software engineer

care manager

data engineer

senior software engineer

business analyst

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

I was with CareFirst for almost 8 years, and finally left because I demanded fair compensation and was refused. I demanded an actual career path, as my title and job description had absolutely NOTHING to do with my job functions and I was refused because no one knew what to do with my skill set; true words from a manager. I had two “lateral” moves during my career; both of these lateral moves involved learning an entirely new skill set which I excelled at, but the review process leaves a large room for management to insert their bias and just not pay you.  I absorbed an entire persons’s job function during the reorganization; (that person was moved to another department) and when I asked about compensation for learning this other individuals job duties, I was told I was not trustworthy and did not deserve it.   Verbatim, I was told that; I’m not sure what “trustworthiness” has to do with adequate compensation, but Human Resources told me there was nothing they could do, the manager has the final say. Not really sure what “deserving” has to do with being fairly compensated for complex project deployment work completed on time and accurately but hey sure; you’re the boss. I was exempt employee and gladly worked weekends coordinating with our overseas vendor to complete testing, but I never received a bonus; literally after 7 years I was making an entry level salary.
My compensation was so inadequate, I requested a Human Resources compensation evaluation, and after being stalled by my manager for four months, I was told right before the end of the year that “there was no money in the budget.”  Not that I did not deserve adequate compensation; just that they could or would not pay me a salary commensurate to my experience, knowledge and skill because it was not in their forecasted budget; please be advised when I first requested the review it was four months earlier and the budget was re-opened because we had just gone through a re-organization; so management had the opportunity to correct my salary and justify it via the budget and just chose not to.
I was paid so poorly, I couldn’t use the benefits provided by the company; couldn’t even afford to see the dentist.  I was told I had the ability to work from home whenever I wanted, but I could not afford WIFI on my entry level salary after being employed for 8 years.  They clearly do not value their employees at all; everyone is just a drone for them and the turnover has increased dramatically in the last 3 years, I wonder why.

CareFirst embraces change, but change is not always the right solution. Too often, changes are implemented without fully considering the impact on the employees who are responsible for carrying them out. In many cases, significant changes are rolled out quickly and on a large scale without adequate testing, pilot programs, or a gradual implementation process. This creates unnecessary disruption and frustration for employees who must adapt to new processes while continuing to meet performance expectations.
Over the past few years, the work environment has become increasingly challenging. There has been significant turnover in upper management, and many employees feel the organization has moved in the wrong direction. 
There appears to be an excessive number of management layers, while frontline staff continue to shoulder growing workloads. Micromanagement has increased to the point that employees feel they are constantly being monitored rather than trusted to do their jobs. As a result, employee morale is very low.
While CareFirst encourages employees to ask questions and voice concerns during meetings, many feel discouraged from doing so because raising concerns is often followed by conversations with supervisors or managers that feel more corrective than supportive. 
The company offers excellent benefits, which is one of it's strengths. However, employees find it difficult to take advantage of their earned time off because workload expectations remain unchanged regardless of absences. Taking even a day or two off can require employees to complete a full week's workload in fewer workdays, while taking a week off often creates additional pressure before and after the absence to meet monthly goals. Performance goals are not adjusted for planned absences, often requiring employees to work at an unsustainable pace before and after taking leave. As a result, time off can feel less like an opportunity to recharge and more like a source of added stress, making it difficult to achieve a true work-life balance. 
CareFirst also takes pride in its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. However, when salary increases are distributed, many employees perceive a significant disparity between the raises awarded to upper management and those given to frontline staff. This creates the impression that equity is not being applied consistently across all levels of the organization. 


A typical day would include preparation of project variance reports, either exporting them, through Sharepoint to the various project managers (50), and or reviewing  project manager input  for forecasts , confidence levels and a general analysis to project the year-end financial position, explanation of trending and variances  for the overarching CareFirst budget for submission to the  executive level management and then an aggregate or summary version for submission to the CareFirst Directors Office after the application of any modifications by the executive staff. The described process has many exercises that comport to the overall development of the variance reports that are too numerous to mention. 
 
Other activities involved efforts to gather and arrange various data for monthly  accrual reports.  Writing  Standard Operating Procedures to formalize various routiine and ongoing tasks.  Review, code, approve, apply and record the incidence of Change Orders (other systems classify them as reprogramming). Communicate  orally and in writing with internal and external clients and stakeholders relative to clarification of budget or financial matters, collaboration, and ramifications of changes in project  scope, start up dates and other related matters that may be of significant portent.  Respond to requested ad hoc requests for special analysis and any time. Prepare data for subsequent monthly power point presentation and related charts reflecting expenditure activity for various agency components.  Train, mentor and advise junior members of the Department Budget and Asset Management ream.  

The most difficult part of the job was the constant change in priorities and procedures based an appreciable increase in the added layers of management related to the revamping of organization structure. However, such fluid priorities and processes are germane to almost all varieties of financial management systems.  

Management makes a concerted effort to be somewhat inclusive with a number of team building  activities, as well as mandatory custom training related, to ethical and privacy (HIPPA) issues.

A typical day is very diverse. I am responsible for ensuring internal equity as it relates to hiring decisions so, I review salary offers for external and internal candidates to the organization. I support many key business units so knowing the areas is critical to understanding the individual needs and how it fits in the organization.

Reviewing job descriptions to determine worth base on our size, geographic area and profit status. Collecting market data based on our industry. 

Collaborating with other department to determine budget needs and performance measures discussions to assist assigned clients.

Perform period specific projects to facilitate annual performance and merit exercise. 

Responsible for the  Annual Equity analysis to identify and resolve issues per the Department of Labor guidelines.

Compression analysis exercise is done to identify any internal issues that can surface in the normal course of doing business.

Surveys are necessary to ensure salaries are in line with market therefore I participate in and subscribe to many sources.

I support the Client Consultants who are in the field working directly with management to understand their needs and to provide recommendations for remedy.

I learn a different lesson with each encounter. Listening is critical to understand more than what your ears hear.
 
You must be flexible in dealing with people in positions of authority. Rigidity gets you nowhere. It’s just a job and if you won’t do it, somebody will.

My co-workers are a necessary part of creating that work life balance for me. We spend so much of our time at work that you should try to create an environment of trust and respect and a sense of team commitment. 

The hardest part of my job is having to do more with less. As a result of the economy turning around, the market has more opportunities for growth that people are now taking advantage of. You are happy for them but you know what that ultimately means for the department’s deficit.

The most enjoyable part is successfully bringing a project to completion.

•	Responsible for developing complex Informatica mappings using different types of transformations like UNION transformation, Connected and Unconnected LOOKUP transformations, Router, Filter, Aggregator, Expression and Update strategy transformations for Large volumes of Data.
•	Implemented slowly changing dimension Type 1 and Type 2 for Change data capture.
•	Responsible for Error Handling in Workflows and sessions using Informatica workflow manager and monitor the workflow run and statistic properties on Informatica Workflow Monitor.
•	Responsible for Defining Mapping parameters and variables and Session parameters according to the requirements and performance related issues.
•	Wrote test plans and executed it at UNIT testing and also supported for system testing, volume testing and User testing. Also provided production support by monitoring the processes running daily
•	Doing Change Requirement for complex Informatica Mappings with transformations like lookup, router, aggregator, expression, update strategy, joiner and etc.
•	Involved in complete understanding of business requirement and involved in analyzing the sources to load in Oracle warehouse. 
•	Designed Sources to Targets mappings from Mainframe, Flat files, to Oracle using Informatica Power Center.
•	Responsible for working with DBA and Data Modellers for project coordination.
•	Created Connected, Unconnected and Dynamic Lookup transformations for better performance.
•	Created sessions, workflows for the mapping to run daily based on the business requirements.
•	Extensively used Parameter files, mapping variables in the process of development of the mappings for all the dimension tables.
•	Worked on handling performance issues of Informatica Mappings, evaluating current logic for tuning possibilities.
•	Involved in unit testing and fixing the bugs identified, provided data to the reporting team for their daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly reports.
•	Involved in team weekly and by monthly status meetings.

Regrettably, my experience with this company has been marred by excessive micromanagement and a notable lack of alignment between managerial qualifications and the requirements of the IT Service Management (ITSM) department. The atmosphere feels suffocating due to constant oversight, with management seemingly checking every step, hindering productivity and creativity.

One of the most concerning aspects is the evident mismatch between the qualifications of the managers and the demands of the ITSM department. It appears that many managers lack a fundamental understanding of the intricacies of ITSM, resulting in a disconnect that affects decision-making and overall departmental efficiency. Their actions often demonstrate a lack of comprehension regarding the field, leading to misguided directives and a failure to effectively support the team.

Moreover, the pervasive micromanagement exacerbates the situation, fostering an environment of distrust and demotivation among employees. Rather than empowering individuals to excel in their roles, the constant scrutiny stifles innovation and autonomy, ultimately impeding progress.

In essence, the company's management practices undermine the potential of the ITSM department, contributing to frustration and discontent among employees. Addressing these issues is crucial for fostering a more conducive work environment that encourages collaboration, innovation, and professional growth. Without significant improvements in management approach and alignment with departmental needs, it's difficult to foresee positive outcomes for the company's ITSM endeavors.

There was a time when working at CareFirst was very rewarding and very much enjoyed, not so much as of late!  The work environment has become unprofessional with individuals in roles ("People Leaders") who are not qualified/fit to be in the same.  MANY these so-called "People Leaders" are uneducated, unprofessional and unknowledgeable and just outright difficult to work with! This kind of culture CareFirst allowed to ferment has become one of toxicity and alienation. Some of these "People Leaders" have a sole purpose of continuously paying "got-ya games", which ultimately at the end of the day only serves a purpose of taking away from productively and the delivery of service excellence to CareFirst customers, stakeholders and other interested parties both internal and external.  Then there are these so-called "People Leaders" who just blatantly outright lie to cover-up for their own ineptness/inabilities.   

It should be noted, there are many at CareFirst in both leadership and non-leadership roles who are GREAT to work with.   

CareFirst provides GREAT benefits but the salary/compensation does not align with those other like companies in the industry who recognize and appreciate what one brings to the table in terms of education, skill set and knowledge and who are willing to provide salaries/ compensation that match.  

 One must ask themselves are the benefits worth it when it comes to:  
1.) Being in a role which might require working with these so-called "People Leaders" who are uneducated, unprofessional and unfit for the role of leading others; and  
2.) Salary and/or compensation that does not align with other companies in the industry that are willing to provide salary and/or compensation to that which will align with what one does bring to the table.   


If you are looking for a company that provides opportunity for advancement, dont look here.  Supervisors and managers never leave their jobs, there is minimal opportunity for advancement.  The management rules by extreme micromanagement, unattainable productivity goals, back stabbing and unprofessional, undermining behavior.  They stay in their positions for years as upper management does not care how the work gets done as long as their "numbers" look good, which is basically to work the employees to the bone.  Overtime is pretty much mandatory and unpaid, you are told you are "a professional" and therefore you are paid a salary and you are told " do what it takes to get the job done."  Evenings, weekends, work all the time.  The only time you are not working to death is when you are on PTO.  PTO is generous however you are worked so hard that you end up taking lots of it.  Unfortunately the work environment has only gotten worse as the company struggles to adjust to the impact of the Affordable Health Care Act on their finances, of which they are now taking out on their employees.  If you are looking for work- family- balance with opportunities for professional growth, positive work environment, you will need to look elsewhere.


In my role as a Business Analyst at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield for 2 years and 9 months, the experience has been incredibly fulfilling, especially as a remote team member with flexible schedules. This work environment allowed me to seamlessly integrate professional responsibilities with personal commitments, fostering an exceptional work-life balance. Actively contributing to diverse projects, I utilized my analytical prowess to streamline requirements gathering and documentation processes. Collaborating within cross-functional teams, I spearheaded initiatives aimed at optimizing workflow efficiency, leading to tangible enhancements. Despite the remote nature of the position, effective communication and collaboration were at the forefront, facilitated by virtual tools. My proactive troubleshooting approach and meticulous defect documentation significantly elevated the overall quality of business processes. Embracing continuous learning, I stayed ahead of industry trends. The experience not only showcased my analytical proficiency but also highlighted my ability to excel in a flexible work environment, contributing positively to the organization's success.

•	Quality Assurance Analyst with 5+ years of experience in Software Testing in the areas of Client/Server, Web applications and Data warehousing under Windows and UNIX environments. 
•	Expertise in Software Development Life Cycle process (SDLC) and Quality Assurance Life Cycle (QALC) including Requirement Gathering, Business Analysis, System Design and Testing.
•	Extensive experience in Insurance, Financial, Healthcare Companies. 
•	Experience with QA Methodology and QA Validations to ensure the Quality Assurance Control.
•	Proficient in Gathering Data, Test Cases/Scripts, Execution, Bug Tracking and Reporting Systems. 
•	Experience in developing Test Scripts for Manual Testing and also for Automated Testing.
•	Proficient in using Automated Tools: HP Win Runner, Test Director, HP Quality Center and QTP. 
•	Extensively worked on claims processing and with HIPAA in different EDI healthcare transactions (837, 835,834, 820, 270, 271, 276, 277 and 278).Healthcare claim status and response requests(276/277)
•	Good Understanding of Rational Unified Process (RUP), Clear Case, Clear Quest and Requisite Pro.
•	Good experience in writing SQL queries for Database Testing from different Databases using SQL Query Analyzer.

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