Pluspunten
* [Learning] IntelliProp is an excellent place for an engineer to explore the industry and become familiar with a variety of different technologies and protocols. Engineers can quickly become experts in several FPGA tool flows and technologies, and also learn in depth about many standard protocols.
* [Growth] Management emphasizes and supports career growth. If you make your interests known, efforts are made to accommodate your career path.
* [Management] Knowledgeable management -- they are good resources for information and teaching. Management is diligent about pursuing company growth and continuously repositioning for the latest industry trends.
* [Feedback] Management is receptive to feedback and makes a genuine effort to improve and deploy suggestions.
* [Variety] Potential for large variety of work. Engineers have exposure to many facets of FPGA design and possible exposure to other sides of the business such as customer interaction, drafting proposals, marketing.
* [Technical-focus] Engineers spend most of their time doing real engineering work (as opposed to dealing with red-tape), and the opportunities to be involved in actual design work start on day 1.
* [Schedule] Flexible work hours -- IntelliProp is productivity-focused, not timesheet-focused
* [New Tech] Engineers here often have early access to new parts and tools; you will not become antiquated while working here.
* [Raises] Potential for significant raises each year (merit based)
* [Opportunity] Engineers that are eager to learn, take responsibility for their own career advancement, and have a positive attitude have strong opportunities to gain new skills and explore the industry.
Minpunten
* [Structure] Missing the rigid structure that may be available at large companies. Onboarding requires a fair amount of employee effort to ensure appropriate knowledge points are addressed. Engineers are responsible for completing tasks and taking ownership of their career advancement (this should probably be true for engineers working at any company, realistically).
* [Deadlines] New work arrives fast and often must be completed fast. Reallocation of engineering resources is difficult due to the small company size, so engineers may find themselves with tight timeframes. (Note: Again, take ownership of your work, make concerns about deadlines known to management, they'll work with you).
* [Customer Support] Engineers here will typically work as customer support engineers. This is an opportunity to see what people are actually using your designs for -- but supporting customers may not be for everyone.
What this does NOT mean: 8 hours/day on the phone with customers.
What this DOES mean: Most of your technical design work is driven by a customer need. So engineers need to be able to discuss technical issues with customers, understand their needs, and translate it into actual working code. Another responsibility is fixing bugs/issues reported by customers. The amount of time that must be spent in customer meetings varies, and correspondence over email with customers is always part of the work week. The majority of your time will still usually be spent on design work.
* [IT work] Engineers here are usually "digital design engineers". Some of the work you do will fall under other domains, e.g. IT. Small company size means engineers may be responsible for debugging issues with equipment, getting the lab organized, being exposed to server side problems.
* [Advancement] Opportunities for formal promotions are somewhat limited since it's a small company. You may continue to learn new skills at a rapid pace, but emphasis on title is low.