A developer has three main functions: support, data conversion, and development. You will actually do a lot of support, spend weeks on a single data conversion, and next to no time actually developing. A large majority of your time will be micromanaged and scrutinized. For instance, it is against company policy to listen to headphones (management states you aren't focusing on work if you're listening to music). Also, because the support/sales/emr teams relies so heavily upon developers (because essentially you are the company's IT and high level support as well) you will be constantly interrupted and questioned as to why your daily/weekly numbers aren't stellar. It's nice at the end of the day not taking work home with you, but certainly you will leave work at 6PM exhausted and having to an hour drive home in Tampa traffic.
I concede that the salary is adequate, but the benefits are awful in comparison to what similar companies offer. There are not yearly raises, and it is said by senior management it is calculated into your bonus (which is a retention bonus: meaning you pay it back if you leave). There is also little flexibility in schedule: unless you're a senior developer you will be scrutinized for working from home (even if it's only occasionally), and you will be scrutinized for leaving early (even though people related to the CEO and VP show up late and leave early every day).
Career Opportunities exist in the form of agreeing to do more work for free. In other words if you're appointed a "Champion," "Specialist," "Team Lead," or "Senior Level" position you will not recieve a pay increase. This is probably illegal but the company does it so informally that it probably cannot be held liable. Essentially, your career opportunites net you more responsibility but no better benefits, pay, or respect from management. On the other hand, you will recieve a third week of vacation after you've been with the company for seven years (maybe).
The office (in Tampa) has terrible morale. Every department has low morale and high turnover, but for some strange reason the most interviewed department is sales. Sales positions are interviewed what seems like twice a week, while release cycles are running late and clients are on hold hanging up from unreasonable wait times. Still, it seems like we aren't hiring any new developers or support personnel to counter the high turnover. We have hired almost half a dozen developers this year, while we have hired a half a dozen sales personnel in the last quarter. In regards to morale, the development manager is a cool dude, but either senior management doesn't listen to him or he reports to them development is capable of unrealistic output, and otherwise improving the morale slightly.
Finally, the strategy and vision of NexTech's management includes selling as many units as possible, marketing what our product doesn't do using mock-ups, and phoney sales tactics to get clients to sign on the dotted line. Development literally spends entire release cycles on features that we promised a client forever ago, and who possibly sue NexTech over. Management does not listen to their employees. During reviews management asks "how do you rate your overall job satisfaction?" I've lied to management and said it was good, I've told them that it could be better, and I've told them that it was very poor. Management did not respond to any of the three satisfaction responses. But to be completely honest most developers are saving enough money to pay back the retention bonuses, and work for a company that cares about the individual and core compentencies.
