Pros
I wanted to wait a year to write this review, as I was so happy working here my first few months that I wanted to have a fuller perspective to write this. After a year in, I have to say I enjoy working here as much as I did the day I started. Amazon is a unique place to work. After having worked at so many tech companies that are run like dictatorships, it's nice to be somewhere where everyone's input is not only listened to, but encouraged. Amazon has an amazing hiring bar and because of this they expect everyone to be contributing to advancing their product. The high hiring bar also means that you will always work with amazingly smart people. You'll never have to pick up the slack for a team mate who just doesn't get it. Everyone is skilled and driven. Managers work constantly with their team to focus on career goals. You let your manager know where you want to be in 1/3/5 years and a clear path is written up on how to get there. Then focus is given to make sure tasks are made available to you to get there, or you find those tasks yourself and take some "bias for action" and just do them.
Cons
Depending on your department or your role, it might be hard to fit your tasks in to a 40 hour week. I had this issue, and brought it up to my manager who worked hard to find ways to ensure I was able to get my work back to 40 hours a week. The effort was there on his part, and I was told that I was allowed to cut myself off at 40 hours, however, I think most people at Amazon are not willing to let their work go like that, myself included. In the end, we did find a way to reduce the workload, but it took some time. Another con may be that Amazon pays less than comparable positions in the area. However, having worked at places where I dreaded going to work everyday, I would much rather be somewhere that I enjoy working while earning a salary that meets my needs nicely. Stock grants make up for any variance. :)
