of contractors to full-time employees does happen, but there are no guarantees and chances differ from team to team. If you are a mid-career professional, make sure to join at the compensation and organization level you really want to be. Getting ahead within the organization will be much more difficult. Do you want to be promoted to a VP or ED from within? Think about embarking on the campaign trail for president. An interesting pattern, however: some contractors might get converted directly into a VP role if they happen to be the last senior member of a team hit by turnover. This hurts morale.