Fine to start here, but keep an eye on the door.
Pros
--Friendly people-- Most coworkers are reasonable, friendly people with good industry experience and genuine interest in their work. There isn't a lot of socializing in the corporate office, but no one is mean. --Semi-flexible work environment (depends on your department). Great for parents and families. --Working here generally isn't that demanding. Telecommuting an occasional option for most employees. --Gym on-site-- Kept clean and in good working order, a great place to decompress and meet people you don't otherwise encounter in your workday. --Lunch provided-- Nothing to write home about, but it's free. --Beautiful location.
Cons
--No opportunities for advancement or upward mobility-- Promotions and raises almost never happen. Middle management has to fight hard to reward their employees for work done well. --Below-average compensation and below-average supplies-- Pay is far below industry standard, which is not unusual for Santa Barbara county, but even then QAD is near the bottom of the barrel. Taking a comparable position at the same level netted me a 50% increase on my salary. Almost everyone is on a computer that is 5+ years old, with outdated software and hardware on its last legs. This is kind of par for the course--there's a consistent investment in appearance (lunch, gym), but not a lot where it counts--supplies, investment in employee development, career growth. --Metric-based corporate culture-- Semi-annual reviews break the company into a bell-curve of achievement with no actual impact on day-to-day life. High-performing employees are praised, but not rewarded. The same employees are penalized for over-inflated performance issues because the reporting metric requires criticism as well as critique. The review system is designed to keep everyone in their places and justify a lack of advancement across the board. The entire culture of the company focuses more on rubrics, administration, and bureaucracy than actual performance. Bottom line, this isn't a bad place to work, but it's a bad place to grow. If you're looking to get your first years of experience, or you're looking for a place to crank out 15 years until you can retire, work here. If you're looking to grow within a company, rather than just build skills and experience for your next job, find somewhere else.
