Skip to contentSkip to footer
      employer cover photo
      employer logo
      employer logo

      Focus School Software

      Is this your company?

      Focus School Software reviews

      4.1

      81% would recommend to a friend

      (39 total reviews)
      avatar

      Andrew Schmadeke

      91% approve of CEO

      79% positive business outlook

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Focus School Software has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 39 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Focus School Software employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      39 reviews
      5.0
      Sep 19, 2017

      Great place to work and grow.

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Focus is a fantastic place to work for a number of reasons. The culture is one of the best in the business. The dress code is lax. The environment is definitely one of "work hard, play harder". There are plenty of long, stressful days. But what company doesn't have them? At least here, you're rewarded for them. The compensation and benefits of the company far outweigh any perceived negatives that accompany them. There aren't very many software companies out there that I've found that understand not everyone has 10 years' experience and a Master's. Some of us are self-taught, just starting out, or changing paths. Focus is accepting of all walks as long as you work hard, respect your co-workers, and are a good match with the culture. Speaking of culture, Focus has one of the best cultures I've ever been around. Professionally or otherwise. Everyone is friendly and open with one another, and plenty of people that work here end up hanging out after hours and on the weekends, because the people here grow to be like a family. All-in-all, it's common for someone with a gripe to take the time to leave a negative review. I figured the perspective of someone on the other side of that fence was long overdue. This company has been nothing short of fantastic to me and plenty more that work here, and there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not thankful I started working here.

      Cons

      The only cons I've run into working here are common growing pains for a software development company. No one perfectly gets it right their first try and Focus changes and tries to improve its processes each and every day. Adaptability is a requirement in any industry, at any company. No exception here.

      1.0
      Sep 5, 2017

      Awful company

      Software engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Chill dress code. And dress code is an extreme word. You can literally wear whatever you want, as long as it's not disrespectful.

      Cons

      Ok, where to begin.... To start, I've never seen such awful management. Don't be fooled by their "open door policy." By that, they mean you can walk in with an idea, and be turned down without discussion. This is a company that is filling the CEO's bank account and has absolutely ZERO desire to improve, innovate, and actually grow and be competitive on the national level. They are comfortable where they are, and that's the end of the story. Don't waste your time trying to think of better or cooler ways to do something, your input will not be heard. The CEO is completely incompetent and places incompetent employees in the highest levels of management. Of course this isn't true for everyone, but in a lot of cases is definitely true. As developers, quantity over quality is the absolute truth. If you are the type of person who likes to make sure your work is quality, you will not be a good fit here. As any respectable software engineer/developer knows, this leads to bugs and overall bad code. Which means your job will mostly consist of trying to fix other peoples poorly written code once it breaks something on production - which is almost always the case. Career development does not exist here. If you want to learn and have opportunities to grow as a developer and as a person, find somewhere else to work. In my time working there, I heard from my direct supervisor maybe once a month and had 0 performance reviews (or even an informal discussion of my performance). In the software industry, an average work week is about 40 hours per week. Expect to work 60+ hours a week with no compensation. Weekends are also not yours, you will often be required to work all weekend long in order to meet deadlines that were poorly communicated with you. It’s not uncommon to hear from your boss at 11 or 12 at night needing something done by the morning. Prepare for a severe caffeine addiction as lack of sleep will be a common thing unless you are strict with yourself and your boss that once the work day is over, the workday is over. A lot of the people here are great people. I've seen (and heard of) a lot of really talented developers quit due to truly awful management, absurdly low pay, and no company structure. The CEO doesn't learn from the past, and doesn't try to improve this environment in order to keep the talent he acquires.

      avatar
      Focus School Software Response
      8y
      Dear Anonymous Former Employee, Focus is not for everyone, and most likely not for a person whose favorite aspect of a place to work is the “chill dress code”. Focus is not a large company and therefore we have to work hard, think outside the box, and go above and beyond to get the job done. Focus is not a place for slackers to just blend in and collect a paycheck. For those who DO work hard, Focus is very rewarding with increases, promotions, and bonuses. We do offer reviews, annually. If an employee has not worked here for a year, but requests an early review, we are always happy to accommodate them to the best of our ability. Communication is a two way street and we encourage those who are unclear of the expectations in their role to reach out to their direct supervisor for clarification. We also encourage the employees to find and maintain an appropriate work / life balance. This essentially requires the employee to commit to using their time at the office wisely, while also setting priorities for themselves. While there are occasions where emergencies arise, there is not an expectation that employees will work on the weekends or at midnight at the request of their boss. As far as not having an “open door policy” I could not disagree more. In fact I am looking at my door right now and it is open. People generally pop in just to say hi or pick up a piece of candy. You are always welcome to visit or arrange a time to discuss the reasons why you may be unhappy with any aspect of your job. Ideas from employees are heard and considered but as I'm sure you can understand, we cannot always acdommodate every suggestion from an employee. This does not mean that we do not encourage feedback to management. In any case, I am truly sorry that you had a negative experience at Focus. We have heard your suggestions and do not take your advice lightly. I hope that you find everything that you are looking for in your future endeavors. Steven Harnois Director of Operations
      5.0
      Jun 28, 2017

      A+ company and culture

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Excellent benefits, ability to learn new skills, great work culture, location is convenient, hour lunch, great co-workers, low stress environment.

      Cons

      Not really anything that I can think of.

      avatar
      Focus School Software Response
      8y
      Thank you!
      Viewing 25 - 27 of 39 Reviews
      Related searches: Focus School Software jobs | Focus School Software salaries | Focus School Software benefits | Focus School Software interviews
      ReviewsFocus School Software reviews

      Glassdoor has 39 Focus School Software reviews submitted anonymously by Focus School Software employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Focus School Software is right for you.