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Big Nerd Ranch

Is this your company?

Run away as fast as you can - Anonymous employee Big Nerd Ranch Employee Review

1.0
May 8, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible hours, kitchen stocked with snacks, Mac laptops for everyone

Cons

What used to be a great place, has majorly deteriorated over the last two years. Culture, growth and learning opportunities have all taken a nosedive. Leadership is scrambling to diversify training offerings and find ways to reach a larger audience without relying on actual data to drive decisions. People are constantly scared of being laid off or of being faulted for not handling things which they were never actually asked to do. If you have a strong opinion that opposes the ideas of the powers that be, your time is short. There is a lack of accountability at all levels, and an overall sense of distrust. Financials are delivered with a (fake) smile and positive spin month after month, followed by downsizing and spending restrictions (no conference registrations) due to lack of revenue. Leadership was aware that the reviews were low on Glassdoor, so implemented a gamified employee engagement tool. The last 5 star reviews, were done by current employees, in exchange for "points" and chances to win prizes. It should also be noted Aaron Hillegass is not the CEO and has not been for almost a year. I would not wish it on anyone I care about to work there.

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Big Nerd Ranch Response
7y
Thank you for taking the time to offer feedback. Big Nerd Ranch works hard to create a collaborative environment where brilliant, kind and hardworking people want to work for the long-term. The core values of the company haven’t changed since the company was founded and are the basis of our interactions with clients, students and employees. In 2017, we faced difficult times as a company but we also learned hard lessons. Since that time, we have focused and invested in sales & marketing, management training for our leadership team while offering an industry leading benefit package. All employees have 6 weeks of PTO annually and up to 2 weeks for professional development. Some go to conferences, take a class or go on a week-long learning retreat with other Nerds. We provide a flexible work environment whether employees are in our Atlanta office or remote. It is also worth mentioning that we do not offer prizes for 5-star reviews. We incentivize genuine feedback regardless of its positive/negative nature because we want to continue to grow and get better. It is always our goal to attract and retain top talent who will appreciate the flexible and exciting environment that we offer. Big Nerd Ranch engineers average tenure is 3 years which is three times the industry average. We aren't perfect by any means, but will continue to grow and learn.

Explore other reviews about Big Nerd Ranch

5.0
Nov 1, 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Fun culture. Friendly people. Excellent wlb.

Cons

None that I can think of.

4.0
Jan 7, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Really friendly environment, and cool people who are really interested in their work and teaching others to advance their technical skill set. Good internship.

Cons

Small company, so everyone is super busy

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