The buracracy is real - C++ Developer CAE Employee Review

2.0
Mar 31, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Flexible working hours - Nice office building - Nice perks - Opportunity to go to conferencies (it's not counted as working time tho) - Table tennis, table soccer, etc. - Alot of team/company building event which is sponsored by the company. - Friendly people

Cons

- CAE is about 15-20 years behind the C++ industry - They prefer alot of programmers over less, but competent ones. - Only C++98 - ScrumBut (it's not even close to scrum) - The coding guideline was written by C++ novices, but it's mandatory to follow it. - Unreadable codebases. - Overcomplicated product - Hierarchical company structure - Low salary (if you want an increase, you have to fight for it) - No challange - Terrible, sloppy inner tools and libs. - High buracracy You can't have any impact. The management invest crapload of money on creating problems, but rarely on things which could make an impact. (like useful, modern tools, switching from bad inner tools to open source, good alternates etc) - The sites don't like each other, because they "steal" the work from each other. - Cross-site teams: there is not a single product which fully owned by the site. Every decisions has to go through Montreal buracracy. Communication is sloppy. (6hr time-lag) - Really accurate work tracking (bosses want to now for every minute what are you worked on. :o) In reality it's 9-10+ hours work per day. People have to track breaks and alot of times you have nothing to do. You just can't say that, so sometimes there is nothing to track. Even tho it's not your fault, sometimes you ending up tracking nothing. - Fluctuacion is high. - The management don't delegate any decision to lower level programmers, they can push you from one team to another without even asking you. - The management is not trustworthy, they keep back informations from their people and from their bosses. - Management only care about numbers, but 99% of the metrics doesn't make any sense. It's frustrating. - They don't do anything with your problems before you quit. (But then it's way too late)

Explore other reviews about CAE

5.0
Mar 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

CAE offers the opportunity to work in a highly respected and technically advanced aviation environment. The work itself is meaningful, especially knowing the impact our services have on pilot safety and training outcomes. Many of the employees are knowledgeable, dedicated, and genuinely care about doing the right thing for clients. The Las Vegas team is collaborative, and there is a strong sense of teamwork when challenges arise. Leadership has supported improvements during periods of transition, including operational changes and facility moves, and there is exposure to multiple areas of the business that support my professional growth. CAE also provides solid benefits and stability as a global organization, which is reassuring in a fast-changing industry.

Cons

Like many large organizations, business decisions are made without the appropriate change management or the end user being considered. Resource constraints, such has limitations on hiring, particularly during periods of growth place additional strain on frontline teams. Communication and alignment between departments or Centers are inconsistent. Some operational issues would benefit from more proactive planning rather than reactive fixes. There are opportunities to further invest in tools, equipment, and infrastructure to better support employees and client.

3.0
Jun 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great team of people to work with, easy going environment, amazing benefits especially pto and sick time

Cons

Lots of nepotism among management that favor relatives or close friends for hiring, promotions, or assignments, also micro management and a get it done attitude rather than focus on quality

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