Pros
I don’t typically write reviews, but I feel like this is important for certain candidates to know before accepting a position here. If you have a degree from a top-tier university, significant experience, or you take professionalism and technical competence seriously, this may not be the right work environment for you. During my time there, I observed that many people were placed into roles without the appropriate degree background or level of experience required for the work they were doing. This created an environment where processes, communication, and technical execution were often not at the level you would expect in a professional setting. I was also seated near individuals who behaved in ways that I would consider unprofessional for a workplace, which made the day-to-day environment uncomfortable and distracting. Additionally, after I left the organization, I experienced what felt like retaliation, and there were rumors circulating about things I had shared privately with coworkers. Overall, the environment felt messy, political, and not particularly respectful of professional boundaries. In my opinion, this workplace may be a better fit for individuals who are already part of the local state university network or who are early in their careers and looking for a starting point. However, if you have a strong academic background, extensive experience, and are looking for a highly professional and technically competent environment, there are other organizations in Atlanta that may be a much better fit. I also want to be very clear about one of the most concerning issues: professional and personal boundaries were not respected. Individuals at this workplace involved their family members and people outside of the organization in matters related to my personal life, my plans, and my activities outside of work, which was completely inappropriate. Additionally, people used my personal and professional connections for their own political or professional gain, not their own connections. This crossed a serious line and contributed to an environment that felt invasive, unprofessional, and unsafe from a privacy standpoint. It should also be noted for anyone going through the security clearance process that social media monitoring is part of the process, but in my experience, it did not feel limited to professional or security-related concerns. There were situations where personal matters from my private life and social media appeared to be known and discussed later, which added to the overall feeling that personal boundaries were not being respected. Anyone considering this environment should be aware of how closely your online presence and personal life may be observed and discussed.
Cons
- Many employees were placed in roles without the appropriate degree background or level of experience required. - Lack of professionalism and unprofessional workplace behavior. - Workplace culture felt political, messy, and disorganized. - Experienced retaliation and rumors after leaving the organization. - Professional and personal boundaries were not respected, including involvement of people outside the workplace in my personal life. - Lack of respect for employee privacy, including social media and personal matters being monitored and later discussed.