Pros
Great for entry level people to get into the tech industry regardless of department. If you can handle the chaos and ignore office politics for the most part, it will allow you to thrive and get the experience you need to jump ship after a year or whenever you're no longer getting value ($, experience, great team). I regret not leaving earlier, but was too overworked, mentally and emotionally drained and tired to even look for another job, so if you find this work starts to negatively seep into your personal life, don't ignore that and keep tabs on that. You will get a much better paying job after working there. Partly because they don't pay well, don't really keep up with fair raises, and also because they've done a great job at creating a positive presence in the PDX tech community so they're known. Seeing colleagues move on to better positions, pay, environments, etc. Learning how to self advocate for myself. They do a great job at hiring real cool people, so there's a good chance you'll be in the turmoil with rad humans. Which ultimately was why I stuck around for longer. Also saw lots of people enjoy being able to simply clock in, do the work, and clock out (goes with ignoring office politics and just accepting the cycle), which is great if that's what works for you! From what I saw, reported harassment was handled correctly. It's not the only company exploiting people, so get your monies, learn wtv you can, code switch as needed, and when you're ready, take a chance on another position, and repeat. If a new job is also exploitative or you end up not liking it, at least you'll be making more money, and isn't that why we're ultimately here?
Cons
Self advocation is a must, but be aware of the situation and if it is safe to do so. I had to advocate for fair pay multiple times. As a nonwhite queer person, had to do lots of code switching. Also as a nonwhite queer person, don't recommend joining DEI. Focus that energy back into your community instead. Open door policy and transparency but.....learned real quick that's not the case. Women leading does not automatically equate to a safe, inclusive, etc environment. Watch out for promotions or added duties that do not come with fair pay increases or that require you to do multiple positions to your already high stress position. They will continue to pile work, leave you there for months, etc unless you are vocal about it or leave. Or remember you can say no. There may come a time where you will accept to do something knowing you will be exploited in order to gain time and experience or something. I get it, sometimes that is the most viable way for us to move forward unfortunately. But if you choose to do that, leadership will 100% not question it so please stay aware of your mental health and how much you are being impacted, so that you can jump ship sooner than later if needed. This was the case for my career growth throughout my time here. (again, outcome specifically i guess was a pro for me). DEI efforts have created a public perception that doesn't truly align with personal experiences. Intention is clearly there and there are definitely positive impacts around these efforts, but they are corporate efforts none the less that ultimately don't actually reach the targeted groups and communities. Most zapprovians couldn't even go to the events because they'd be working through lunch or didn't have capacity for an extra activity. & for a company that is so active with DEI, I experienced a lot of microaggressions due to gender, culture, race, etc. Saw too many awesome managers that actually cared about the team members get burned out and leave due to the exploitative conditions leadership placed on them. On call sucks because everything is literally on fire always. I probs still need some therapy sessions to process some of the situations from the zapproved era of my life.