SPARC Reviews

Pros

- Paycheck - I can't even come up with the 5 word minimum!

Cons

- This place is daycare for all the hipster dorks living in the Charleston area - Only a few lame & boring projects to work on - Almost exclusively government projects - Annoying wannabe Silicon Valley "culture" - Have to do bait & switch to get you to work there - Managers will lie to you - Lots of people screwing around all day - Not the place to stay current or advance your tech skills

Pros

It really is a fun work environment as portrayed in social media. Management cares about doing things well for customers, not just doing a "good enough" job, and technical competence is valued. Collaboration is high. Schedule is flexible. Unrestrained awesomeness is understood (where else can you ride a bike to your desk (don't hit the dog), and wear board shorts and a neon tank top and drink craft beer on tap while you write excellent code?)

Cons

Past all the fun and games, and all the great people, and the truly enjoyable work environment, some of the technical work is simply not engaging or interesting. There are stale projects where it's hard to tell what kind of impact you are really making. The acquisition by Booz Allen means uncertainty about the future of core values and culture, although things are OK so far. The Booz Allen performance rewards system (raises) leaves much to be desired. If you get hired for $75,000, don't expect to make $100,000 in 18 months just because you do a great job and prove you're worth it.

Pros

- Fun place to work - Very open communication with everyone, including the SLT - Everyone treated as equals - Agile, always evolving work environment - Very good benefits, including health insurance with no monthly premiums! - Work with cutting edge technologies

Cons

Because SPARC is growing so fast, nearly doubling in size in the last three months, the company is going to have a hard time keeping its culture as awesome as it currently is. If we can scale the culture to meet the growth in the company, it'll remain and awesome place to work!

Pros

-Camaraderie among employees -Open lines of communication across an extremely flat organizational structure -My voice is heard -Recognition is consistent and constant -Work is fun -Work is meaningful -Innovation is constant! -Everyone is a "team member"

Cons

If you do not like working for a company with the characteristics listed in the Pros section, this may not be the place for you. Current employees are known to arrive early and stay late, so again, if you are not willing to bust your back for something you care about, SPARC is probably not for you. If you do not like having fun or the ability to engage ANY team member in conversation within a company, SPARC may not be the place for you..

Pros

SPARC is an inspiring place to work, having an excellent culture and an inspiring team whose members are both hungry for knowledge and eager to share/teach. It was a great entry point to the industry -- I started as an intern, e.g. -- and they've continued to hold my attention and interest well into my career, now working in the senior developer capacity.

Cons

Occasionally, the environment can be distracting, albeit fun. It's great to have the freedom to engage neighboring teams in a knockdown dragout nerf war after builds succeed and software ships. Only then is it fun; otherwise, it can break concentration and kill an afternoon's productivity in critical times.

Pros

Seen the leadership do some exceptional things when someone was going through personal issues like sickness. Things like financial assistance and liberal time off and flexibility. Fun environment. Free beer who doesn't like beer. Casual work space.

Cons

It gets a little wild sometimes with the darts and such. I don't mind it but some people might. The building especially the heating and air need some work but I think it is getting worked on.

Pros

-I enjoy coming to work everyday. -My hard work and dedication never goes unappreciated or unacknowledged. Whether I get a verbal complement or a hand written thank you with a lottery ticket, I always feel encouraged to perform to the best of my ability. -SPARC offers top-notch benefits. -Company communication encourages us to workout hard in the mornings, but close the day with an IPA from Charleston Beer Exchange.

Cons

-We're growing so fast that it's hard to keep up with all the new hires -Between the scooters, Call of Duty, Nerf guns, sumo wrestling, soccer and basketball it is sometimes difficult to code.... but you definitely learn to trust people here.