Microsoft reviews

“The downsides are that sometimes you will put in long hours if you are close to release in the software development lifecycle. Occasionally I hear about people having incompetent middle manager/leads which I believe is partly due to the "if you can code, you can manage" philosophy. If this happens be diplomatic about it, give feedback to your leads and senior managers and remember that sometimes they are still learning too. Also, as a downside to having high career growth you can be put in a situation where they will give you more responsibility than you asked for. This is great for experience but it can be stressful if you are not used to it. The way I see it, that is just part of the training and what is life without a little challenge anyway?”

Somewhere between startup and global giant MS hit some snags. The company and its environment have had a hard time scaling to what it means to be a blue chip company. No longer be run by techie cowboys winging it through every challenge the company still values that spirit. As a result they spurn anything that smacks of standard operating proceedure, rules, etc.. Sounds good until you need to do any of the multitude of things that a global enterprise needs to run smoothly. Or, god forbid, stick to a budget. Growing pains have taken their toll on morale as the same "new" ideas and projects are generated over and over, soak up millions, languish and die. As a result, the "message" to employees is confused and inconsistent. Salaries are below industry average (no matter what they tell you), the expectations are high, and the newly minted red tape is incredibly annoying. Place on that the onslaught of never-ending pointless re-orgs, and your chance of actually getting anything accomplished are long at best. It's a well-appointed habitrail wheel and the caffeine is free. Just don't be attached to the a outcome.