Pros
Appian truly supports and enables career growth like none other. I say this due to my own success in professional development, and I hope that others here have the same experience as I. In every role I've held at Appian, I've been supported by highly-tenured management as I learned the job, became an expert at the job and then wanted more. And time after time, my then-manager has fervently supported my desire to move to that next role. I've also had the fantastic opportunity to live a life outside of the office for the past ten years. Since I began working here, I've dated, gotten married, had kids and have raised them. I've traveled with family for a long weekend, for a week, and at least once a year for longer. The teams above and around me have always supported the work/life balance that I need in order to be happy. This could mean leaving the office early to pick up a sick kid, and it could mean doing the same for them as they live their own lives. I frequently participate in our Talent Acquisition process here and have had the fortune of interviewing dozens (closing in on hundreds, but not quite there yet) of candidates. I share the same with all of them which I do through this review: There's an incredible spirit of collaboration at Appian. When you're on the Sales team, you're not in a silo out in the field. You have access to the entire organization to help solve a problem. Sometimes the answers come quickly. Other times it takes a little digging. But when you ask the hard questions internally, everyone pitches in with answers. And that camaraderie arches across departments. Engineering, Services, Partners, Solutions Engineering and other parts of the business are as quick to chime in, and it's all done in a very selfless way. There is also an incredible array of talent all around us here. I am continually impressed by the capabilities of people who have either developed organically here or have come over from much larger, more mature organizations. The strategy and thought leadership available for us to lever in the field continues to sharpen, and that bullpen of talent creates an incredibly friendly climate for the consultative sale. I have been privileged with the opportunity to work with so many talented people in my time here. I've built a tremendous number of lifelong friendships with coworkers, partners and customers. While there's always that "next opportunity" which may be compelling enough to lead me away from Appian one day, I'm still as excited to start each new week as I was when I began my career here 10 years ago.
Cons
Change is hard. And it's also inevitable. Our IPO last year (and admittedly, for a few years leading up to it) forced us to grow up as a company. We had to standardize and mature processes which were traditionally less formal. We've created more structure and controls around functions of the job where there used to be none. We're accountable to a public market and shareholders today that, 18 months ago, had little influence on our actions. That change can best be described as growing pains. The literal kind. Where our bones grew too fast for our body and some pain was endured. And those pains have been shared by a few on this site and others, where they had a very different experience at Appian than I. Perhaps I was insulated from the pain because of a great group of people around me. Perhaps others weren't. But the rate of change over the past few years can definitely be seen by some as a Con. The other big "Con" that I hear about from time to time is benefits. I don't see it as a significant issue personally, but I can understand the concern of others. Full disclosure: I take advantage of my spouse's healthcare plan at another employer, so I can't comment on Appian's offering. Lastly, brand awareness. It's evolving, and my territory is receiving a significantly larger number of inbound opportunities than in years past. But for Sales, it can still be a battle to get the first phone call scheduled. This will continue to improve as our customer footprint scales, though I would raise caution to anyone coming from a blue chip who thinks they can just smile and dial.