Pros
Able to work from home frequently, casual work atmopshere
Cons
If you're a degreed engineer do not take this position. Pay is not competitive and you won't be treated professionally. Unfortunately, the low base pay and lack of respect between employees is only the beginning of the problems with this position: 1)Training - Initial training consists of a series of fifteen minute videos followed by quizzes. Once you're done with these (~1-2 days) you will be under the gun to produce designs. This was an immediate red flag for me. Also, these brief initial videos are about as in-depth as your training will ever get. You'll spend drastically more time learning how to adapt to the latest software update than advancing your knowledge of PV solar design. 2)Compensation - The base salary and bonus structure are fairly straightforward. HOWEVER, what they don't tell you is that once you start bonusing, Solarcity begins to deduct money out of your bonus for every project that gets cancelled, regardless of whether you were in the bonus at the time of initial design (this amounts to a significant number of your designs, by the way). This practice was not discussed in any part of the recruitment process or in my employment contract. Very dishonest way to 'reward' your employees for their hard work. If you are considering taking this position make them explain this policy to you. 3)High Stress/Hostile Work Environment - Solarcity incentivises everyone's pay (read: paid by commission). This results in an extreme pressure to complete your tasks as fast as possible and an overall poor quality of work from the ground up. Be prepared to deal with incomplete site surveys and preliminary sales proposals that aren't remotely realistic. This time pressure combined with the constant threat of firings/layoffs creates an environment where employees being uncivil and rude to each other is the norm rather than the exception. 4)No Career Advancement - Even apart from the current financial status of the company, the PV Designer position at Solarcity is dead-end. There are no annual incentive raises or bonuses with this company and a set advancement structure simply doesn't exist. Meaning you will never get a raise or promotion, the only way to move up is to compete with all 150 other designers and apply for any internal postings that come up. I would not recommend this position to anyone who expects competitive pay and opportunity for advancement.
