A friend who went to a new company told me that when he started working in a new company he was not even aware of how far ATT lags behind in some things. Right at the beginning he had big problems in the new company because in a short time he had to learn a lot that he never had the opportunity to do here. I used to think that the experience at ATT was very much appreciated but I hear more and more that this is not the case.
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Having good written and verbal communication skills is very important to any company. Being able to write an email without an extremely long single paragraph of wordiness is important. Comprehension of the task at hand is valuable. Next is to know where the industry/sector is moving. Know the trends. Just some things I've learned over time.
One problem at att is how separated and restricted job roles are. A job normally done by 1 department at another organization might have several departments involved at att. Employees are limited to very specific tasks as part of a bigger output. This doesn't help on the resume.
The other problem I see is the interaction organizations have with att for support on business services. The tools and automation don't work well and deliver a bad customer experience. Also, front line Employees are often rude, unprofessional and not that knowledgeable about the product they are supporting.
"At least in my org, employees stagnate in their jobs because there is ZERO chance for any promotions, ZERO chance for lateral movement within your organization...."
This is so very true in my BU as well. It's ridiculous. I have taken a TON of training on my own, paid for it myself because I don't want T breathing down my neck, told my management exactly what I was studying and why...all for phucking NOTHING! THEY DON'T CARE! No recognition at all or even a blink from management. Once you are in a role you are STUCK there. Absolutely no chance of promotions, unless you kiss the right person's a$$, and no chance of there being even a chance for a lateral move.
The best you can do for career advancement is to leave T and go to another company.
T is like any other big corporatation , some jobs are very similar in almost any company (think accounting) , where's being a WAN engineer is pretty specialized , especially at a legacy telecom like this place, lots of legacy tech and processes.
There's a lot of "don't rock the boat" mentality with folks who are close to retirement , they're just biding their time , so don't expect much in the way of cutting edge technology or innovative systems.
But at the end of the day work is just work. Every organization this large has the entire spectrum of jobs and attitudes.
Much of the work for Telco’s is specialized and many of the systems are archaic or highly focused and not used outside of the industry. That being said, transferable skills like project management, design, engineering (hardware and software), network support, quality assurance, BPI, etc. are all valuable skills whether you work here at T or not. Guess it really depends on what your work experience is/was with T and how it correlates to a target position external to the company.
AT&T Labs and Bell Labs experience is highly valued.
My experience is that one's time at T is neither a help nor hindrance. It's just a job, like any other. No position in any company will prepare anyone 100% for a role in a different company because each will have their own set of rules, software applications, policies, etc.
Some jobs may be better prep than others, but no matter what, when getting a new gig one will always need a bit of time to get acquainted with the new stuff.
Of course, as always, your mileage may vary.
@hnq.
A big AMEN! Can't tell you as a craft, 1st and 2nd level that I was told NOT RELEASABLE on Special Project.
At least in my org, employees stagnate in their jobs because there is ZERO chance for any promotions, ZERO chance for lateral movement within your organization and if you happen to stumble upon another position in a different organization your management tells you that you are not releasable?
The best chance for career advancement was Ratty and Stinky laying you off and you going to another company that is properly managed.