I joined a very large software company almost 4 years ago, knowing that it probably wasn't for me... but you can only know for sure if you try these things. As

I joined a very large software company almost 4 years ago, knowing that it probably wasn't for me... but you can only know for sure if you try these things. As for the stated advantages? I don't see them here. I'm considering starting the New Year by resigning. 1. You learn a lot: Yes, I'd agree although what you learn might be a lot of internal architectures an systems which aren't applicable outside. I'd agree that you need to experience a big company to get a proper perspective on the rest of your career though 2. Smart people: kind of, though there's maybe 10% of the developers here who even touch a computer outside of work... far less do any sort of personal programming projects or reading. 3. Large community: true, I've made good friends here and some international contacts though I'm not sure they will come to anything. I came from a fairly lonely road of research/PhD studies and wanted the experience of working in a team. Unfortunately, my "team" is now mostly remote and, no matter what anyone says, it's not the same as working with the people in the cubes around you. 4. They have lots of perks: No! Our company doesn't even provide tea or coffee. We get health insurance but that's standard for most/all software companies here. Bonuses are small enough that you can effectively forget about them. There's no training budget or internal courses (except on internal processes). 5. You learn the art of politics: No, not necessarily. I've had a lot more office politics in the small companies I've worked for. And regardless of the company, I don't play politics. I'm friendly but not fake, I say what I think and I do what I say. 6. Time to reflect: That's part of the reason why I'm still here. The work is easy, standards are low and hours are flexible (and bosses generally ignorant as long as the job gets done) so I can work on side-projects in my spare time. The problem is that the lazy work and general depression at work spills over into your side-projects. So even though I have the time I've recently lost the motivation to do much in the way of proper side-project work. 7. You get a baseline: Exactly. I firmly believe that you can't bitch and complain about something until you've tried it.