Senior Software Engineer • Former Employee
Pros: Great salary and benefits.
A wide array of tech to learn about.
Backing by Verizon allows for deep pockets - R&D is possible...sometimes.
I would recommend this company if you are interested in the following:
* Resume fodder - having a few years of experience with a big company like Verizon is attractive to future employers.
* Salary - the salary is good and has often been described as "Golden Handcuffs." You'll get paid well, but you'll find yourself in a difficult position to transition out. This is very commonly discussed among employees. The silver lining of a potentially unsatisfying job is the stability of the salary. It's a double-edged sword because some people have trouble tearing free and end up hating their job for years.
* Opportunity to Learn - Learn, learn, learn. Watch what management is doing and note what they are doing wrong, what results, and be diligent to consider how things could have been done better. This will prep you for your future when you leave and can offer experience to other companies of what NOT to do. There are a lot of teams, a lot of tech, a lot of repos, etc. - there is no lacking of opportunity to grow your skill set, in preparation of leaving for a job that will allow for promotions and advancement.
Cons: Poor leadership.
Little to no possibility for advancement or promotion.
Constant job freezes, even after offers have been made.
Cultural grab bag. Merging with AOL and Yahoo! caused chaos that probably won't ever go away.
Little to no accountability for personal contributions. Some people don't seem to do anything but are still there for years.
No commitment from leadership. Every response is vague, every roadmap is flimsy. You simply won't get a manager to commit to an initiative. As a result, every project gets scope creep, and every planning session gets interrupted within a week. May as well just grab a raffle ticket to decide what you work on every morning.
I would NOT recommend this company if you are interested in the following:
* Career Advancement - Simply put, aside from a few political maneuverings, you won't likely get an opportunity to even make a case for your promotion. The promotion process requires approval from management 4, 5, or even 6+ levels above you. They have no idea who you are or what you do. If they haven't heard your name and what you've done, you have next to no chance. It becomes a mad scramble to climb over each other in a fight for political recognition. Very toxic.
* Discipline & Order - Everyone does better when they are disciplined. Some jobs require it and make you a better person because of it. This job is NOT that job. You will have every opportunity to drag your feet and make excuses why something wasn't able to get done. Never any push back. If you want to join a team to GROW and become a BETTER person, then don't join this company.