Pros
- Great team, great people. I've had the pleasure of working alongside some exceptionally talented people with a wide mix of skills and backgrounds. - Good opportunity for growth (for some). Management was very supportive in my personal growth prompting me to reach for higher positions. - Handball lunchtimes. The team was very welcoming and often held lunchtime games which were great for team bonding outside of your own departments. - Work life balance. I did very little overtime during my 3 years at A44, 40 hour work weeks lend much more time to home life.
Cons
- Politics. A44 started out with great promise however politics and in-fighting has left production in a confused state aspiring very little confidence in many. - Employee retention. While A44 has been able to attract some extremely talented artists in the digital arts space they've all very quickly moved on as they come up against a sometimes very negative work-environment. - Quick to point the finger. All too often I've been in meetings with the CEO where he is quick to point out flaws in other departments work, shaming others while never offering any constructive feedback. It felt un-professional at times and would always leave me feeling uneasy. - Salary & work life balance. Salary was quite poor compared to competing studios, juniors are on minimum wage with mid-level artists making just above that. As a senior the pay is better, but that varies from person to person. - Personal anecdote. I once had my pay deducted for being short of my weekly 40 hours by 10mins, even though for over a year prior I had been putting in an extra two to five hours a week, HR really lasered in on that shortcoming. - Final Thoughts. As negative as some of these points may seem, you will meet some very competent, creative, hard-working and genuinely great people, its just a shame that management can't quite figure out how to properly utilize the great talent pool they've sourced.
