Pros
—Friendly co-workers —Opportunities to do a variety of tasks that aren’t limited to your job title. —Some work from home/flexible scheduling
Cons
—Non-engineers are treated like crap. They’re not taken seriously and treated as servants, even if you have the same education and experience they do. They’re talked down to, belittled, and disrespected. I had several engineers send me work on a Friday afternoon and expect it back first thing Monday morning. —Pay is terrible. I make $20k at my new job. —Benefits are not competitive. No sick time, average PTO, average healthcare coverage, no paid leave, average retirement. —There are almost no growth opportunities, especially for non-engineers. There are a limited number of management jobs that you have a very low chance of getting, and those jobs don’t come with much of a pay increase. There is no chance for a non-engineer to buy into the company or be on the board. —There’s almost no mentoring. In fact, I was explicitly told that Carollo’s philosophy is to give you work and see if you sink or swim. And if you falter, you can’t redeem yourself. —Work-life balance sucks. Expect to work nights and weekends regularly, especially around deadlines. I know of people who slept in their offices overnight so they could work late and wake up early to get a proposal submitted on time, and it wasn’t their fault they needed to work that much—it was the engineers. —Overall, it’s a toxic, outdated work culture that does not value its employees. Your job is to make a handful of old dudes a LOT of money. You don’t get much in return except a steady paycheck. —If you have a family or plan on having one, don’t expect any accommodation for it. The old partners worked themselves to death, never saw their kids, and relied on stay-at-home spouses to do domestic work, and they expect you to do the same. They see “work until you’re exhausted and miserable” as a sign of commitment, not a toxic work culture. I am soooooo glad I left.
