Big 4 prestige

New / Eng
palindrone

New Eng

palindrone
Sep 28, 2017 22 Comments

I want to put things into perspective here. I'm a new grad coming out of school and going to Amazon for my first ever real job.

Lots of flack and hate gets thrown around blind about various random things at these companies. But really, how prestigious is it to be working for them? If you look at the big picture, how much of the industry is even represented by people who work for the big4? Aren't we a very specific group of the best engineers making $$$? And do we tend to take this for granted sometimes?

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TOP 22 Comments
  • You work for one of the top 10 tech companies in the country. Take the job and watch as doors just magically open for you based off being a developer at Amazon.
    Sep 28, 2017 0
  • You know what's more important than big4 prestige? Putting in good work.

    Coworkers will get new gigs here and there and suddenly some of them will see your good work and open doors and opportunities because they will fight to have you on their team at whatever place they move too. In a few years of good work you'll have open doors everywhere.
    Sep 28, 2017 3
    • Indeed / Eng
      User14816

      Go to company page Indeed Eng

      User14816
      Too many people in blind are obsessed with prestige of big4. Dont forget there are tens of thousands of swe in these companies - so they cant be that selective. There are places that select based on contribution to CS(open source, strong publications and research etc). But people working there dont care that their company is unkown, only performance and the reward that follows with it matters.
      Sep 28, 2017
    • True but I think generally people will give you the benefit of the doubt if you're a low performer but no malicious and won't be overly vindictive. You'll close some doors but not a ton.
      Sep 28, 2017
  • Prestige only means anything to someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. Where you work doesn't really matter -- it's what you do and what you achieve that matters.

    My advice is to not expect any extra kudos from working at Amazon. Honestly, it's not a big achievement getting hired at any of these companies anymore. Find ways to differentiate yourself if you want prestige.
    Sep 28, 2017 1
  • Boeing / Ops
    Airbus

    Go to company page Boeing Ops

    Airbus
    Let me tell you a hypothetical, totally unrealistic scenario. First year at your job, you will be given relatively small/easy assignment. Manager, coworker will try to make you believe your project is an important, challenging and it will make great impact to the company. After few months, you will finish the project and your manager will tell you are great (even if your product is mediocre). You will be so excited and feel like anything in this world will be possible. After 1-2 years, you are going to work on real projects that is tied to finance. (Your work needs to make $$) From here on, no one will hold your hand, tell you how great you are. At this stage, make sure and be prepared to document every request someone else make you do. Especially if the request will have downstream impact. If they go back on their words and you donโ€™t have any documents to prove they are wrong, you will be the one to blame. Speaking of which, you might get finger pointed or worse, go through disciplinary action when you make any kind of error. You will also see your some coworkers being fired. This will intimidate you. You will also see coworkers way smarter. This will be discouraging. At some point, you will hate your job and start looking for new company. You will realize what company you work for doesnโ€™t matter at all. What matters is people you work with. And for reference, Amazon had the second highest turnover among Fortune 500. Thats 2 out of 500. Donโ€™t let that yellow smile fool you.
    Sep 28, 2017 1
  • Microsoft
    taco ๐ŸŒฎ

    Go to company page Microsoft

    taco ๐ŸŒฎ
    Do the big 4 and always have a side hustle (app, consulting, hobbies). Work your 9-5, then come home and do your 5-9. Win-Win ๐Ÿ’ธ
    Sep 30, 2017 1