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I've worked in a lot of different types of places as well, both as an employee and a contractor.
Lots of factors for what makes a good workplace. What I try to avoid are government agencies with unionized staff. I find that the places tend to accrue IT workers that work their until they max out their benefits/pension, and pretty much just go through the motions after that. They still work, but make no effort to learn new techniques, or improve the codebase, or much else. The best one can hope for is that they retire soon....
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I have seen that in the Education organization I worked for. But I also so quite a few people willing to put in the extra effort. The people there really believed they were helping kids become good human beings so that made it a great place to work.
To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer
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I probably have all the fun... Small private company, that part of a big group, working for education and government (also education)...
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
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If I had the right opportunity, would love to work with a (reasonable) startup as a team lead. Work with some of the younger people to build a new product.
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As I tax-payer I've worked for the government all my life. 
I've been employed by two sole proprietorships (one of which was run by the owner and his family); three very large, international corporations; one medium sized, privately owned (four co-owners) business that was sold to a corporate house-flipper who sold it to a large corporation; and a large but local non-profit financial institution. The medium-sized business was my favorite while the four guys owned it, but it went deep south almost instantly after they sold it. My second favorite is the non-profit FI.
If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP.
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That's where I work now - a company that is privately owned and run by a family. As it turns out, this is an enormous company with annual sales in the nine (9) figures and we have about six thousand employees at around two dozen locations. It actually seems like a small company in practice but this is one of the biggest privately owned companies in the USA and is in the top five biggest in our industry. We have an IT group, which I do not work in, and just one small group of software engineers - a little over a dozen people. We write the software that controls the machines in the factories. We buy a fair number of machines from outside suppliers but we usually run them with our software. What I find very interesting is that even with a company of this size, I am on a first-name basis with the executives who are members of the owning family. I have worked with smaller companies but I actually enjoy this situation the most. To be honest, it also helps (a lot) that we are paid pretty well here and business has boomed the last few years so the raises and bonuses have been really, really good. At least, for me they have.
"They have a consciousness, they have a life, they have a soul! Damn you! Let the rabbits wear glasses! Save our brothers! Can I get an amen?"
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I've been in the military and small businesses my entire career. The first small business was a collection agency, and it was a good place to work until the owner was bought out. I'm now at a university foundation, which gives me the best of having someone else support the network and avoiding the bureaucracy that exists in large organizations.
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I work for a semi-startup and quite like it. A total startup would be fun to try.
As for "Privately owned family" those are double edged swords. If the family is like in your company fine. But if it is baad, like we saw earlier today here in The Lounge, it stays baad.
"If we don't change direction, we'll end up where we're going"
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this was the Lounge discussion that started my thought process and question. SlowEddie. Good luck dude.
To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer
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Ehm! I aint SlowEddie. I was just drawing a parallel between your post and Eddies. Hardly need for any sarcasm.
"If we don't change direction, we'll end up where we're going"
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oh I am sorry. This really was NOT meant as sarcasm. It was truly and really fully not directed at you either. It was just a note in general that Eddie got me to thinking about this and that I was wishing him good luck.
To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer
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Ah fine! Maybe I jumped the gun there a bit.
"If we don't change direction, we'll end up where we're going"
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The family is the family; the corporation is the old boys' network.
I prefer freelance / contract; because you know there is an end; which includes offers of "permanent" employment.
"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I
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I would like to work for a company that makes Millennium Falcons.
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As OG said. Working for myself is best, but the income is too variable.
I love startups. Second choice is small growing company.
At the bottom of the list are government and very large company.
I will never again work for any company in the financial or insurance sectors. Soul-less vampires, they are.
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I worked at a small-ish commodities trading firm for 3 years. 6 weeks in I knew it was going to be horrible. I stuck it out for three years just so I wasn't job hopping on my resume. Probably wasn't worth it at all.
To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer
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I'm surprised it lasted that long without some trader blowing up their account so badly that the company went under. Commodities trading is worse than a casino.
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When I'm retired and old and decrepit...I can only hope to work for Oldje.com.
NSFW!!!! Do NOT go there on a monitored connection. You have been warned.
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Worked for:
Military: easy, "if we wanted you to think, we would have issued you a brain"
Airlines, small, nice folks but they moved my job to the left coast and I quit.
Large Corp: Approached the level of government bureaucracy. Most, but not all, of my bosses were great.
Contractor: 1. Worked with great people, didn't have to the paperwork. Traveled doing trade shows.
Contractor: 2. to a small family owned business, My favorite gig.
Self: As OG said...
I still do a little contracting, but only from SOHO.
To do it all over again: Contracting.
>64
Some days the dragon wins. Suck it up.
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I've only worked at 1 company, a startup, for my entire 23 years in software...first part-time employee hired when the owner won a bid for a long-term USDA project. I'm still working on that project! 
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
"Hope is contagious"
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None of the above - I don't work (retired). Oh wait it is not a survey.
By far the most enjoyable was working for myself but as Marc said the money was rather variable.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity -
RAH
I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
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I like what I'm doing right now in industry for the reason that it basically forces use-case-centric thinking. You got a product to sell, you got a product to develop, so you want to minimize effort (including long-term-maintenance) under the given circumstances. That totes tickles my fancy.
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I enjoy working for myself, with a single bread and butter client who is really good to me, and some side work to keep me busy. This after working in every situation you outlined except education.
Real programmers use butterflies
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Private Sector Very Large Company, but not just any. I want one that is good to employees, produces high-quality product, and allows/encourages work from home for those whose work is mostly online.
Second in line: me, because why not?
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I have worked for some of the biggest companies in the US and in the state of Pennsylvania and I have worked for mid-ranged companies, and I think without a doubt the less bureaucracy the better. At one company I was moved from one building to another and at the new building they had posted a note on the door of the office to not put up any signs as they were coming forthwith. It was signed by so-and-so, assistant director of signs (I kid you not). They moved people around so much they employed people that were charged with putting the correct signs on the doors. This was the same company that the DBA's were so narrowly focused you were not just a SQL DBA, vs. Oracle, but you might be the SQL DBA in charge of backups. To get a new SQL server spun up for a new application took 10 layers of knowing who to ask and scheduling against 10,000 other requirements from other departments. In the mid-size company I work for now I enjoy wearing many different hats and there is only one level between me and the CIO. If I need a new server I need only ask 1 guy. So all told I would much rather work as a big fish in a small pond.
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