Poorly managed, no real way to grow
Pros
- Work is completely remote. Despite completely owning two office buildings in Baltimore and DC, and two floors of an office in Reston, almost no one ever comes into the office. Great if you prefer a remote experience. - Job security is mostly good. This company is slow to implementing just about anything new, so your job is mostly in safe hands as long as you are good at your job. - Great if you are more senior in your career and would like to settle at a safe 9-5 job.
Cons
- No growth. There is almost NO growth as a software engineer in this job. You are largely using years-old technology on a poorly built virtual desktop setup that has existed in some form since the late 2000s. - Piss-poor management. Managers are often older and thus many lack the relevant technical experience needed to understand even basic concepts such as version control, git branches, and properly merging and rebasing PR's. - Language barrier - there is a pretty serious language barrier between many of the associates here. Many of the CW's often have trouble typing or saying proper English, which can make it hard as a first-generation English speaker to even understand what many people are saying. This language gap contributes to the serious knowledge gap that exists everywhere in the company. - No culture. COVID pretty much eradicated any culture still left within the company, as nearly everyone works from the comfort of their home. There are almost no in-person events, and when they are they are underfunded and lack strong participation. - No budget. CareFirst has systematically been robbing the US government and insurance holders since its inception. That isn't unique to CareFirst, it is a fact for all insurance companies. So it infuriates me how little of a budget CareFirst is willing to spend on even basic perks like more employees, bonuses, better PTO, and more in-person events.