General Assembly Product Manager Reviews

Pros

Very supportive and knowledgeable instructors.

Cons

None to mention at the moment.

Pros

Great people, great mission, remote work. Honestly the people there are some of the most empathetic and nicest people you will ever work with.

Cons

Small company inside a very large corporation. GA never figured out how to make money and they keep pivoting.

Pros

dynamic place to learn and grow

Cons

erratic management, life work balance is difficult

Pros

nice people good benefits flexible schedules even before covid (for some roles)

Cons

bad onboarding experience too many org changes and change of leadership enterprise has an identity problem - lack of strategy for product offerings a lot of talking about change, little change happens says one thing, does the complete opposite trying to do too much pay is not competitive and you have to fight for a minimal raise turnover is high no 401k matching l

Pros

The people at GA are some of the most hard-working, passionate, intelligent and fun people I've had the pleasure of getting to know - simply the best crew (minus a few bad eggs in managerial/leadership positions, who seem to think they breathe different air than the rest of us simply because they've been there from the beginning). It is truly a mission-driven company that has changed (and is still changing) people's lives and careers. Don't take my word for it, just read some of the glowing reviews from students and alumni. GA has made an effort in recent years to really grow in important ways, such as providing staff with professional development opportunities and career paths for those who want to seek it out, which is a huge plus. They've still got a long way to go to reach maturity, but they're trying. Establishing 360 reviews, empowering individuals to try new things and start new initiatives and providing additional training for new/young managers are all steps in the right direction to show the staff how invested the company is in them long-term. Some other perks: - team lunch every Tuesday at HQ - staff can take unlimited, complimentary classes and workshops as long as there are available seats (ongoing professional development) - small health stipend - phone is paid for - transportation stipend - 401k option (though not matching) - solid parental leave policies in place (relatively new)

Cons

...with all that said, here are the cons: - heard they just went through a round of layoffs, which has everyone jittery and anxious about when the next one will be (and there will be a next one, if you know how this stuff works). this has contributed to lower morale than people have been used to at GA. - things can get clique-y in NYC, especially with those who have been at the company longer (hello, recognize that new hires can bring stuff to the table too, you don't need institutional knowledge to contribute great ideas). make sure you're leveraging everyone's strengths, because everyone has their own. amplify those once you've identified them. - young/new managers need more support and guidance than they're currently receiving or asking for, even if they don't think so - I heard on several occasions (at least 3x) employees talk about how they couldn't respect their managers because they didn't trust their decision-making and misguided management styles. This may sound typical, yes, but think about how many new managers there must be at a startup and how stretched everyone must be - typical manager-direct report tension is heightened simply because of lack of bandwidth as well as lack of experience (because 90% of the company is comprised of millennials) - sometimes it feels tough to be an intrapreneur unless you've been at the company for awhile. you see the potential for what GA could be but don't really know how to effectively voice or implement those changes because you're the new person. your word doesn't carry a lot of weight and you're not entirely sure what channels are available to use to communicate your suggestions and feedback. I mention all this because I actually care about the success of the company and the people who are still there. I developed incredibly strong, genuine relationships and hope to see the company continue to do well.

Pros

GA was a solid place to work! No complaints!

Cons

Nothing really, lots of opportunities for growth and learning.