Pros
There is a lot to consider when you are thinking about joining a new company. New jobs can cause a lot of stress, and there are high consequences if you make the wrong decision. Here are the questions / answers that went through my mind when joining Qualtrics: 1. Will I be challenged / work on hard problems? Qualtrics has no shortage of hard problems. From distributed data collection to advanced analytics and data visualizations, Qualtrics has enough challenging problems to entertain most engineers. These challenges combined with Qualtrics' amazing growth present numerous career opportunities. 2. Will I learn / be mentored by other smart engineers and leaders? This was a serious question of mine, and one of the main reasons I left my previous job. We are all capable of learning on our own, but when we are surrounded by top talent we will learn much faster! Qualtrics engineers are smart, and leadership is top notch (Amazon, Google, etc). It is rare to find a company where access to this level of experience is so abundant. 3. Will I be compensated fairly? Of course this goes through everyone's mind. Qualtrics definitely pays competitively and is actually the most transparent company I have experienced with regards to the promotion process and pay increases. 4. Will I fit in with the company culture? This is a personal question, but if you are wondering, come check it out. Qualtrics is very much a startup culture with a bunch of smart creative people eager to make their customers happy. In addition, it is family friendly, and people frequently have lunch in the office with their spouses / kids. Utah in general has a strong LDS culture; however, as a someone who is not LDS, I can verify that there are plenty of people who will be interested in grabbing a beer with you after work ;) 5. Will I enjoy where I am living? This was an easy question for me. I personally can't imagine a better place to live. Utah has quick access to world class skiing, biking, and other incredible outdoor activities. Pair that with a relatively low cost of living and family friendly environment, and what more could you want? (Maybe a few pubs? Yes, Utah has those too!)
Cons
1. Hard to keep up with growth / expectations Qualtrics, like any startup, has to run fast to stay ahead of competition and continue growing. At times this creates a lot of pressure on engineering to deliver customer facing value. This can be hard to do when also having the goal and responsibility of maintaining a healthy level of technical debt. 2. Commute for people from SLC or PC is ~60 minutes each way It seems that most people moving to Utah tend to settle in Salt Lake or Park City. These are great areas, but they are also ~60 minutes from the office. Qualtrics helps by providing free transportation from both locations; however, a long commute is always hard. 3. Lacking in flexible work arrangements Although Qualtrics has many perks, they are lacking in flexible work arrangements. With so many tech companies competing for engineers, Qualtrics may have an easier time attracting top talent by offering a more flexible work schedule.