Pros
The best reason to work at Next Step is simple: residential buildings contribute a double-digit percentage of America's carbon emissions each year, and Next Step is perhaps the company best positioned to drive dramatic reductions. Working to meet that challenge is invigorating day in and day out, you'll have ample opportunity to learn and grow, and you'll be surrounded by similarly committed colleagues.
The mission, the thrill of tackling a seemingly intractable problem, and the chance to work with such intelligent and committed colleagues made the last few years incredibly rewarding. I was sad to leave.
Cons
Depending on what you want out of a job, there are some cons to working at Next Step. If you're comfortable working on anything, you can definitely find a less stressful, better-paying job selling internet ads somewhere, and I'm sure the free massages at those companies are fantastic. The problem Next Step Living has chosen to confront is a difficult one. No other company has come close to figuring it out. I think Next Step is moving rapidly in the right direction, but "moving rapidly" is important here. To me, the changes we're making are not only smart moves for the business as a whole but also enormous opportunities for its employees. However, if you don't thrive in ambiguous situations or if you want a job in a department that will look the same in a year as it did the day you took it, Next Step wouldn't be right for you.
