- great environment
- talented, thoughtful leadership
- client service work with a mission
- teams are generally dedicated to one or two projects at a time
- rare opportunity to work on data visualization problems full-time
Cons
- selectivity around clients and projects means work can be slow at times
I had an excellent job working at Periscopic as a junior developer. While there, I learned a huge amount about software development and launched my career, all while working on a wide range of interesting projects covering important subjects. The work I did there was really meaningful, and I was given important responsibilities as part of the team. The group is intelligent, friendly, and experienced. The company values and culture are great, and the work they do has a strong set of ethics behind it. For any person at any stage of their career, I think joining Periscopic would be a good choice.
Cons
I worked at Periscopic for just short of two years, and my experience there was overwhelmingly positive. I can't think of any cons worth mentioning.
The people here care tremendously about their work, no matter their role and are genuinely trying to make the world a better place.
Pay and raises have been fair - perhaps not quite as high as in companies whose focus is more heavily on profits - but still quite reasonable. For me it's well worth it, since the owners have many times turned away business from well heeled companies that didn't align with our 'do good with data' motto.
Also, I think it's important to point out that the company's wise fiscal management allowed us to avoid any layoffs or paycuts during the last downturn.
Cons
It's a small company that is growing and as such roles are a bit nebulous. If you're someone who is self-motivated and enjoys learning new skills that's great; but it's not for everyone.
On a related note, there is definite upward career potential, but it is certainly not well laid out as in a larger, more hierarchical company.