I've worked at a few BigCos...Gateway Computers, Kaplan (Washington Post), ClearChannel. I am currently working at a startup (employee 7 of 21). Personally, I

I've worked at a few BigCos...Gateway Computers, Kaplan (Washington Post), ClearChannel. I am currently working at a startup (employee 7 of 21). Personally, I prefer the startup culture, but if you're going the BigCo route, here is how I would answer some of your questions. 1. Deadlines are deadlines, whether you are at a startup or BigCo. At a startup, if you don't ship, you could run out of money. In the corporate world, if you don't ship on time, you might lose your bonus, your boss looks bad, and you get a bad annual review. If a startup is a speedboat, a BigCo is a battleship. Anticipate this, and pad your estimates. It may actually take 6 days to change 1 line of code. I wouldn't try to win over people as much as I would try to earn a reputation for being reliable. Being good about estimates makes your boss's life very easy, and that will earn you points. Other than that, keep your head down and try to fly under the radar. This will get you good reviews and bonuses, but not promotions (which I avoid because it just means becoming management). Not sure if you want to do too much networking, but I would make it a point to find "that guy" who has worked there forever and knows all the secrets (who to avoid, who's ass to kiss, etc). Realize that your manager doesn't care about you as a person one way or the other. She is just there to execute one part of a bigger plan. Make her look good by hitting deadlines and not making an ass of yourself at the company Christmas party. Don't ask stupid questions on conference calls with the CEO and you just might be able to pad your 401k and get a few bonuses to help out along the way. The goal of this job is to get a notch on your resume to impress the next job (my notch at ClearChannel was building RushLimbaugh.com).