Pros
The paycheck was on time. The infrastructure didn't get in my way technically.
Kontras
•Ideas I brought up in meetings were routinely dismissed, only to see the exact same ideas approved weeks later when repeated by someone within the inner circle.
•Meaningful projects consistently went to those already tied into the right connections, and it was clear capability had little to do with it.
•Real mentorship and guidance existed, but it happened in closed conversations I was never part of, while others received constant support from senior engineers.
•Key decisions were made in small informal groups, and I would only learn about them after everything had already been decided.
•I was repeatedly assigned lower visibility infrastructure work while others were given opportunities to grow through impactful projects.