I started with Intel back in the 80's when the culture was strong, the Gordon Moore era and left many years afterwards. As a RCG, my hiring manager told me that the were some great things about Intel and some 'not so great things', and I would have to seek and find. During my years at Intel, I was exposed to various engineering disciplines, from front end to backend, and racked up a boat load of experience and skill set. That's the 'great things', including the benefits that I was told. In the mist of working in these various groups, the focal period wasn't enjoyable and appeared to have political elements associated to them. That's the 'not so good things' that my first boss was indirectly conveying to me. After he retired, my eyes were wide opened and I knew what to expect. Much to say about this but I say no more. After leaving Intel and stepping into other corporate environments, I excelled extremely fast. The level of expectancy was high because folks knew that I worked for Intel during the pioneer age, hence... the golden age. And boy, did I used my acquired skills to take advantage of it. Even if a person was there for a short period of time, if they were a good worker and conformed to the values, life on the other side would be good and rewarding. There is life after Intel, but one must not be too complacent within and take full advantage of its microcosm environment and get as much exposure as possible. Intel is not the end all be all. But that's just me.