Excellent benefits offset by terrible politics
Pros
Benefits are wonderful - days off (with pay) between Christmas and New Year's, 3 weeks of vacation upon start, employer pays a large percentage of insurance premiums Beautiful campus in a park-like setting Highly intelligent people Excellent reputation Stability - Caltech is not going anywhere!
Cons
Politics are reminiscent of high school Entrenched mediocrity is rewarded Excessive emphasis on collaboration stalls many projects and initiatives; there's a meeting for everything Results are not ultimately not rewarded and are undervalued to preserve and maintain relationships Employees with longetivy are valued even when they are no longer contributing; newcomers are often perceived as a threat to the status quo The values communicated to staff are not adhered to by management
