Pros
I've worked in multiple roles over a decade in different locations - it's amazing to be able to have a widely varied career while staying in the same company... best of both worlds. Incredibly collaborative, open culture where knowledge-sharing is the default. E.g., I have often used keywords to pick someone's name out of the corporate address book (when I need an expert, but don't know anyone to ask), and emailed or called them and say "I am looking for someone to help with x", and not once has anyone said "not my job" - every single time, and I'm talking dozens of times - the person helped me directly or gave me an introduction. You can move around and do different jobs within the company based on your interest and career growth plan - you can even change careers completely, if you want. One friend went from product management, where he was a functional expert on a topic working with the Sales team, to being a consultant and traveling to work with customers on-site. I personally changed from pre-sales to product management to marketing over the course of my career - and was totally supported by every manager in my chain to make those changes. That's incredibly rare. The corporate culture is the best thing about the company. Sure, there are challenges - but every company has challenges, there's no perfect work, and no job is always fun, or simple. But compared to other companies I've interviewed with, and have friends working for, SAP is not only highly ethical and personally collaborative, it's a breath of humanistic fresh air compared to most American companies in the same industry, from supporting remote work as a default for most roles, to providing competitive benefits with better-than-average vacation. Additional pro, depending on your role (with manager approval) you can work remotely from other SAP offices or locations. For example, if you want to visit someone in another state, as long as you have your laptop you can work from their house during the day, and have the evenings free to spend with them. Or if I take vacation to the South of France for a week, I could extend the trip by 3 days and enjoy a second weekend traveling around, and work several days from our office in Nice, and then fly home mid-week when the rates are cheaper. And when you have more vacation days to use, it's an amazing way to extend your vacation options, which for Americans in particular is in too short supply most of the time.
Cons
1. This isn't a traditional 'con' - it's about being aware that the culture isn't a fit for everyone. If you like a high level of engagement with your manager and being given exact directions on what is expected of you, this is not likely the place for you *unless* you're seeking a Quality Management/Quality Assurance/Testing/Tech Support type role. SAP is what I call an "entrepreneurial" company, that gives employees a lot of latitude in how to shape their job and how to define their career path. I love it, and I've had the chance to try a lot of different roles in my time here - but I have also seen wonderful, talented, intelligent people become exceedingly frustrated. E.g., I may have a short biweekly call with my manager (who is remote), and find that sufficient for discussing my projects, but some people may feel the need to speak with their manager multiple times per week with their manager to get direction on certain problems, or talk through ideas they have. Many managers aren't used to that type of 'constant feedback loop' of engagemnet - so I think it's important to understand if you come to SAP, you're going to be trusted to make a lot of decisions on your own, and you're going to be expected by most managers to be able to do that. I've heard people complain that when they asked a manager "What should i do?" the manager's response was "What do you *think* you should do?" If that bothers you, then you may not find SAP the best fit for your preference in management style, OR you should ensure when you interview, that you discuss your preference and expectations for the level of engagment from your manager. SAP wants people to be happy, but employees also have to be self-aware to understand the corporate culture, in general, and decide if it's a fit. 2. Constant, continual organizational change. Sometimes every 6 months, at least once per year. Change is common at all large businesses, but it does seem SAP moves the puzzle pieces around more often than peers. 3. One of the clearest areas that we see the origins of SAP as a German company founded by engineers is the number of templates - powerpoing and spreadsheets - that are created, maintained, and mandated for people to use. You may find processes are 'over-engineered' compared to other companies, and that can be frustrating... but it's improving, and if filling out a spreadsheet is the worst thing you can say about your job, it's really not bad at all!
