Very unprofessional: Don't even bother giving them 2 weeks notice as they might not respect it
Pros
A variety of free fruit available every day, some skilled coworkers who are a pleasure to work with. They are very lucky that they got the large government health care website contract. That is saving both the WebMD website and the health services division.
Cons
I gave two weeks notice to this company and was informed on the day that I gave notice, that it would be my last day. That's entirely unprofessional. I had worked hard to ensure that all my work was complete before giving notice (even working until 1:00 A.M. the night before) and we were at the end of our release cycle so the manager just said he wouldn't need me for the next two weeks. Sure they might not absolutely need me, but that's breaking an unspoken social contract, and both the manager and I know that I could make myself useful during that time period. Giving notice is a courtesy that allows the employees to transfer knowledge and finish what they are working on when necessary, to the benefit of their employers. If the employer just decides to let the employee go early on a whim, then what is the possible benefit for the employee to give notice? I could have just not given notice and quit the day before my new job started, but unlike the engineering manager at WebMD, I conducted myself in a professional manner. Now I am left without a paycheck for the next couple of weeks (over Christmas), 3 paid holidays that I would have enjoyed over that period are history, and I quite likely will have to pay the full cost for insurance for my family for a month as typically insurance on a new job doesn't start until the end of the first month, while insurance from the previous job ends at the end of the final month. Thanks for penalizing me thousands of dollars because I had the courtesy to give you notice! In addition there is no criteria to become a software architect, or data architect, or security architect at WebMD other than that you have worked there a long time. A couple of the architects were knowledgeable, but more often than not they are just longtime employees who are fully versed in the WebMD system with little software architecture and engineering knowledge. I had to chuckle at what supposed "experts" were saying in meetings.