Bad career move, unless you're a masochist - Interactive Producer Catalysis Employee Review

Startup-like work environment - There’s not a whole lot of hierarchy at Catalysis, and you’ll be working with people from every level. You have ample opportunity to be creative and bring new ideas to the table. Sometimes this means that the development process can be a little raw, but it also means you have the opportunity to help define and refine it. Challenging and interesting work - Catalysis is a client-services business, so projects are usually quick turn and unique. I rarely worked on a project where I wasn’t able to refine my process or learn something new. Motivated and invested employees - People at Catalysis care about their work and they care about each other; it feels like a family. Flexible scheduling - As long as you get your work done and attend important meetings, schedules can be flexible. Good morale events (PUPPIES!!!), Dog-friendly office. The work can be challenging sometimes, but all in all Catalysis is a great place to work.

(Just a note, these are not really “Cons”, but more “Things that aren’t exactly ‘Pros’ that are still useful to know”) Some projects can be a little chaotic - Catalysis is a client-services shop, so a lot of the projects are subject to the whims of the client. PM and management are usually very good about shielding the development teams from these changes, but every now and then there's a project that can be extra challenging. Short deadlines for projects also means that sometimes you don’t have the opportunity to add all the polish you might want to in your code; often times you need to just get things done as opposed to writing the most elegant code. On the flip side, it means that you get very good at determining the balance between speed and quality.

I worked alongside some of the best and most talented people in the industry (not that any of them got the recognition they deserved). The space was cool, so I guess it has that going for it. Pay wasn't totally insulting. And free drinks.

I have never disliked an employer more. The three owners really represent three sides of a very dark and ugly way to run a business: disdain for the line workers, blatant sexism, and a reflex to kowtow to the whims of any client, just to stay billable. A verbatim quote: "It doesn't matter if the work is good or helps the client. We're here to invoice for our hours." Agency life is hard, there's no denying it. But I watched talent get crushed - not by clients, but by the egos and hubris of the people running the place. And those who spoke up in an effort to make Catalysis tolerable were scoffed at. "Go work at Amazon, see how you like it," was the common response. And those who did leave? During my time there, everyone who chose to leave was a personal affront to management. Every. Single. One. They were "useless", we were "better off without them", they "never did anything of value anyhow". You learn a lot more from what an employer says about those who have come and gone than any "OUR VALUES" tab on their own website. It's telling that many ex-employees are still in touch regularly. Catalysis certainly used to know how to find good people, and those people are still in contact. But we're all damaged by our time there. We're all trying to recover. In summary: I regret the years I gave to that place and those people. It did nothing good for me, for my career, for my sense of contribution. And I'm not alone in this. I wouldn't wish Catalysis on an enemy.