Pros
At Instructure "Noticeably Unprofessional" describes the atmosphere of the company- suit free, nerf gun fights and stuff getting done without extra paperwork. Not a job where you show up in a tie*, check off a list and go home. It's genuinely a fun place to work, with a serious focus on getting stuff done. There's never a sense that you can't approach someone here. Even the VPs will try to make time for you if there's something you need to chat about. The open layout of the office isn't as awesome now that people are on different floors, but the lack of offices(seriously, not even Josh has one) is really nice when you're stuck on a problem because your team mates are right there. Working here was a great time. Employee events and InstructurCon(shoutout to Sunny for her wonderful work EVERY year!) the weekly lunches, and well stocked kitchens(there are multiple on each floor) in addition to managers that are very focused on team building make working here something you can really enjoy. This company has a ton of benefits, and they do an excellent job monitoring employee feedback to find new ones. I was brought in at the beginning of the hiring ramp that has this company growing like waves in a tsunami. While there were some bumps in the road, the vast majority of my experience was very positive. If you're someone who has an idea of what excellence leading to success in your position looks like from other jobs, and who naturally hits the ground running this company is one that will give you the flexibility and support you're looking for- with a few notable exceptions. Taking ownership for growth is strongly encouraged in just about any way possible here- so long as you aren't doing it at the expense of primary responsibilities. Primary responsibilities are often a little fuzzy, especially if the job is new to you. This can make it a little more difficult as a first job, but as a company they're focusing on it. You are also ensured one on one time with your supervisor, so if you start to feel lost make sure you take advantage of that. Most of the department heads/VPs/titles are for realsies now? are extremely talented people at the tops of their fields with excellent management skills. The marketing team in particular stands out in it's ability to not shed and replace "cogs", but to redesign the "machine" to work best for everyone. From a managing creative/big dreamers perspective they knock it out of the park. *no, no, seriously don't do that, not even on Mondays. Not even to an interview. Not even to an interview on a Monday.
Cons
Company is growing fast, and your managers will be running as fast as you are, so ownership of your own growth is essential Ensuring clear lines are expressed in giving negative feedback could probably improve, as could a focus on certain management styles Would love notes to former employees with stock akin to the companywide meetings, I remember how fast it was changing, and so I'm curious about the plans for today Senior Management could do a better job getting individualized messages to move down the line...though they do a great job keeping everyone up to date on the company direction. Some people have been mentioning the IPO focus as a negative and are blaming that on the higherups- this isn't really fair. That focus is generally had by any of the employees that have vested part of their stock(generally anyone there for more than a year). Josh in particular seems to be one of the least focused on his own stock- but he knows what it means for the rest of us. In working and speaking with him directly it feels like the IPO numbers are more about us than anything else to him. Ok, maybe it's also a little like the CEO version of a gamerscore, but still. A CEOs focus is on directing the company towards its goals- and a major piece of that for Instructure employees is the success of the IPO, because every employee gets stock options.
