I am so lucky have found this diamond in the rough.
Pros
As a "small" big company, everyone is personally connected-- like an exclusive club-- as opposed to a giant monster of a company where everyone's a stranger and there's no camaraderie. I've been having lunch regularly with a couple of people I just met and had a great conversation with on the elevator-- and our departments are in no way related! The feedback system is great here, with a very structured on-boarding process that has made me feel very comfortable not only getting acquainted with Brocade as a company, but with corporate culture as well. The atmosphere is so welcoming yet so driven, it's easy to understand how to work hard and play hard at the same time here. I'm no exception-- this is the general consensus on my team and among other colleagues, and it's no wonder we were voted one of the top ten places to work in the Bay Area.
Cons
There are few downsides that I've seen so far working here. Much of the experience will depend on which manager you have, but generally I've seen heavy lifting in all departments when things get increasingly hectic. As a growing company, growing pains include process improvements and overhauls, which can be irritating to deal with. But again, faced with these challenges, Brocade as large and as small as it is, seems to coordinate well with the least amount of drama to at least journey in the right direction, if not achieve.
