Pros
- You can wear workout clothes to work. - If you are a black badge (full time) employee, you can do pretty much anything and still get a job, annual raise/bonus, and probably a promotion even if you don't do any work.
Cons
Think about Nike's marketing for a second. Have you ever noticed that it's all about individual glory and not much else? Understand that is the culture you are walking into. Because that culture is the biggest con. Sure, they spin it as relaxed and fun, appreciating the athlete, giving you time to work out or see famous people speak. But that's all just marketing. The truth is you're walking into a culture that values seeming like a good old fashioned start up more than actually holding people accountable for what they do, good or bad. The bottom line is at Nike, it's all about your constant ability and desire to promote the fact that you will do exactly as told whenever you are told to do it. That's it. Not talent. Not drive. Just the ability to sound important to the right people and beat those who disagree into submission. Many departments, particularly in the supporting functions, only desire sycophants who will do exactly what they are told and encouraged to do in order to reach the next level. They're not looking for actual thoughts and innovation, merely your desire to come up with something that sounds great to the right audience, which is really whoever you report to. Do not question them. If you are harassed or spoke to in a demeaning way, don't stand up for yourself. ESPECIALLY if you are a white badge contractor. You need to understand that you are a second class citizen and the company views you as such. You can come in with decades of experience and it doesn't matter - you're just a white badge and you deserve the treatment you get. While this may vary based on the department you're working with, the majority of contractors I worked with had instances of being dismissed due to status or outright harassed by people they were working with, even if they were considered "expert" level. Understand that as a contractor you are there to SERVE them. That may mean working extra while your black badge "teammates" go to the gym. That may mean working extra when you're told there is no overtime budget. That may mean doing all of this repeatedly only to find out your contract is ending early/not extended because your project doesn't need you anymore. You are a resource to be used, nothing more. You MUST understand that no matter what your expertise and how good a job you do, for many areas it does not and will not matter. Think about this long and hard before committing to a contract position. While some people are offered enough money to make this worth it and others end up on teams where they're valued and converted to black badge employees quickly, understand that this is the minority of contract positions. Talk to people, not just your manager - and certainly not the agency. You NEED to know what you're walking into. If you're a black badge, understand that while you are automatically more valued than a white badge...you're still going to have to impress the right people in the right way and perhaps put up with some harassment as well. Your ability to smile and nod will take you a long way. And regardless of whether you are black or white badge, understand that if you're not one of the departments on main campus you may miss out on the food, happy hours and visits/concerts they constantly promote as bonuses. Sure, you can go from Hillsboro to main campus - they even have a shuttle. But it's not fast and you'll often be forgotten. (And they definitely won't tell you if your shuttle line isn't running, so if you're taking Tri-Met be aware.)