Working at Scholarship Auditions as a Software Engineer provided a level of ownership you just don't get at larger firms. Because it’s a startup, I was responsible for end-to-end features and had a seat at the table for technical decisions. I learned more in a year here than I likely would have in three years elsewhere. Great place if you want to see your code make a real difference in the product.
Cons
The 'startup life' means wearing many hats. You aren't just coding; you're managing multiple priorities and sometimes shifting gears quickly. Can be intense if you prefer a strict 9-to-5 with highly defined boundaries.