Pros
StudyBlue is very financially stable, which makes it feel like a low risk startup to work for. The culture is comfortable, friendly, and people are very kind and quirky. "We are hardworking, honest and humble" is a common motto that we try to hire for. Tends to be true for the majority of employees, but no company is perfect. For the most part, we have a very flexible work life balance, and with an unlimited vacation policy, it is possible to take enough time off to really recharge and come back to work fresh. If you work hard and get your work done well, you are given a good deal of freedom and independence--this is one of my favorite things about working here. We have snacks in the office which are quite nice, and the office has a large open floor plan which is really modern and clean. There is also a company private shower that is nice if you workout during the day or come straight to the office after workouts! Thursdays we have catered team lunch, which is a good chance for everyone to come sit together and talk with folks they don't normally interact with. We have some picky eaters, so don't worry if you're vegan or whatever--our office manager is great and has you covered. haha ;)
Cons
With a startup culture comes a good deal of uncertainty, although SB is quite risk averse. Lots of changes constantly happening, but depends department by department. In my area, I have switched bosses 3X in a year, which has been a roller coaster, but I have learned a lot. Sometimes wish there was more direction in my department specifically, and room for advancement. I have seen an average amount of promotions here across all departments. Sometimes the communication between departments can be a bit siloed, but isn't the worst--we also have a small office in Wisconsin, which can make that type of communication difficult too. Sometimes people gripe about the lack of/quality of team events (usually quarterly) + we don't have a ton of work happy hours, but we do end up saving a lot of money and are more fiscally responsible in that way I suppose. Not a TON of 20s-aged people in the company, but we seem to be growing in that area for hiring (positive!) Good deal of "older" folks for a startup, but can be seen as a positive to some. The location is right in a very dangerous/gross area of SOMA off 6th in the city. Sometimes feel unsafe outside the office, especially after work--some neighboring companies actually have security guards outside, which is nice for us to kind of use.