Pros
From my first day on the job I was a permanent employee with full benefits complete with medical coverage and vacation time. There have been a ton of opportunities that have presented themselves in the past few years that included professional training that will transfer to companies outside of RIM, two promotions and six months living in Singapore. One of my favourite parts though is the culture of employees. For the first time in my life, I am surrounded by people who enjoy many of the same hobbies as me and enjoy watching the quirky indie movies that I enjoy. Having co-workers that I relate to makes it easier to show up for work when things go stupid in the office (which will happen in any job).
Cons
The explosive growth of the BlackBerry has meant the company has had to grow over the past few years and change the support model we are providing for our customers. This growth means that many of the most talented people have been promoted out of positions without sufficiently talented people to fill their space when they've started their new role. While this kind of expansion creates lots of opportunities for employees, it also means it is hard to keep up with all of the changes and knowing who to go to for help at times or what procedure to follow when an uncommon situation comes up. The only other downside is one that I knew going into the job, the hours. The support center is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year which means there needs to be staffing for all of that time. Currently, the schedules are given out 5 to 6 weeks in advance but they can seem random and unfair at times with some people working more of the less desirable shifts than others.
