Pros
Truly incredible work that you work with. It's amazing to hear the life changing stories and see your direct hard work come to fruition.
Cons
Leadership has a diversity problem, but not in the way you might think. It's not about diversity of backgrounds or perspectives; it’s about diversity of thought. If your approach or ideas don’t align exactly with what’s familiar or expected, your chances of having a long career here are slim. While leadership demands innovative ideas and project execution, there are virtually no clear guidelines provided. The catch, however, is that they already know exactly what they want—you just have to figure out what that is, often without any real direction. If you miss the mark? You’ll likely be labeled “unproductive” or “not trying hard enough.” There are some who have managed to build a career here by learning to speak the language—often by ignoring time wasting requests and finding ways to make things work while keeping their thoughts close to their chest. I’ve witnessed countless resources, money, and time wasted on multiple hires, half-baked executions, temporary fixes and patches, and constantly changing strategies, only for them to be discarded every 3-6 months. It’s a rinse-and-repeat cycle, and it’s no surprise that attracting good talent is so challenging. Many times the excuse has been made, “Not a good fit”. I think after that many fit issues, perhaps a mirror would be necessary. A significant portion of your job here might be spent creating proposals, writing code, and implementing solutions that are never used or even remembered. But once in a while, those things will be referenced—so they have to at least look good. It has to be functional for the presentation, but not much use afterwards. I’ve found nearly identical project proposals and plans recycled over time, illustrating how ideas are pushed forward repeatedly, but never really reviewed or implemented. What’s most frustrating is that the platform itself works. In theory and practice, it has incredible potential. But leadership has cultivated a toxic work culture that discourages giving honest feedback, thinking outside the box, and ultimately drains your energy for the “greater good.” It’s a classic non-profit mentality, where the focus is on sacrifice rather than meaningful progress.