Pit crew for a race car that doesn - Systems Engineer Amazon Employee Review

4.0
1 Jul 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

1. It's in Seattle. 2. You get to support the O.G. Cloud. 3. Ultimate mobility - if you see a team you want to join, just start hanging out with them. If you're invaluable to your present team, it just takes a little longer. If you've been around, you've got a great shot at getting on one of the S3 ops teams -- only dev teams get resumes from recent grads. It's really hard, but it's all there, simply a matter of reading. Nothing at all off the shelf any more beside the hardware, all either open source or Amazon proprietary. Best integration of incident management and knowledge sharing, ever -- just read old tickets, all are heavily annotated. I strongly recommend this to cuspy olde UNIX admins, especially self-taught. Most important skill of all == log diving. Enormous and entertaining library of videos from principal engineers to teach the unique architecture. New model to scale to the always-increasing size of the cloud every few years -- you'll know when probability equations start showing up on the whiteboards in the hallway. Nothing wrong with developing or doing ops for other teams - my experience is limited to the S3 team.

Cons

Not just a time-sucker, can be a life-sucker. No one will force or even suggest putting in more time, it just happens because it's completely and utterly fascinating.

Explore other reviews about Amazon

5.0
28 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Competitive hourly pay in many locations Benefits may include health insurance and tuition assistance Flexible scheduling options at some warehouses Opportunities for overtime and extra pay Entry-level job with minimal experience required

Cons

Physically demanding work with long hours standing or lifting Fast-paced environment with strict productivity targets Repetitive tasks can become tiring Work schedules may include nights, weekends, or holidays High stress during peak shopping seasons like holidays

5.0
10 Jan 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Really smart people, a lot of opportunity for growth, always encouraged to be innovative, think big, and create something new. Competitive salary and benefits with other major tech companies. 100% self motivating work environment. No dress code and 4 legged friends are welcome.

Cons

You have to be self motivated. NO ONE will hold your hand and tell you that you're doing a great job. If you need constant affirmations from management, this company isn't for you.

3159
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All