Vantaggi
The CEO’s mission to spread layman-level data science skills to people from all walks of life is admirable, and the actual education that this company offers is highly regarded by its alumni. As an employee, I did pick up a handful of useful skills, and the company is small enough that you’ll form close bonds with your coworkers, many of whom are genuinely good and dedicated people. The biggest perk (and the reason why so many have been led astray despite the red flags surrounding Data Science Dojo) is that the pay was actually quite good, even for entry-level positions. What’s more, you’ll earn solid health benefits and even a generous signing bonus...if you can somehow manage to stomach the place long enough to keep it.
Svantaggi
As is the case with most entry-level job ordeals, my personal inexperience is partly to blame for the misgivings I have about Data Science Dojo. That said, I’m far from the only current or ex-employee who feels similarly about the company. I advise that you take this account with a healthy degree of skepticism, as you should for any online review. The high turnover at Data Science Dojo is a poorly-kept secret, and you won’t work here long before you hear horror stories of just how many people have quit in the short history of the company. Ask around, and the common thread between all these tales is that each one was driven out by the abrasive and incompetent management style of the CEO. I heard some unsavory things going in, and to my disappointment, nearly all of them were true. The best way I can describe the man is as an individual who vocally hates nothing more in the world than to micromanage his employees, but contradictively, he’s so hopelessly addicted to micromanaging that he can’t help but indulge in it at every opportunity. He is truly the Jekyll and Hyde of micromanagement. Expect a boss who is quick to anger over miscommunication without bothering to improve his own terrible communication skills. This is someone who picks employee at a time to hold under a magnifying glass, burning them until they work in an environment they cannot possibly succeed. Then, he moves on to the next poor sap. I experienced it, my predecessors experienced it, and from what I’ve heard, my successors are continuing to experience it to this day. Everyone plays along and tries their best until they’re simply too beaten down to carry on. But how do I know that everyone feels similarly about the CEO? Well, as soon as his back is turned, like the flick of a switch, nearly the whole office begins their relentless mocking. No one, even those that claim to love their job, will privately stand by his unending stream of inane and under-informed decisions. Now, in the short term, this type of secretive ridicule can be a cathartic outlet for any job where your boss has a strong personality. For the long haul, however, this toxic group dynamic defined the company culture above all else, which made for a uneasy work environment where morale always felt flimsy and fabricated. In fact, those two descriptors make for a fairly good summary of Data Science Dojo as a whole. I’ll avoid mentioning specific incidents, but legally, financially, ethically, and logistically, I found myself in many situations where I questioned if the entire company was about to tumble down. To my understanding, Data Science Dojo has never fired an employee. However, the ruthless skill with which its CEO can drive people to quit cannot be overstated. Like a spiteful lover who doesn’t have the tact to break up with you, this person will work to nudge you into an uncomfortable ditch where you have no choice but to end the affair yourself. Even talking with employees who have stuck it out for more than a year will give the impression that they’ve lived through an abusive relationship, saying things like “You think this is bad? Oh, it used to be so much worse. He’s much better now. Trust me.” While working here, my health undeniably suffered, not only on a mental and emotional scale, but a physical one as well. Within the month that I quit, these problems drastically improved. Only a fool would conflate independent events as a matter of cause and effect, and I would never do anything of the sort. All I ask is that you take a good long look at the trendline between one’s own well-being and their employment at the company, then make your own conclusions about whether or not you want to take a calculated risk on Data Science Dojo.