Software Development Knowledge Vacuum: From the perspective of a software engineer, Boeing lacks an understanding of what is necessary to produce top-notch software Because Boeing managers do not have to have experience in the domain of their employees, it is not uncommon to see software managers who have no software experience. As a software developer, chances are that you will not have any say in the specification and design of your system, because that job will likely be handed to functional analysts or external contractors. Standards and practices are routinely ignored in favor of whatever technologies developers are familiar with.
Lack of Performance-Oriented Goals: If your project fails, you might get a raise. If your project succeeds, you might get nothing. There is often an unspoken understanding of who is dead weight in a group, and who pulls the majority of the load (the former group seems much larger than the latter), however, those two groups are treated no differently, and it's not uncommon to see one of the deadwood members promoted to PM or Principle because a manager does not know what else to do with them. Problem employees are not addressed - managers wait for them to leave.
Compensation: As a software engineer in Seattle, you are paid about substantially less than a software developer at a large software company.
Generally speaking, there is little drive to produce. Teams are given longer-than-necessary times to execute projects (for instance, we have one year to complete about 6 weeks worth of work, currently) and there is no real reward for finishing quickly or meeting customer expectations. This is supported by a very bloated infrastructure where getting the necessary tools for a project can take weeks or months. I feel no real degree of challenge at work, and I feel like I am atrophying mentally from working here.
