Pros
Verkada is innovating in and disrupting a space that has seen very little real innovation in a long time. Physical security solutions are usually bulky, expensive and difficult to maintain and Verkada is changing that with a cloud and software-first approach. Having observed other tech start ups do the same in other areas (i.e. networking) it is really exciting to actually be a part of it. Nearly every day I speak with people that are tired of traditional solutions and want something that's intuitive and doesn't require an inordinate amount of time and money to learn and maintain. Helping to sell the platform and how it can save our customers time and money is a pleasure. As the company releases new product lines we (the Solutions Engineering team) get to learn new things and get creative with customers on how to solve their problems using Verkada's platform. SEs are given quite a bit of freedom to do our own research and testing which is hugely helpful in speaking with customers on how to solve problems. The SE team is very collaborative and eager to help each other learn and grow. And for the most part the sales team really values the role of the SE in sales process. I'm also a remote employee so I enjoy working from home and don't have to contend with the everyday distractions of office life and the trouble of a daily commute.
Cons
SE assignment to sales representatives changes fairly frequently... but that's not really avoidable for a company that's growing and scaling as quickly as Verkada is. This territory and rep assignment changes like this can also complicate compensation... but again I understand how it's not possible to anticipate every little scenario that could affect commissions. SEs can support as many as 6 sales reps at a time which is a tall order. I currently support 4 and it can be difficult at times to manage meetings and travel requirements for 4 reps let alone 6. My least favorite things about this particular role are the monotonous tasks that feel like pointless, busywork college assignments that are boring a take a long time to complete... but to be fair every job has things like this.