Valuable learning opportunities overshadowed by client demands
Pros
- opportunity to upskill through access to a wide range of materials on various tech and soft skills - bench is a good buffer between projects that provides a sense of job safety and opportunity to continue learning - there are some genuinely good projects to work on and colleagues to work with
Cons
- even if you are fully utilized on a project, you will be expected to jump through some hoops, mandatory learning expectations, begging clients or colleagues for feedback, etc... they will not care if you've had to work weekends and/or unrecorded overtime for months. You will have to do these on your own time. - related to the point above, some clients will work you to the bone if you let them and let you go if you don't. You're not their employee, they don't care about your burnout. One of epam's three pillars of culture is "client-centricity" at the moment. You can do the math. - This company' stock value has been cut by more than half since the AI craze has begun. This can be felt across the board. Feedback forms incorporate AI usage which is... OK i guess... however salary hikes are apparently also tied to AI related factors, like the above feedback element, AI related extra miles you're willing to do, certificates you acquire. Sure make it an element of it, it's a transformative technology after all, but is it really the ONLY thing that matters?