I've been working at Telligent for the last year and a half; it is without question the single best employer I've ever worked for. [Or traded value with depending on your economic theory] August 14 was my last day of employment with Telligent. This post took a while to write because I've been reflecting on the changes brought to my life by Telligent.
Increased Caloric Intake. At previous employers we would have lunch provided for us at the yearly or bi-yearly company outings, or if I was lucky enough to go out of town I would have an expense account provided. However, at Telligent, we started with Monday/Friday lunch, sometimes catered, sometimes a menu was passed around, then no lunches at all, then lunches returned for Monday. It's been an ephemeral lunch schedule at times.
There were two refrigerators full of nearly every type of coke, and if the variety of beverage didn't suite your taste, a little sweet talk with Laura [redundant, she is so sweet] would buy any beverage you wanted. There was a constant stream of snacks to help with the low-blood-sugar and ping pong fatigue. I won't forget the beer in the fridge [not until after 4], or the game nights where you could destroy each other virtually or with a playing card.
Name Dropping. I've worked with some of the industry heads in the .NET community. I've been beat in ping pong by Rob Howard, been shot with balls of paint by Jason Alexander. Scott Dockendorf has given me the confidence to publicly speak at user groups. I've learned much about architectural design from Scott Watermasysk. I've been invited to private parties at developer conferences through these connections.
Professional Development. I've worked with some of the brightest developers that bring me humbleness. The hiring process at Telligent is intense, and you interview with random developers on the team, not the HR staff. You have to be knowledgeable, be able to communicate, and have a genuine ego. Even the "best" developer will meet someone at Telligent more brilliant in an area.
I have increased my javascript skills, database skills, project management skills, sales theory skills, public speaking skills, and any other skill you could imagine. I'm not going to name the contributors individually because 1) I know I will forget someone and 2) this post must end at some point.
I totally recommend [like totally, Valley Girl style] seeking employment with Telligent. If the situation ever presents itself, I know I would re-seek employment. Everyone there will be sorely missed by me, probably more than they miss me.
So long, and thanks for all the [teaching me how to] fish.
