NextFab Reviews

3.8

67% would recommend to a friend

(29 total reviews)

Evan Malone

79% approve of CEO

59% positive business outlook

NextFab has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 29 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The NextFab employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

29 reviews
1.0
13 Oct 2015

Smoke & Mirrors

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Incredibly intelligent members with varied backgrounds and outlooks make working at NextFab a great experience. Employees are also some of the best educated and creative people in the area. Classes and skills are free to staff and leadership encourages that everyone be adept with machinery and software.

Cons

Most incompetent management experience in over 20 years of working across several industries. The amount of dishonesty and mistrust at the top of the company trickles into everything and taints it. Though it's encouraged that staff learn how to use equipment, it's a ruse - not only is it difficult to find time in one's personal life to take the classes, as work days are long and stressful, but the ulterior motive is not to foster creativity in employees, but to abuse them. Staff with basic knowledge in anything served as supervisors in shops with dangerous equipment because this place is a revolving door and they never have enough employees. Once an individual overcomes the soul-crushing blow that occurs when working there, they leave. Very little room for advancement.

1.0
14 Dec 2015

Save Yourself

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You’ll have a close encounter during your employment with an individual who will whole heartedly demonstrate to you that money does not buy happiness. Subsequently, you’ll never be able to tolerate working for another incompetent, petty, and/or disrespectful human being again, having truly gotten your fill working for Nextfab for what will be no longer than a 6 to 12 month period of employment.

Cons

You’re most likely reading this because the entire staff resigns annually and you came across a job posting. Several job postings. Several acres of red flags blowing in the breeze. Your phone is ringing. They’re calling you to make you an offer that is $10k less than you reasonably asked for in that stuffy interview. Go to the blender. Put your phone in the blender. Puree it. Take a tranquil walk by a pond, reminiscing about that time a stranger who formally worked at Nextfab saved you a tremendous amount of time and mental wellbeing by steering you clear of the nightmare that it would inevitably become by writing this review. Enjoy your days- you talented, unscathed human being! . . .You’re still reading. . . did I stutter? Do you think it’ll somehow play out differently for you? Because of your passion? Or maybe you are on the fence because of the positive reviews below that were so connivingly crafted by the company’s current C-levels. Well, this ghost of Nextfab’s past will tell you more of this story for the last time. Not for your sake, but rather for their own closure. That’s right, you’ll literally require a multifaceted process of finding closure after quitting Nextfab that you’ll have to factor in months of ceremonious soul searching and reflecting and remorse for that period in your life that you’ll never be able to buy back. There will be this blinding optimism you have when you start- That all your hobbies, your personal interests, your creativity will finally tie into your career, right?! NO. If it did, would this “dream" job you’re naively pining for really have been vacated by three to four people in the past two years? Would your entire department be filled with fresh faces? Only to collectively burn through a honeymoon period of employment that will last no longer than a Kardashian marriage. And then quit. And then repeat. You'll have this hope. That you’ll be able to learn a lot. And teach members of this makerspace a lot. The truth is, you’ll be so degraded by the time you throw in the towel there that you will have actually unlearned truths- fundamental truths about yourself and your worth as a human being. In the wake of your employment, you’ll have to slowly relearn that you are a human being who should be treated with respect. And as Nextfab management continues to disrespect you after you resign by going out of their way to sabotage your next career endeavor (I wish I was exaggerating here. . .), you will realize you were dealing with people that are so petty and so small that your anger will subside and, against all odds, you’ll actually begin to feel sorry for them and the sad web that they’ve woven in this misconstrued attempt to better the creative community of Philadelphia. There’s this myth written in the fictitious positive reviews on this page that what they’re doing at Nextfab is so new and cutting edge that they have to make it up as they go along. And boy oh boy will they make it up! The truth is that there is a vast array of makerspaces and coworking spaces throughout the world (that should receive your resume instead) who don’t play a messy game with their pawns. . .human capital. . . human employees. . .people. . . We are people! Stop messing with our livelihood and quality of life by employing us. That is all.

2.0
31 Mar 2015

Not a good place to build a career.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

A great place to meet entrepreneurial people and build a network of friends Helping someone to make their dreams come true, is a rewarding feeling A great first job or internship, to grow a thicker skin

Cons

Not a good place to build a career. Taking on more responsibility, performing complex tasks with no prior experience, and going above and beyond the job description is expected, but rarely rewarded. Those sacrifices have nothing to do with entrepreneurial and start-up culture of the community, employer’s trust, intent, or company culture, but everything to do with a lack of planning and poor management. Employees are underpaid, stretched thin, and raises are to be fought for. Everything is set up for employees’ failure, and when it happens, the leadership is so much in denial of what might have caused it, it attempts to punish the employee (sometimes in very unethical ways). Turn over rates are very high. A staff of 20 people fully rotates almost every year. Decisions are arbitrary and everything is a priority. The leadership is progressively disconnected from staff, and all about grandiose expansion.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 29 Reviews

Glassdoor has 29 NextFab reviews submitted anonymously by NextFab employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if NextFab is right for you.