Giant corporations that give us unlimited free food when we work for them? Sign this generation up.
Much has been said about young people's proclivities for small business. We love keeping it scrappy and artisanal when it comes to our pickled vegetables and industry-disrupting bathing suits. But it turns out we've also wanted to work for multinational conglomerates.
Morning Consult once surveyed over 22,000 adults in the US to find out which companies they admired most, and while there was interesting differentiation between generations, millennials turned out to be basically all in awe of Google. Or at least of the legendary free meals it gives employees.
That survey is a few years old now, so we went back and checked how the original top 10 holds up today, using current salary data instead of the numbers floating around back then. (If you want to see who's topping the list right now instead of in 2017, Glassdoor's own Best Places to Work rankings are updated every year.)
10. BMW
Unless you drive one, BMW tends to function as something of a synonym for "people who drive like assholes." Really, there's research to back it up. But for those on the inside, it's seen as a pretty solid place to work.
According to current Glassdoor data, salaries at BMW Group range from around $37,000 a year for a receptionist to $107,000 to $172,000 for a software engineer.
9. Nike
Since being founded in 1964, Nike has remained one of the most high-profile sports apparel and accessories brands in the world. It's still pretty good at that whole slogan and logo thing, too.
Current Glassdoor figures show retail sales associates earning $33,000 to $43,000 a year, while director-level roles run $268,000 to $420,000.
8. Sony
The multinational conglomerate is a beast, with divisions in electronics, gaming, entertainment, and financial services. A good work-life balance and a positive work environment have long been cited as the biggest pros of the job.
Salary data currently on Glassdoor puts sales associate pay at $36,000 to $55,000 a year, with director roles reaching $207,000 to $301,000.
7. Apple
There may be no more sweeping symbol for the millennial generation than the iPhone. This tech monolith revolutionized everyday technology and made itself virtually inseparable from modern life.
Current Glassdoor numbers put retail specialist pay at $50,000 to $76,000 a year, software engineers at $250,000 to $400,000, and the range tops out with executive roles like CTO reported near $792,000 annually.
6. Netflix
What started out as the little DVD-delivery service that could in 1997 has evolved into a leader in streaming media, including its own ad-supported tier and live sports events. Freedom to manage your own responsibilities is still commonly cited as a top pro.
As of current Glassdoor listings, customer service representative pay starts around $40,000 to $55,000 a year, with senior technical leadership roles reported well into six and seven figures.
5. YouTube
The scrappy video-sharing platform was founded in 2005 and sold a year and a half later to Google for $1.65 billion. Who wouldn't admire that kind of success? YouTube no longer has its own standalone salary listings on Glassdoor, since its pay data is now folded into Google's own salary page, where current listed roles range from $61,000 to $106,000 for interns up to $481,000 to $780,000 for staff-level software engineers.
4. Microsoft
Work-life balance and having smart colleagues have consistently been cited as strengths of working here, alongside strong compensation. Current Glassdoor data shows engineering roles clustering in the $158,000 to $330,000 range depending on seniority.
3. Amazon
Amazon has pretty much single-handedly transformed delivery from a convenience into a lifestyle. It's clearly trying to take over the world by having a hand in pretty much everything, and its placement on this list suggests plenty of employees have been A-OK with that.
The biggest pros historically cited are opportunities to learn and work-life balance, though warehouse working conditions have also drawn sustained criticism in recent years. Current Glassdoor figures show warehouse worker pay around $36,000 to $42,000 a year, with roles like applied scientist reaching $220,000 to $327,000.
2. Walt Disney
Disney sinks its claws into our hearts before we're old enough to articulate the words to the songs, and for a great many people, it never lets up. Hence the robust market for adult swimsuits modeled after Disney princesses.
Current Glassdoor data shows attractions cast members earning $16 to $20 an hour, while senior software engineers can earn $90 to $126 an hour.
1. Google
Poor Jeeves never really stood a chance. Google reigns supreme as the god of the internet, and its reputation for having the best unlimited food program is well earned.
Current Glassdoor listings show intern pay starting at $61,000 to $106,000 a year, with staff-level software engineers reported at $481,000 to $780,000. Whether that kind of pay and perks package adds up to a good work-life balance still seems to depend a lot on what you count as "life" and what you count as "work," and whether you draw much of a line between them at all.
Whether that kind of pay and perks package adds up to a good work-life balance still seems to depend a lot on what you count as "life" and what you count as "work," and whether you draw much of a line between them at all.
Chasing free snacks and a six-figure title only gets you so far. Get the Girlboss Daily for real talk on what actually makes a job worth taking.
