Pros
Got to go to Disneyland Paris a couple of times.
Cons
Career growth and internal mobility did not match the expectations that were communicated to me when I joined.
I relocated across the country in part because I believed there would be a realistic path to transition from SDR into a Sales Engineer role. Early conversations with leadership were encouraging, and I received support from my manager, senior sales leadership, and the SE organization regarding that goal. I was told that the primary requirement was completing the company's one-year minimum tenure before changing teams.
To prepare, I invested significant personal time into technical training, completed cloud computing and solutions architect coursework, conducted product demonstrations beyond the normal scope of my role, and maintained regular development discussions with SE leadership.
After reaching the one-year mark, the timeline for pursuing the opportunity continued to shift. First, additional approvals were needed. Later, I was told organizational changes needed to occur before a position would become available. Several months later, I was informed that there were no open positions and no clear timeline for when one might exist.
What was most disappointing was not that I wasn't selected for the role, but that I never had the opportunity to formally interview after spending more than a year preparing for the transition with leadership's encouragement.
Based on my experience, employees interested in internal mobility should seek clear commitments regarding hiring plans, role availability, and promotion timelines rather than relying on informal support or verbal encouragement.
