Excellent place to work & learn... Not so great to earn - Senior Associate Cognizant Employee Review

3.0
Jun 13, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great place to learn the nuances of software engineering. Good cultural values, great encouragement by management to take up big things early. Good DNA within core(old timers) management to "take care" of young, new, enthusiastic employees with identified high potential to ensure they are given the job that challenges them and keeps them in the organization for reasons other than money. So there is a thrill of doing big things early and I can vouch for that. Company is highly process oriented and folks judiciously follow the same in projects completely executed by the company, especially those audited by the internal SQAG (Software Quality Assurance Group). Strong senior management insight and their moves, keeps the company ahead of its competition and makes the company stock a great long time investment. Historical results stand witness to this as it has never disappointed its investors. Employee stock purchase plan thus is a plus. Stock options given to senior management ensure very low attrition at that level.

Cons

Poor compensation compared to industry standards. Causes a lot of "brain drain" since all the inhouse training & grooming go waste if good employee choses to leave for genuine compensation reasons. Vacation period very less compared to other industry competitors, though managers get to have a say to give more if required, at their own discretion.

Explore other reviews about Cognizant

5.0
Jan 21, 2026
Anonymous intern
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

good company to work for as an intern, I learned a lot and was able to really collaborate and work with everyone

Cons

It is remote so it is harder to reach out to toher

1.0
Jun 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

A potential inroad into large client companies (Leave Cognizant ASAP) You aren't unemployed.

Cons

It's a body shop. Clients will view you accordingly. Contractors cannot be trusted with most tasks. You must be siloed (No room for growth) so you don't break anything. Your actual job is to fulfill gaps in the client's grunt work even if out of scope. If you don't, the hammer falls from client and Cognizant. Wages well below industry standards. 1% annual raises only exist because legally they must exist. Takes full advantage of H-1B slave system, where employees' families and homes will be thrown into a furnace if you aren't keeping Cognizant happy no matter what. Employees are complacent in their slavery. Management is just happy to get their extra crumbs and will reinforce the bad culture. C-suite is opaque. If you are familiar with India's caste system you will understand how "lessers" are treated. This also happens in a literal sense, you aren't totally safe just because you are the favored skin tone. Takes full advantage of modern white collar culture. "Your racist actions aren't actually racist if you aren't Caucasian." Expect the uphill battle to be even more steep if you're not Southeast Asian. You will hunt for your own work most of the time. Cognizant is not helpful in any regard. They exist to skim off the top and nothing else.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All