Pros
In the spirit of my headline...I started with SC some years ago excited because of the core values and culture that Softchoice Employed. We once stood for Owning the end result and taking care of eachother. We didn't have vacation carry over so Management would ensure you took your vacation days. Performance (i.e. Sales numbers) were rewarded and metrics were used to measure your performance gaps and were glanced over if you hit your numbers. It was an open environment where communication, while not perfect, was still possible and provided. You could speak your mind to your managers and even directors. Customers came first and people were a very close second. Certainly we had grown considerably and quickly, but the core values were always maintained and SC valued the employees more than I had anticipated. In short, Softchoice may not have payed well, but they certainly took care of their people. By no means was it perfect but it was at least understandable.
Cons
Over my time here, we have grown, and over the past two years a shift gradually began, and recently has accellerated exponentially. It has always been an issue that we promote strickly on performance with limited consideration for qualification or merit. We have always been underpaid. These two things continue, and in fact have worsened with a recent pay cut, and promotions to VP levels with minimal experience in that level of position. The politics of Softchoice have provided a feaux "Open Door" Policy. The truth is, you want to keep your mouth shut as it is frownd upon if you have a differing idea or thought. People with one mentality run this company, and differing opinions are held back or moved out of a position that can influence change. Some of the most respected people in this organization are in positions that lack cultural influence. Softchoice has gone from a progressive and forward thinking organization to a reactive "old School" mentality that manages your activity rather than your true performance. Micro-Management is at an all time high, and mostly, there is an apparent complete lack of trust from management toward their employees. Thus, this has become a "Typical" corporate environment. If you are OK with being a number or a cog in this world with limited to no autonomy who is expected to work within your personal time while having guilt provided when vacation is requested; If you are ok working in an environment where it is more important to manage your managers and them to manage theirs rather than vice versa; if you value living to work rather than working to live; if you are a typical person who does their job and works hard but doesn't work to completely over achieve; and if you like to provide forecasts; all while getting paid truly below industry average (Despite what SC says), then this place is for you. Don't expect a quality training from the start that is applicable and pertains the the actual job you will do. From there, you are just as good reading all the marketing material of every vendor if you want to learn as that is how we train. That said, Corporations exist for a reason. If you are looking for a typical Corporation to work for then you have the right place. If you are looking to get out of that and go to a more progressive company that truly values their employees, please, for your sake, keep looking.