Company: Oracle
Date: 2008-06-14
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: current

Big Company with a Dose of Startup DNA
Pros: It's a market leader with its eyes on first place in each market area. The culture is very get-things-done. The top people are experts in their fields. The strongest product areas (i.e. database) are widening their leads over competitors. Lots of opportunities for customer feedback, and the customers are experts too who can help to hone employees' skills. Whether you want to work in a buttoned-down corporate-style team, or a small agile startup-style team, there's a product group that's right for you.
Cons: Career development is largely in the hands of each employee, and opportunities vary depending on the savvy of each area's management. The long adoption cycle for products means that it can take a long time before your cool new feature has a big impact. Old-timers and teams from newly acquired companies find themselves competing to prove who's product and processes deserve to become the standard. Some people operate, and some managers manage, out of an inordinate fear of getting fired.