Pros
As someone who has worked with both young and mature systems, the product is robust. At its peak, it sincerely felt fulfilling to contribute to a system that has a pretty significant real-world impact, especially for people in need of government agency support. The salary and benefits are competitive, you are recognized and rewarded for good work, and you meet some truly wonderful people. The travel is a great perk if that is something you are interested in.
Cons
None of the pros I’ve listed above are worth working here— none of them. Fast Enterprises is a cult, one that sucks you in, worships and pampers you, then spits you out once it’s done with you. At the heart of this are the partners, who control site leadership from afar like little marionette dolls—unless of course, they are site leadership. My experience involved deliberate and blatant shunning, ostracization, bullying, and manipulation— all from various levels of leadership. Each of those descriptors are intentionally and carefully chosen. If you think that’s an exaggeration, read more reviews— there is a reason the turnover rate at this company is so high, and it’s not just because people are “bad at their job”. Roughly half the company consists of recent college grads. That’s by design. Fast banks on the inexperience of young hires, luring them with flashy salaries and free travel, then molding them to conform. I would rather take a 40% pay cut at a company that respects me and values my work-life balance over ever returning to the dehumanizing environment I experienced— an environment fostered by grown adults, many with families of their own. Leadership makes a show of caring about mental health, but their concern stops there. It’s performative and insulting. You are misled during the interview process about overtime (this is unanimously the experience among most fellow ex-Fasties). The truth is that it is highly dependent on your site. There were several month-long periods where I worked upward of 70 hour weeks. I believe the overtime model may have shifted slightly since I left, but I doubt the culture has. Because a huge portion of the company is so inexperienced, many people who have outside industry experience (or even just a longer tenure at Fast), end up in positions where they have to train them, when they are already overworked. You are also not given a raise when you are promoted to a lead, but receive all the responsibilities and expectations that come with being one. Finally, if this is your first job out of school, you might look around and not blink twice at how many couples there are at this company. It isn't normal— ask yourself why. Don't drink the kool-aid. If you do choose to work here, it is certainly possible that you have the complete opposite experience. For your sake, I hope you do.