Pros
I learned a ton about the medical industry, particularly hospital administration. As a liberal arts major straight out of college, I earned a pretty good salary and was able to use that experience and background to find better jobs. The benefits are decent. Because Epic works with HMOs, they get some fairly decent rates on good coverage. Sometimes you get bonuses. Some people think the Epic campus is a perk. I banked hundreds of thousands of frequent flier miles during my year there that I am still redeeming today.
Cons
Where do I start? They make the interview process out to be like you're fighting to get into some limited spot or top position, though they hire hundreds at a time. Epic will hire almost anyone with a high GPA who is under the age of 25, regardless of major. Why? Because it doesn't matter what you know -- they really just want young people fresh out of college willing to do almost anything for a job. An incredible amount is demanded of them, and this leads to burnout and resentment. The younger employees aren't exploited because they are stupid -- they are exploited because they are young and nervous about the job market, and because they have been manipulated into thinking that Epic is what it's not. I rarely worked less than 60 hours a week. If you're supporting a hospital software go-live, you can expect to work 12-hour shifts (day and/or night) for a week straight, logging around 80-100 hours a week. I did not actually get to know most of my Epic colleagues until I gave my mandatory one-month's notice and spent 4 straight weeks in the Wisconsin office. Unsurprisingly, Epic has a ridiculously high turnover rate. When I worked there in 2006 they were pushing 2500 people, but no one really stays for much more than a year (I didn't).
