Pros
- Great support for continuing education - They're working on getting code reviews into the "process." Maybe this is a dislike, since it should be a given. - They try to do the agile methodology. - Developers get very nice workstatioins. - Very nice co-workers. Very little in the way of politics.
Cons
- Lenel is owned by a conglomerate that is focused mainly on manufacturing. They don't really understand how to run a software company. Expect unrealistic deadlines and pressure from upper management to compress the schedule. Expect management to think a lot in terms of headcount and throwing bodies at projects, even if the bodies are on other continents. - The internet access is severely restricted. Expect to use your home internet connection to do the research you need. Personal iPads with 3G are becoming popular. - The corporate parent uses a strict waterfall methodology which is at odds with the local office which tries to do agile. This is sub-optimal. - Developers get to do very little development and when they do, it's under heavy deadline pressure. In fact, co-ops often work on more interesting projects than senior developers. - There's very little opportunity for advancement. Your best bet for getting ahead is to get your masters on the company dime and then get out. - It's not uncommon for developers to spend a year or more on the "maintenance team," i.e. 2nd-level support. - The overall technical competence of engineers is pretty low, as they are encouraged more to become problem-domain experts than to expand their development skills. - Loud working conditions - Health benefits are sub-par - Vacation time is sub-par. New hires start at 2 weeks with the option to "buy" a third. - The company spends NO money on furniture. Expect to sit in a $50 chair from OfficeMax. - As with many mature companies, there's a massive and poorly architected legacy codebase. It's an albatross around the company's neck. "Rockstar" developers are the ones that know their way around the code base, not necessarily the ones that know how to write great software. - The management structure is matrixed. You will have conflicting demands from multiple bosses.
