68% positive business outlook
Pros
The people are really passionate and smart, and the mission is great.
Cons
Work/life balance isn't a thing. You are frequently expected to work much more than full time without adequate pay or support. There is a lot of disorganization on the inside and difficulty with getting your ideas heard. There are also only a few opportunities for promotions for the technical team members who make up the programs' instructional teams.
Pros
- Supportive team members - Great opportunities for growth including Women’s Leadership opportunities and education stipends - Managers support your goals and are always there to support your own career growth - Your work has a huge impact no matter what role - Friendly and inclusive environment
Cons
- The interview process can be pretty lengthy
Pros
When I first began working at Codesmith, I was shocked by how much I was encouraged to try out new ideas, review the outcomes, and then keep trying! It is amazing to be in an environment where you can not only openly present a thought, but are actually given time and support to see how you can grow it. This environment has allowed me to achieve far beyond what I ever thought I was capable of- and pushed me to envision new future goals for myself and form a path to pursuing them.
Cons
Being on a bi-coastal team has it's pros and cons! I love feeling that I have colleagues across all time zones, but this can make meeting up in person and scheduling meetings more difficult. However, I love working fully remote.
Pros
The people that work at Codesmith are very passionate about what they do and very mission driven. We see a lot of people come from non-profit backgrounds as you get the satisfaction of helping many people while maintaining the flexibility of a start-up. The company emphasizes the importance of relationship building, and co-workers easily become friends through a culture of coffee chats, dinners, and fun team events (even while remote!) The opportunities for growth are endless, many people that came on the team early are now leaders at the company and manage several team members. Outside of scheduled meetings, I have a lot of flexibility with my time. The team implements a no meeting Wednesday to allow time for flow work. I have plenty of work/life balance, as does the rest of my team. There is a lot of room for cross department collaboration and innovation, things are always changing for the better and the entire team truly wants what is best for the student experience. The satisfaction of seeing the lives, careers, and financial stability of students change for the better once they secure a job in field is by far the best part of working at Codesmith. We truly do make a difference for thousands of people.
Cons
The work level can sometimes become unbalanced as the company scales. When this did happen to me I pointed it out to my manager and we looked over my tasks to see what was manageable and hired a new team member. Since it's a fast growing start-up, it's important to communicate your work load and capacity with your manager. The company has grown really rapidly in the last year and a half, and some of its benefits and structures for the team are still forming.
Pros
Pay is great Remote roles are available Startup environment keeps things interesting and moving quickly - great opportunities to work on different projects across teams Love connecting with students and meeting up with them outside of work
Cons
Environment feels gossipy - lots of staff personalities feel fake and mean Diversity Committee felt performative and like I didn't accomplish anything Room for REAL growth feels limited - felt like titles were handed out to make people feel special Role felt like glorified customer service with excessive criticism Feels like department director doesn't have clear vision for growth and like there is little investment in entry level team. The positives were nice but could not outweigh the negatives. Only so long before I started looking for another job.
Pros
Codesmith's culture is extremely collaborative, supportive, kind, and empathetic. Codesmith spends significant time and effort to ensure they hire extremely intelligent people who are values-aligned. Everyone is hard-working and genuinely cares about the mission of the company. Working at Codesmith challenged me professionally and gave me so much opportunity to learn and grow. I was presented with opportunities that would have taken me 15 years to see in a larger corporate company. The CEO of the company authentically cares about its direction and treats people with respect and kindness. This is rare and made it easy to give my best on a day-to-day basis, even when things were hard. He always sought to define a path for each team member that would put them in a place to succeed and achieve their individual career goals. It is rare to find a workplace that offers all the aspects I mentioned above. I have worked at places that were fun but not challenging and lacked career growth opportunities. I've worked at a company that was extremely challenging and competitive but lacked the care and support needed to avoid a toxic work environment. I highly recommend Codesmith if you are a driven individual. You will look forward to going to work each day and feel extremely accomplished and proud of what you do. What you do at Codesmith will set you up for a successful career in the long term.
Cons
Codesmith is an earlier-stage company so there is some messiness to be navigated. Many processes are new and will require some cleanup. However, they are very open to new team members spearheading these iterations which provides opportunities for career advancement. There are also many employees where this is their first job post-college. Some training on professionalism, workplace expectations, and workplace standards would be beneficial for new hires and even new leadership team members.
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