Fun, open, sport-oriented, but ultimately limiting
Pros
- Fairly egalitarian and open culture - Sports oriented, great for someone who like to be exposed to sports on a regular basis - Adventurous spirits will find areas to serve as their creative outlets
Cons
Pay in Taiwan and other offshore offices are based on local salary standards, which usually means decent, but not great pay. As development manager, much time is spent commuting to the factories located 45 minutes and 1.5 hours away, respectively. Although there is company shuttle bus, the commute really takes away time from doing actual work, and often make after-hour e-mailing at home mandatory. Work conditions, facilities, and overall environment at offshore offices are not comparable with that of HQ in Oregon. There is little chance of interacting with the designers, marketing team, and star athletes. Footwear is also a labor intensive industry that will inevitably shift to countries with lower cost of labor. If the focus of your job is in manufacturing or product development, relocation to countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, China, India, among others, is a real possibility.