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A solid company with great benefits and opportunities to learn, but missing life-balance

Hardware Engineer
Current Employee
Has worked at Qualcomm for 2 years
February 22, 2015
San Diego, California
4.0
RecommendsNeutral OutlookApproves of CEO
Pros

Currently employed at Qualcomm, and I am enjoying the opportunities to take on big tasks right at the start. The benefits are excellent (ESPP/RSU/401K among the best in the industry), great health care, and a nice campus.

The team is very receptive to assist when needed. I feel that I can develop a very strong career here with lifelong learning by working with this top-tier talent.

We have a great CEO that values what is important for long-term growth versus what makes stockholders happy.

Cons

The culture here seems to be "work first, family second" without directly saying it. While no one will force you to work long hours, the culture seems to dictate it.

I know people that had to work over holidays and sacrifice family trips. While this isn't uncommon in our industry, it's sad to see it continued here.

The social events that Qualcomm holds for their employees are very far and few between (I know some groups have more than others, but my group has very few). I've worked for other semiconductor companies where this was the opposite.

As a result of the culture, it seems like employees want to get their things done and go directly home. There is very little socializing outside of work or team-building.

When I've tried to organize events for my group to meet even for a simple happy hour, it was met with little enthusiasm. I know work isn't meant to be "social hour," but it is nice to have team camaraderie. Life isn't all about the 9-5 (well, more like 8-8 here).

Advice to Management

Please work on life-balance and promoting more of a light-hearted team atmosphere. Even though Qualcomm is under enormous pressure to perform, it pays dividends when the team isn't constantly stressed out. I really like working here; make me love working here!

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