Pros
I've been working at Quaero for about ten (10) years. During that time I have seen many changes and transformations of the company and the people that work here. When I first joined Quaero the company was essentially a consulting company, and we provided custom marketing database services. Over the past 4-5 years the company has changed how we service our customers by moving away from a customized (aka, slow and not cost effective) solution to a product based, ready-to-roll one. It used to take 6-9 months after contract signing to have anything to show new customers. Now our customers are realizing the benefit of our services within a couple of weeks. At its core, Quaero is a technology company. As a database professional our traditional database platform was MS SQL Server. While we still have MS-SQL, we also have Hadoop, Netezza, and to a lesser degree, MYSQL. What has made my time at Quaero most worthwhile is that I have been able to identify where I wanted to hone my skills, demonstrate a minimal proficiency, and ultimately create / self-define my role within the company. Sure, I was hired to fill a specific gap in our delivery team. But it didn't take long for me to figure out where I wanted to go, and with a little self-study I eventually got to the next stage of my career. If you are a self-starter, are willing to prove your ability to problem solve and align with the organization's goals, you will have the opportunity to redefine where you go with your career. Today, I enjoy access to a variety of technologies, am self-actuated, work with a variety of groups within the company, and on most days, work remotely. And the best part... I'm still learning. While it has not always been smooth sailing, I can look back and conclude that staying with Quaero was the right thing to do. To bullet point what I feel are the big pluses at Quaero: 1. No vacation limits... Work hard and take a break when you need one. 2. Very competitive benefits. All of the standard benefits of a tech company including health insurance for the family/spouse. Company contributions to health savings account and mobile phone $$$ also are nice bennies. 3. No one calls it flex hours... There is a defined business day... But there is a ton of flexibility of when the work day starts and ends. Meet your goals on your terms. 4. After a while... Work from home, at least some of the time. 5. Many of our US staffers are from India. It's a simple fact that Quaero spends a decent chunk of $$$ and time working though immigration issues on behalf of our non-US staff.
Cons
You will be asked to work off hours... We are not a 24x7 shop but we do process data daily, including weekends. Sometimes we just need to get it done outside of normal business hours. Quaero is not a 9-5 job where you can just turn off your cell phone and incoming emails at the end of the day. Going on vacation? If a critical system/process goes offline and you "own it", you will get the call.
