That's awesome, but it's an exception and you had a lot of other things going for you - the OP says that they haven't spoken to their profs in years for one, so riding on letters of rec probably isn't going to make up for missing this test, and as for the well-known company and work experience bit, OP wants to eventually be at a dream job (that doesn't even require this graduate degree?), so it doesn't sound like their work experience or background will make them an automatic shoo-in.
I didn't have a professor write one. This is what I did, I have associates that have much better jobs that I have, and I got them to write them for me. These associates are people that know from interacting with them outside of work, and we chat here and there about life. What I learned is that people will go out of their way to write letters of recommendation because A, they feel important, and B, they see it as an excellent opportunity for you. I did have one person from my job write me a letter as well.
I have written a couple of letters to interns that I only spent three months with, years after they interned, and both got in. What most schools look for is someone that will represent their name well. I made sure that I put that in the letter of rec. Grades are one part of the equation, especially for grad school. When you choose the people to write your letters, make sure you read their body language. The people that are thrilled to write it for you will produce a fantastic letter.
When you write an essay about yourself to submit, focus on your goals in life and how that school can help you achieve them. Focus on the school's brand and status. Tell an engaging story about yourself.
Also, my undergrad is Software Engineering, so that could have helped. I am not sure.
I will say that my current job is the job that people who go to this program want when they graduate, to be fair. It's just that I want a different job, in the same fruit basket but let's say apple vs orange, both of which can result from this program. But again my current job is the vastly more popular one.
I will not say ride your job as I did, but they were more impressed with my company than anything. The school knew that my tuition would be paid with no problem, and that's due to my company's tuition plan. They asked me how I would be paying for it. I sent them a letter from my company, and this was before I got accepted.
Have all of your ducks lined up if you plan on using your company vs. GRE. If you are nervous, take the GRE.
