As former coders are waiting to be called back to potential coding gigs, perhaps it's time to look back and have some nostalgic feelings of past gigs. I'm sure there were many that were awful. Were there any that you liked? Or at least tolerated? Perhaps there were gigs which were awful in general but had one or two fun aspects.
While I haven't been on many gigs, it definitely seemed like some were better than others. I've never had the pleasure of working at the "deuce." I've heard mixed things. The one fun thing I've heard (maybe even on some other blog) is that there is a snack cart lady that walks around.
As for my favorite coding gig, it was hands-down the Hudson/McCarter "biggest coding project in the history of mankind." I can't see how any gig could have been more chill than that one. I wasn't there from the start. My first months there actually consisted of work. Lots of it. In fact, so much work that they had to basically bribe people into overtime. I believe the first incentive was double overtime. There was this crazy scheme where hours worked over 55 were 1.75 times overtime and then hours worked over 70 were double overtime. Then, they tacked on the whole lottery with iPhones and flat screen tvs. And then, the craziest thing ever, a $1000 bonus for anyone who could crush in 80 hours in the 5 day span prior to their deadline. Oh, the insanity. Of course, once the deadline passed, it was chill time. Docs flowed in at a trickle. If I had to imagine what a firefighter's boredom was like, I would've guessed something like McCarter, where you're sitting "on-call" for a total of maybe a few hours of actual work a week. But hey, those were fun times if you could find a way to entertain yourself. All good things come to an end, but that gig was fun while it lasted.
How were the other gigs in the past years? Stradley? Pepper? MLB? Dechert? Any fun memories?
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I worked for a short time at MLB. I'd heard a lot of horror stories about document review, but I found MLB to be very friendly towards contractors. We got free food, cab vouchers if we were asked to work late, and Internet access. The partners, associates, and staff attorneys treated us with respect, which is definitely different than a lot of other places I've worked.
ReplyDeleteAlas, my stint at MLB was a short one, as seems to be typical for projects there.
Two other good things about MLB:
ReplyDelete- They tried to treat you like a permanent employee. They gave out ID cards and invited you to some of their Friday parties and you could go use their gym.
- In the past, they tried to roll you over as smoothly as possible from one project to the next.
Best: small project at Schnader Harrison - gave me a whole office at one point with an amazing 37th floor view. Kept us on a lot longer than they needed to.
ReplyDeleteWorst: cattle call at McCarter English in Newark. Put in a closet with 10 people at one point. Lied to by management that there would be more work only to be laid off the next day. Best co-workers here though.
MLB was pretty good once I was "promoted" to 1701 Market out of the formeldehyde smelling basement. My second boss there was a stroke waiting to happen and always seemed pissed off.
Dechert was ok, but the pizza was nasty.
Glad to be done coding forever. Left law for 40K job I feel lucky to have after being unemployed for a while.
My favorite review-
ReplyDeleteThe Providus/MLB review. We were treated like human beings. Even the shutdown was classy- being told in person that the gig was ending in one week- not the Hudson 'check your email'.
Worst-
A small project at Dechert. If you think a large project with their involvement is evil, try the mother-ship. Complete Room 101 experience.
I agree with the people who say MLB was great. I loved my time there, we were treated very well by the attorneys and there was a steady flow of work and OT for my project. My Project Manager for the majority of my time was a nice guy who was responsive and patient with all of us. That is pretty rare. Also, more than other places, the other coders were really nice too, I think MLB had the coolest people working on the reviews, I am still friends with some of them today. I was not one who was in the basement too often, but when I was, it wasnt too terrible...at least I didnt have to go outside after arriving from the train...that was always a plus in bad weather.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt, McCarter was the worst (especially the way most of us were "let go") I have been on.
Seems like MLB is the people's choice.
ReplyDeleteI worked on a super-short project for them and thought they were okay. They did try to treat you like a part of the team moreso than other places. I felt lucky to be placed in one of their other offices as I had heard about people's dislike of the basement.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that people hated McCarter. Although it was the easiest money I made in my limited coding career, I understand the anger the March/April layoffs last year caused. Aside from the money, I felt the people at McCarter Philly were probably the most fun and friendly.