DigiPen Institute of Technology Reviews

Pros

* The students - the students are amazing, kind, and unique and it is so rewarding to build relationships with them and see them succeed at DigiPen and in their professional lives.
* The staff - the people that work at DigiPen are some of the nicest, most dedicated, and hard working people around. Collaborating on projects is encouraged and the staff does not encourage drama or politics. There is also the occasional potluck or after work outings, which many of the staff members participate in.
* The education - the end result for the students is what makes working for DigiPen worth it. Time and time again, the students reap amazing opportunities and successes and are overwhelmingly grateful and satisfied with their experiences at our college. This, in my opinion, is the biggest reward for our work.
* The variety of work and opportunities - DigiPen is still a very young company and as such, it operates very much like a start-up. Individuals wear a lot of different hats and can get exposure to a variety of areas that you might not experience at a larger university. This also means that there are a lot of areas for staff members to grab ahold of and grow. If you are the type to take initiative and seek out opportunities, they are definitely available.
* Accommodating work place - If you have to care for a child, a sick parent, or take care of an appointment during the day, the managers are really accommodating with requests for time off or adjustments in your normal work day.
* The Cafe - the onsite Cafe is great. The prices are very reasonable and much of the food is made from scratch.

Cons

* Communication - You often have to take initiative to get clarity on something or to find out what is happening in some areas.
* Lack of structure in some areas - since DigiPen runs like a start-up, there is not enough time to provide a lot of structure or training to new employees. New staff members are expected to jump in and learn on the job and seek direction as needed. This type of environment may not be a good fit for some people.
* Budgets - every department works on a tight budget and needs to be creative or go without some of their projects.
* No 401K matching.

Advice to Senior Management

* Slow down on new initiatives to give staff time to improve their existing work.
* Take time to compliment staff members who are deserving of the recognition or to provide feedback to those who need improvement.
* Look at adding more employee benefits.
* Take time to communicate more regularly with staff members of all levels.

Pros

People believe in work/life balance here, which is great. If you need to go home and take care of your kid, your dog, or yourself, you CAN and you don't have to apologize for it. And, the students and some of the faculty are incredibly passionate about what they do. These two things are what keep people here.

Cons

Students should be the focus - but they are not. Being in a management position I can tell you that the executives rarely (if ever) talk with the students. This lack of communication leads to a great disconnect between what the students need and what the executive teams wants. The executive team always puts their wants over the students needs, this can be seen in the way they spend money, who they hire has professors (many are friends or family members of the founder), and they are increasing the tuition by 20% with no explainable as to why.

Other cons are:
- Nepotism: if a person is a family member of one of the executives, they will be hired, paid at a higher level and never fired. This causes resentment and a poor working environment.
- Pay: If you are not a family member, you will have to claw and beg for a raise or for an appropriate salary.
- Reviews: People are not reviewed here. So, people are not given praise or constructive feedback. This leads to a under motivated staff.
- Inappropriate rants: The executive team (made up of three men) will berate staff and students in front of their peers, and forgot tact. This creates a negative working environment and leads to staff not wanting to loop in the executive team out of fear they will be yelled at.
- Location: It is located on Willows Road in Redmond, which is really inconvenient if you don't live in Redmond, Kirkland or Woodinville.

Advice to Senior Management

> Listen to the people that you hire, rather than just doing things the way you have been doing them for 20+ years. By not listening to your employees, you make them feel under appreciated and continually frustrated as to why you hired them to do a job you are not letting them do.
> Stop hiring people just because they are family, or favoring people just because they have been with you since the beginning. These people are dragging you down and are throwing their weight around unnecessarily.
> Promote and compliment successful employees, rather than ignoring good work and thinking that having a job is a compliment enough.
> Be open to talking with students, and be open to their ideas. Remember, these are the people that you are trying to reach, listening to them and their needs only helps you.

Pros

Flexible schedule.
Good opportunity to interact with the games industry professionals.
Discounts at Nintendo's company store.
Nice Christmas gifts.

Cons

1. No 401k matching.
2. The annual performance review is just a paper trail. Performance expectations are vague, subjective, and are left up to the administrations' preferences.
3. Not all the available job openings are announced and the interview process is not for everyone. Less qualified people can get hired just because of personal relations with the administration.
4. The chances of being promoted or of getting a raise are very slim.
5. The turnover rate of employees was high in the past few years. Many highly qualified employees left within a period of 1-2 years of employment.
6. The academic titles are meaningless and a total mess.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat all employees equally, fairly, and respectfully.
Recognize hard work and retain good employees.