> Even within companies you can see both approaches used. Every company I’ve worked for has been a great place to work for some categories of people. If you we

> Even within companies you can see both approaches used. Every company I’ve worked for has been a great place to work for some categories of people. If you weren’t in one of those preferred categories, your treatment could be anything from okay to grueling overwork depending on how easily they thought they could replace you. As engineers we’re often lucky to be on the most generous end of this spectrum, especially in recent years. However, I made the mistake of joining a company where the CEO believed having engineers was an “unfortunate necessity” to run the business. It went about as well as you’d expect. Unreasonable expectations, demands, working hours, deadlines, and a constant groveling at our salaries. IT admins are an example of chronically under-appreciated employees. They keep things running and supported in an office, but I’ve seen them treated as disposable in too many offices.