The 5 Star Rating RoviSys Houston Needs, But Not The One RoviSys Deserves
Pros
Software Engineer I - Houston, Texas Foreword: The primary reason that I chose to work at RoviSys was because I felt that I needed to grow much more than I had in college. My GPA was mediocre, my confidence non-existent. I wanted to be an environment that fostered opportunity to anyone that was able and willing. Furthermore, the motto of the company is: "If you're not growing, you're dying." - You will absolutely be able to grow in one of the satellite offices . The motto of the company is "If you're not growing, you're dying." - My manager in the Houston Office was legitimately the best manager I could've possibly asked for as a first job out of college. He's empathetic, he actually cares, he's understanding, and he will throw opportunity at you if you're hungry. He does not babysit you, he does not hold your hand. You basically get the privilege of owning your own projects. - The mentor-ship is impeccable. I was fortunate enough to work under one of the best developers I've ever met. His patience matched my extra energy, and it definitely calmed my anxiety regarding own projects from start to finish. - The Houston office is a family. I largely got opportunity because I was willing to help anyone that needed help, because I never once got to work and felt like I didn't want to interact with someone. - The original culture of RoviSys is best embodied, from my experience, in Houston. I'm still very good friends with a lot of the employees from the office. - I dealt with a lot of extenuating circumstances, and everyone had the foresight to understand the situation, how I worked best, and how to play to my strengths. - The environment is laid-back, work-hard, play-hard. I genuinely had a great time i the office, despite being a huge distraction to my friends. - You get to feel like you're contributing. You don't have to be a person that fades into the background of any office anywhere if you don't want to be. It's your ambition that limits your growth.
Cons
Most of my criticism is directed at the primary campus. The reason I say this is, after having the ability to learn a lot of the project management, execution, finances, and project execution / burn rates of various offices, it became quite clear that the onus to perform was constantly placed on the satellite offices, namely Houston and Boston. They did not see how hard the people around me were working. I had to go into the office and see how much they were being pushed. When you connect that much in that small of an environment, it's hard to see people not receiving their due credit because of the disconnect between the satellite offices and the main office. Truly, it was pretty heart-breaking. - There are people that coast. RoviSys does not fire people, nor provides a good incentive to perform well. - There is a fairly nepotistic bonus system whose details are not divulged at any point, outside of you get access to it after 2 years. This effectively makes new-hires perform better to get recognition. In my experience, that recognition did not exist. Rather, you were compensated exactly the same whether you put in 200%, or you put in 50%. That decision was not motivated by my manager, I don't believe. Rather, I think he did the best he could with what he had. - The nepotism is largely preventing the company from actually growing. Like any company, it has growth struggles. Largely, there is a portion of the company that is in fact dying. The issue is that that portion will not give the younger generation the empowerment or flexibility to continue growing the business within a fairly competitive industry. - Through a ridiculous amount of effort, the advice of my manager, and the guidance of my mentor, I was able to open up a tremendous opportunity for the company. However, the opportunity was not acknowledged as worthwhile by upper management. The business relationship existed due to my communication with a client.. Ethically, I did not push for it because it was clear that no one really cared. - The main office does not recognize the effort provided by satellite offices because there is not enough interaction. The company is attempting to grow too quickly without facilitating enough communication or investment into the growth of the satellites, and instead dumps a lot of work on them that is unsustainable. - The CEO recently stopped attending events. Efficiency, revenue, expenditures, and profits do not match up across platforms. Combine this with the bonus system that divulges no details. Make your own conclusions.