After graduation from college, I started the interview process like every other college grad. Most of the companies fit the stereotype of a typical white-collar work place. Things like dress code and set hours were standard. Whenever I look back on it, I realize how lucky I was to get an interview with Pat and Ed here at Northwoods.

The first thing I noticed when I walked through the door was everybody wearing shorts and t-shirts. A few brave souls can even be found roaming the halls in bare feet. (That attire is a little less common during the winter months.)

The atmosphere here is extremely relaxed yet professional (no foot odor is noticeable). I learned that we let our work, not our appearances, do the speaking for us. The head honchos did a fantastic job of creating an atmosphere that promotes creative thinking. In addition to the lack of dress code, the hours are flexible with the option of working from home.

Family matters are a top concern at Northwoods. If you have an issue ranging from "I can't find a babysitter" to "I need a month off because of back surgery ", rest assured Ed will present a solution to your satisfaction.  Family comes first!

But wait, we don't stop there. During lunch (for those of us who eat in), on certain days we log on to the virtual world and try to shoot each other out of the sky in WW II style fighters or enter a demolition derby with Monster Trucks. Nothing relieves stress like blowing your Project Manager up! 

The programming team is comprised of a diverse group of people with different fortes and as a whole, unrivaled brainpower. (A bias perhaps, but don't bet on it.) All XSLT questions should go to Mark while everything else should go to Carol.

Worried about not getting exposed to the latest and greatest technologies? Some of us were doing XML work before you could buy a book on it, not to mention words like .Net, SQLXML, and XSLT.  A few of us were proficient in .Net (very modest there) before it left beta.

Want programmer's conferences? We got those too. Since I have been employed, Northwoods has sent people to developer's conferences across the country.

Think the boss is a moron? You can tell him here. (Well, you can probably tell your boss that anywhere; but here you won't get axed for it.) Just today he was accused of being a "blooming idiot."  (Not just a fledging one mind you!)

To finalize the point that this is the place to be, I will let our turnover rate speak for itself. In the 4 years I have been here, only one programmer has decided to leave. (There are currently 42 of us here.)  Please remember that during those years, the dotcom BOOM was going on and other companies had to keep their doors open because people were leaving so fast. We even have our own resident retiree. Yes poor Brad has failed to retire after three attempts. I am not sure if we will even have a going away party for him the next time he announces his retirement. (Don't worry Brad - I'm sure we will.)

I don't want to mislead anyone: it's not called a job for nothing. The work pace is quick, you have to be able to learn new technologies, and above all you must be a team player. But if you fit the bill, this is hands down the place to be.

-Witz