Pros
I've been working at Digital Dream Forge for a little while now, and I have to say that it's the best company I've worked with so far. They have a wide range of software (and hardware!) to test. At first, I assumed I'd be bored out of my mind when I was doing QA on a project testing business software, but that wasn't at all the case. The people there are great, and they tackle every project with a mind-set that something is broken, and we just need to find it. As it turns out, I haven't seen that be wrong yet! Since I started, I've gone through some struggles, and seen other employees having a tough time with a variety of things. At first I was worried that management would be upset that I was having trouble, but instead they worked with me to give me the skills necessary to accomplish the job. Everyone who shows up and is clearly making an effort has been treated the same, each getting the specialized assistance they need to do their best. Unfortunately, I've seen a few people come in who aren't all that interested in working. They spent their time using work IM instead of testing, and were such a disruption to others. It was unsettling when management had to send out reminders to the whole office just because a few people were goofing off. Still, I suppose it was only fair that management gave these folks a chance too. A few of them stepped up their game and are actually really great to work with now! It's all about that balance; we can work and have fun too. Speaking of fun, I've had the pleasure of participating in a few of DDF's infamous Game Jams. We all made up small groups of 3-4 people to create our own games within 48 hours. It was tough, but so satisfying once you realize what you and your team can accomplish.
Cons
The worst experience I had working at DDF was when the contract for the project I was on ended after the game was released. Management informed me and the rest of the team that we would be on part-time status until they could arrange for more work for us. I was really worried, what with bills and all. As it turned out though, they found projects for me and the others to work on every day until within the week there was another one for us to start on full-time, so I guess I shouldn't have been so worried in the first place. Even when things are uncertain, they look out for their people.
