Pros
• Collaborative workplace with smart, talented and driven colleagues
• Plenty of room to explore new technologies and experiment with new ideas
• Flexible work environment that supports work/life balance and focuses on the quality of the work not punching a timesheet
• Executive support for professional development – everyone is encouraged to remain on the cutting edge of their discipline through conferences, presentations, hosting meet-ups, and other interactions with their community
• Great perks – pong, free beer, free lunches on Fridays, weekly tech demos/discussions, whiteboards galore, and spaces devoted to brainstorming and UI design ideas
• Leadership is transparent about both challenges and successes and are much more competent, approachable, and integrated with the workforce than I’ve seen elsewhere
• Challenging projects in both the federal and commercial space – lots of very cool stuff that has and will continue to have a big impact
• West Coast IT culture both in DC and San Francisco
Cons
• Still some growing pains with the closure of one office and the opening of an office in San Francisco
• Personnel gaps that can’t be filled fast enough, especially in engineering
• The transitions over the last year and a half have impacted retention