SAIC reviews

No advancement for many years unless you move to different business unit or are in with the right crowd. Don't value new, creative ideas Just want you to adhere to the latest policy. Too much importance in cutting costs, not enough importance on getting new work. Too much value on direct time charging very little overhead hours allowed. You must find your own work when things get slow. Don't allow enough training to keep pace with newer technologies. Centralization of HR, purchasing, IT and travel expenses will cause you to use valuable overhead hours waiting for support when you could be working. Used to be an innovative, employee-owned company, fun to be a part of, exciting and now is just like all the other corporations where only the bottom line matters.

SAIC lost its soul when they ousted the super-intelligent, caring founder, Dr. Beyster. Rather than focusing on (a) doing what's right and (b) always reaching to know more, discover more and offer more--the company was put on a two-year "let's go public" path. During that time, the R&D unit was essentially dissolved. There was simply no more concern for or value placed upon the minds and subject matter expertise of SAIC's brainy resource pool. Similarly, the needs of customers became not only discounted--but discarded. Resources that fed the "what do customers need today" and "what will customers need tomorrow" machine were dismissed. Business development and capture were eradicated. Responding to every RFP on the planet--regardless of appropriateness--became the only business model worth pursuing. Once public, the powers that be at SAIC (there is no way to call these greedy power brokers "leaders") continued their march of folly by leaving their past "consultant" persona in the dust and, instead, strapping on the clown mask of "contractor." They went from being highly regarded in all circles, to becoming a bad paradox of a Beltway Bandit. The saddest addendum to this is that they have sucked at their charade of trying to be like Northop Grumman or Lockheed. It has been like it might have been to watch Grace Kelly trying to get a part on Hee Haw. What a waste.