Company: Microsoft
Date: 2008-12-17
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: former

Microsoft. Big, solid, stable, yawn.
Pros: It's a good place to start a career. The benefits are really nice. Stock options are generous. There are a lot of smart interesting people around. A lot of good caffeine in proximity. Employee discounts rock -- you can win many friends this way. There's a lot of opportunity for advancement quickly if you're an overachiever type.
Cons: The stock is flat. The weather in Seattle is generally lousy. The future of the company is not as rosy as the past. The traffic in the area is lousy during commute times.  There is a general lack of innovation from the newer guys. They expect everything to come from a book.