Pros
- Unlimited free coffee in the office. - The people you work with are easily your best friends there, and are always very supportive. - Weekly Thursday/Friday drinks are very common and the best way to meet people and see what's going on (COVID aside). - You will be trained by or work with some of the best people, and you can easily pick them out in the office; they keep the project running... - The domain is very interesting and you feel that the project itself is worthwhile and not simply 'another software' - Very flexible hours and arrangements, especially WFH.
Cons
- Career progression does not exist unless you fight tooth and nail for it. - Salaries and performance appraisals are a joke; management make no effort in these areas. - You can be stuck in an 'important role' but not rewarded or supported for it. - Project runs on 'cost points'. If there is no dedicated funding you don't do it, even if the activity would save the business in the long term - Upper management (esp. project leads) only listen to themselves and never the lower management or SwEng/SysEng teams, causing friction and issues which could have easily been avoided. - Lots of waste caused by lack of communication from system level down to software level, no planning or discussions. - Certain aspects being delayed until very late in the project causing significant delays and overruns (deliver deliver deliver is most important...)
