software engineer

manufacturing engineer

engineer

senior software engineer

product manager

John Deere

In the role I played at JDPP Greeneville, a typical day in the Welding Department would involve a lot of lifting, sweating, and actively practicing safety procedures for the safety of yourself and co-workers. I would get moved between all three welding departments as needed, which provided for variety and kept things fresh. I trained dozens of new contingent workers. 90% of them wouldn't last 10 days due to the unforgiving nature of the job. If you slack off, you won't hit your production numbers.
I learned all about good and bad welds, meeting and exceeding production goals, working with people on an assembly line, communicating and interacting with co-workers in noisy environments. I learned how to maintain a clean work station in my brief windows of downtime, troubleshoot robotic welders, restock and retrieve materials while working with forklift drivers. In other words, I learned how to be efficient.
The Welding Department Team Lead and Team Coordinators were many of my favorite people at work. They would work with anyone who showed a willingness to improve and those who consistently showed up on time. They held people accountable as needed and gave good workers room to continue to be good workers.
My favorite thing about working at JDPP was sweating out 30 pounds in my first two months, and building the muscle memory and physical endurance that translated directly to feeling better after work (less tired) and higher production numbers.
The hardest part of the job was dealing with and training new temps who would try to teach their trainer how to do their job. Before the wave of temps join, and it's all full-timers, it's an awesome place to work. After the 200 or so temps come in at the beginning of the building season, (January) it begins a never-ending revolving door of mediocrity, attitude issues, sketchy excuses, and general chaos. I loved my time there because I was able to learn and run everything I was trained on. I felt appreciated and could cut up with co-workers when appropriate to keep the workplace fun.

•a typical day at work
•	Being on the floor in maintenance on a daily bases can be chaotic.  Depending on the workforce, who is there, who is on vacation, on most days it is quite busy. The line must run this is the main objection.  When not on a call I work on a multitude of ongoing projects.  These projects are generated from the CI200 process from within the different departments, or are just requested of me. Once assigned to a project it could encompass a wide variety of skills. From contacting suppliers to obtained needed materials, to coordinating with department management to complete the project.
   
•what you learned
•	I have learned to multitask my time to great efficiency. I have become proficient with the many tools available to me. Software and hands on which included SAP, and a group of maintenance reliability tools, there is much more that can be stated but in the nineteen years it is too involved to go in-depth on this platform.
 
•Management 
•	Upper management has not changed much. Middle management has become very goal oriented, more for personal gains rather than company objectives. Lower management has become more along the lines of micromanagement rather than utilizing their time to improve the process.
  
•your co-workers
•	Co-workers are co-workers, some I have worked with gaining great outcomes, and some are harder to work with. Being the only female in an all-male workforce has proved to be challenging. I feel I have the respect of all my co-workers. I have become the go to person for many who need help with multitude of the processes that are used by our maintenance department.  
  
•the hardest part of the job
•	There is nothing hard about my job. I have mastered all the ins and outs of my current job, hence the job hunt, I carve to be challenged. 

•the most enjoyable part of the job
•	I have had the opportunity to hone my abilities to the highest levels that are currently asked of me. I have used my abilities to achieve numerous accolades.

Provided team leadership to coordinate and perform Parts Data Management (PDM) and specification work throughout the unit to include training, resolving issues, diagnosing problems and recommending corrective actions.
 Successfully implemented the role of Subject Matter Expert by performing the following responsibilities:
o Served as the unit functional expert / “Power User” for PDM/PDX/SAP/MES/OM systems.
o Served as the local contact for unit requirements, improvements and innovations.
o Actively communicated current status, topics and issues to local factory management and my functional leaders.
o Submitted Enhancement Requests to the appropriate Communication Forum.
o Participated in 100% of cycle testing required for upcoming releases of functionality.
o Responsible for unit specific security (job function template) and approval of security within a specific function.
o Provided documentation, training and implementation support for the business specific and standard processes. Completed Release training prior to the Go Live.
o Provided mentoring and Tier 1 support to my local unit for standard systems and processes, and submitted follow-up CA tickets on behalf of users.
 Facilitated understanding of both the business and Information Technology (IT) to ensure decisions meet the business requirements and facilitated Business Decision Meetings to keep projects on schedule
 Worked with engineering groups to
o Create option codes, new engine models, run/maintain MASA reports, & complete QE reports
o Compare BOMS between PDX and PDM, since PDX will not automatically update BOMS if ETN part numbers have been changed.
 Represent JDPS Engine Engineering in the weekly Enterprise Change Management Forum meeting.

John Deere Financial expects Software Engineers to perform multiple tasks from UI Development, Backend Development, SAP ABAP/HANA Development, Deployment Automation, Testing, Prod Support and much more. However when it comes to base salary/job-grade, it is either very low during hire or only increases after a period of 3-5 years. They do provide generous bonus but that is dependent on base salary/job-grade. 

Management expects employees to learn and do variety of diverse technical tasks (regardless of their interest), instead of hiring specialized workforce thus saving money. Every developer is expected to pair every time with others, and tasks are divided (sometimes with other teams) into very small work chunks, so that no one becomes too knowledgeable, in other words to keep employees expendable/replaceable. Thus employees have no scope to grow, innovate, design and are boxed in their small monotonous tasks given to them using Kanban method. 

Management is adamantly focused on implementing Agile methodology by book, not getting the work done efficiently. Obsession with automation testing for everything (UI/Backend/SAP/Integration) covering every line, drags everyone to crawl to finish the tasks. Goals, product design, application architecture is constantly changing, sometimes reversed causing confusion.

Teams are reshuffled/dissolved, with roles/responsibilities of members changed after year or two based on senior management's new plans for software development process. Left out senior members are forced to retire, others are kept on bench who now have to find & apply for new internal positions within the company within 3 months of time.

Overall, lot of stress, continuous pairing, more responsibilities but slow promotions after years of work. 

•	a typical day at work
•	Being on the floor in maintenance on a daily bases can be chaotic.  Depending on the workforce, who is there, who is on vacation, on most days it is quite busy. The line must run this is the main objection.  When not on a call I work on a multitude of ongoing projects.  These projects are generated from the CI200 process from within the different departments, or are just requested of me. Once assigned to a project it could encompass a wide variety of skills. From contacting suppliers to obtained needed materials, to coordinating with department management to complete the project.   
•	what you learned
•	I have learned to multitask my time to great efficiency. I have become proficient with the many tools available to me. Software and hands on which included SAP, and a group of maintenance reliability tools, there is much more that can be stated but in the nineteen years it is too involved to go in-depth on this platform. 
•	Management 
•	Upper management has not changed much. Middle management has become very goal oriented, more for personal gains rather than company objectives. Lower management has become more along the lines of micromanagement rather than utilizing their time to improve the process.  
•	your co-workers
•	Co-workers are co-workers, some I have worked with gaining great outcomes, and some are harder to work with. Being the only female in an all-male workforce has proved to be challenging. I feel I have the respect of all my co-workers. I have become the go to person for many who need help with multitude of the processes that are used by our maintenance department.    
•	the hardest part of the job
•	There is nothing hard about my job. I have mastered all the ins and outs of my current job, hence the job hunt, I carve to be challenged. 
•	the most enjoyable part of the job
•	I have had the opportunity to hone my abilities to the highest levels that are currently asked of me. I have used my abilities to achieve numerous accolades.

Had a great opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of delivering training, facilitation, consulting and coaching to many locations of Deere around the United States.  The company is a good corporate citizen in the farming industry, has around 60,000 employees at present so has potential for great growth career-wise.  However, being a mid-west based U.S. company sometimes creates a myopic view of the rest of the world by predominantly mid-west employees, management and leadership.
I learned that Deere is conscious and aware of the critical need for improved human performance on a daily basis.
I learned that managers are sometimes 'evolved' into their positions simply because of tenure, not because of good leadership grooming.
The hardest part of the job was overcoming biases about others coming from outside companies even larger than theirs and in completely different businesses.  It intimidated them.
The most enjoyable part of the job was meeting so many people, watching progress being made in teams and leadership and in organizations where dysfunction was a way of life.
It still is a great company to work for, however it still needs to learn how to manage the workforce it has accountability for, even when it is selling a business unit.  I was involved in a reduction in force immediately following the sale of my unit.  The new owners had no need for key human performance leadership either from me or many others affected by the sale.  That is a place which Deere needs to improve upon, giving people their due who were very dedicated to them.

CONS: (These heavily outweigh the pros, so I will start here)

As a contingent worker, the opportunity seems like a great avenue to take. Although you get your "foot in the door," it is more than likely the case you will NOT walk out the door with a permanent job as a Deere employee. With the continual hiring of contingent employees to save the company money, you are in a battle with a multitude of other employees for one job posting. The actual Deere job postings are very, very limited. Even if you have great work reviews. 

As a contingent who had Deere interviews, the jobs I interviewed for were given to someone not performing the role currently but who looked good on paper. John Deere is incredibly "pedigree" oriented.

The treatment I received from another Deere employee created a nightmare of going to work the first 1-1.5 years I was here. This woman (although I prefer another choice word) was reprimanded with a slap on the wrist (as she had been for doing the same thing in the past to others - or she is constantly running to management about others she was "having problems with" - these persons were contingents, never Deere employees), but always has kept her job. As a company that prides itself on their ethical behavior, this behavior was quite the opposite. It was borderline harassment.

Overall, there is an abundance of contingent workers, doing exceptional work, who will not be hired on. The company boasts they make "billion dollar profits," and that is exactly how. Hiring contingent workers for a cheaper pay rate, no benefits (no paid holidays, sick leave, zero).

PROS: 

Minimal micromanagement, you can take time off easily, and my manager (and most managers) are great to work with. If you are seeking professional growth, it can be obtained here.

Typical work day
Have you ever thought what fun it would be to go back to high school where people will complain behind your back to the boss and not help you improve. Well you'll get that at the deere. Their moto is mess around and find out. No one knows or will let you know what their job is and you have to take on all aspects of a project. From design, project leader, maintenance, programmer, engineer, SAP expert, etc and if you go to far in any one field they will file a grievance, complain to their boss or yell you out saying that's not your job. (usually all 3)

What I learned
Don't let the rose colored glasses cloud your judgement.

Management
Its ok, but having to hear don't care what others think and then them to list off one to two people that don't like you. Feels like I have to defend myself each time we meet up. Super stressful.

Hardest part of the job
Dealing with the whiney little people. There's always 2 to 4 per area and their sole goal is to be a pain or make you look bad. Possibly even to get you fired. Feels like they were the ones in high school that always bullies others and never learned to grow up. Now they just use the union as a shield and attack others. Funny enough they complain about that others attacked them and then continue the cycle onto others. Self fulfilling prophecy if I've ever seen one.
Side note of them laying off over a thousand employees. Leaving everyone guessing if they been laid off for months (for some reason) was a fun amount of stress and  killer of motivation. 

Enjoyable
Certain people that don't take advantage of the union and use it as a way to bully others. Honestly thinking of other and showing empathy knowing we are all human. They help you improve and don't try to be a thorn.


John Deere Harvester Works has been an excellent employer. They are on the cutting edge of technology and do a great job with safety, resolving issues, and improving operations. John Deere has been very instrumental in my growth as an employee and as a team player in a fast paced environment. I have been fortunate to have been offered numerous opportunities to improve my skills through classroom education, extensive cross training in other departments and overtime opportunities rarely afforded at other places. Although they deal with a large group of employees, the management does a good job of communicating with each other and fellow employees. We have a "shift meeting" usually right before we begin working each day to discuss any issues or concerns affecting our department. My co-workers operate as a very cohesive unit and we have all been in the department long enough to come together much like an extended family. The hardest part of my job to be honest with you is just to come in and work 3rd shift after a 49 mile drive. It is sometimes a little rough getting home in the morning especially after a hot night but other than that I can't think of anything specific. The most enjoyable part of the job is just being considered a full-time John Deere employee! The only other downside is that the company has decided to lay off over 500 employees recently and unfortunately due to lack of seniority I am on that list. That is the ONLY reason why I am seeking other employment at this time.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The checks on Friday that is it. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Where to start. Two weeks with 12 hour days then 2 days off and Two weeks with one day off mandatory!!!!!!!  The employees being there 20 years while watching the new people struggle and harassing them. Having a coworker pushing a lawnmower deck at you when you are on the other side packing it off as it hangs from a pulley. Other employees not doing anything even though the chances of getting severely injured was probable. Have a child who needed medical care and taken to court to tell you they can’t do anything because of the points even having a union board member explain she went through the same thing and I have to deal with it. Which medically it was costing my daughter her life because I was not able to get any time off other than the 3 days a month. Hours, the harassment and no time off I was forced to neglect my own health and just keep afloat my families.  The whole job. When core was given time off I was still mandated to work in another department and was not allowed to even take time off without pay which they were paid for not working. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Great if you have worked there for 20 years not so great if you are new no team work or coworkers helping. There were a few. Not many.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
On the line at exact time you start and the line starts moving until shift is over or run out of parts which happened to much. 2 breaks and a lunch to do it all over again.

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