Apollo Group Reviews in Phoenix, AZ Area

Pros

Very open-minded organization. Though change is constant, management I work with is very open to exploring new and better ways of conducting business.

Cons

Some systems, infrastructure, and processes are in state of flux or need to be upgraded. However, this is also an opportunity to help build/grow an already established organization and seems to be a focus within the management team.

Advice to Senior Management

I'm too new to offer any advice. I'll type a few more words to meet the minimum required number of words.

Pros

Employee stock option program, free tuition benefits, highly educated workforce, clean and professional environment, New facility on Fountainhead Parkway in Tempe is very impressive.

Cons

It is hard to get in at the Apollo Group. I am a three time University of Phoenix Alumni, and it took me eight years of applying before I was made a formal offer.

Pros

Most of the benefits are good to have as an employee, depending on your manager dissgression felxible time is an ok benefit as well. Working with postive co-workers as a team.

Cons

Management is constatntly changing personal views of performance and purpose of job title. Many changes take place and it is management responsibility to help guide and assist in all changes which is not always demonstrated. There is a bias in the way the call center is sun by various mangement and teams, it becomes overwhelming and negative to work in. A low importance demand or indirect communication can lead to misunderstandings which only go against the employee.

Advice to Senior Management

Some people shouldnt be managers, especially for a well known company as Apollo.

Pros

flexible schedules and opportunities to work closely with business

Cons

not challenged technically to prove

Advice to Senior Management

Reward employee based on performance, not based on his manager

Pros

The company in my opinion offers above average compensation in terms of salary and benefits. I assume that when it comes to management, it depends on the specific departments, but on my experience, management is competent and has given me their expectations and the different paths available to move up in the company.

Cons

Benefits are not effective from day one and there is probably some room for improvement when it comes to orientation.

Pros

Great educational benefits and opportunities for advancement.

Cons

Higher pay is very challenging to come by since everyone has a master's degree.

Advice to Senior Management

Improved leadership training.

Pros

Because they are so unstructured one has the ability to influence change

Cons

under staffed
over worked
technical staff not treated fairly
PM's have no authority

Advice to Senior Management

Management, manager the customer and stop over allocating resources. Over allocation of the resources is causing the best of our talent to leave the company, leaving us further short handed. Additionally, it's our best talent that's leaving, leaving us understaffed with those who are less talented to get the job done.

Pros

Pay is decent, and some cases the managers are very good.

Cons

The main problem here is that upper managment does not appear to be cohesive with an ability to focus on a long range IT plan and stick with it. Communication and goal setting appear to be a foreign concept here.

Advice to Senior Management

Figure out a high level plan of direction for the IT group and provide definitive leadership and stop making so many changes with staff.

Pros

Benefits are good and pay rate is OK.
Apollo always throws a good Holiday party.

Cons

In my opinion, favoritism in advancement decisions is rampant with the unspoken endorsement of upper management.
In my opinion, there is no respect for software engineers and they are treated like lower tier employees.
In my opinion, Engineering has a layer of so call ‘architects’ that are the most egocentric and arrogant people I have worked with.
In my opinion, the current working environment if very poor in the new office space but management refuses to acknowledge the dissatisfaction after receiving feedback from many employees. In my opinion, there is no intention of investing in real workspace improvements.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep doing what you are doing if you want to lose your best engineers but keep a layer of ‘architects’ that in my opinion cannot (or refuse to) do engineering work.

Pros

Good pay. Having a job is better than not having a job. Best IT personnel have left so there is real opportunity to have big impact.

Cons

All of the good programmers have left. Many left are on H1B and can't leave. Terrible idea to offshore with no apparent plan to succeed. Top management is terrible. No consistent direction. A big company that is run like mom and pop shop. Not a mature development organization. If you are in IT you can probably do a lot better.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your people. Have a goal, a vision, an understanding of priority. Do not put people in a position to fail and then burn them out when they do. You are an American Company receiving 90% of your money from the US government so you need to stop doing offshore. It doesn't work anyway.