USAA, Rackspace and Globalscape make Computerworld's 2010 Top 100 Places to Work in Information Technology (San Antonio: sales, contractors)

[Bo]

USAA earns top rank in IT work environment - San Antonio Business Journal

ComputerWorld magazine has named San Antonio-based USAA as the Best Place to Work in IT.

San Antonio-based Rackspace Hosting Inc. and GlobalSCAPE Inc. also made the list of top 100 Best Places to Work in IT this year.

S.A. firms made on Top IT list

Three San Antonio-based companies have earned spots on Computerworld's list of “Best Places to Work in IT,” a ranking of the Top 100 work environments for technology professionals.

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Since 1994, Computerworld's annual “Best Places to Work in IT” feature has ranked the top 100 work environments for technology professionals, based on a comprehensive questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, diversity, career development, training and retention.

[ItsTheTruth]

As someone who has worked at USAA and several other companies on the list, this is laughable.

I don't know a single person that has ever received one of these surveys, so I suspect these results to be a complete fabrication. Let's look at USAA's factors in winning:

2000 IT employees. What about the contractors? There are many more than that. How does that factor into job security?

24 days of vacation. Complete lie.

$10,000 tuition reimbursement. BS. A friend was threatened by the legal team if he tried to pursue this reimbursement since they believed he wouldn't return. In fact, I don't know a single person that has actually qualified for this (other than phone reps, and nowhere near $10,000).

Subsidized child care. It's more expensive than outside child care.

Tenure: 10.5 years. Well it's hard to leave when you're not qualified to work at a real IT company. This is part of the culture of fear. Nobody dares to leave. I'd bet that the majority are either at 20+ years or less than 2. It might average out to 10.5, but the turnover is higher than any other company I have seen.

50% of all hires are out of college. College kids don't know any better. You can't know bad until you know good.

How come the article doesn't mention work/life balance or hours? I dare any IT employee to work a 40-hour week this week. Let's see how fast they can make up a reason to fire you.



The perfect example from the Computer World article is Marty Pena, an accounting intern who is now in IT. How exactly does that happen? What makes her qualified to work in IT? Likely, she's like the majority of the IT folks there: underqualified or unqualified. But hey, she's probably working for cheap.

Every person that I know that has left USAA has found a higher paying, less stressful company.

[TXEX06]

I agree with the post above.

[Drzy]

The IT folks at USAA that I know love their jobs. But I'm just one data point of course.

[ItsTheTruth]

Originally Posted by Drzy

The IT folks at USAA that I know love their jobs. But I'm just one data point of course.

Please ask them if they received a survey.

[Backliteyes]

I hope more people chime in on this thread, I'm curious.

Also, I have noticed that these survey driven things are horribly inaccurate representations of what it's like to work at a place. I saw one in a national magazine that said some things about the company I work for that are VASTLY inflated. In real life those same company "perks" are pathetic and even annoying.

[GlorifiedMalcontent]

i've heard absolute horror stories about working for usaa it, though most of it has been hearsay.

[loves2read]

if these types of surveys are anything like the "best places to live" surveys
they are bogus and written to drive sales of the magazine

[holmesmic]

I work for one of those companies. I've taken the survey. EVERY person in our company received it. We were simply sent an email from our HR dept. indicating that we should expect to receive a survey from an outside source, and they asked that we answer it. That's it...no pressure, etc. The survey is completely anonymous so there is no risk of consequences if you do not answer in a favorable manner. Personally, I LOVE the company I work for.

[blizzrd]

i work at one of those places too. we get those polls to fill out now and then but aren't pressured by any means. the polls are conducted by an outside source so they're largely unbiased. the place i work for genuinely cares about it's employees and takes the results of these surveys seriously and takes action to remedy any unfavorable results. it's easily the best place i've ever worked and i love it there.