Pros
My wife and I have recently announced that we’re temporarily taking break from our personal business to rest and focus on family and the future. As you might imagine, to folks that have grown to love our business this comes as quite a shock and even disappointment. This has gotten me thinking about what motivates people to share feedback. It’s true, people tend to be louder in their discontent than they are when things are sailing smoothly. For that reason I wanted to take a moment to send encouragement! Big Nerd Ranch has quite literally changed my life. I have grown more in the 3 and a half years I’ve been here than I did in the 7 at my previous employer. I think it’s about trust. I feel trusted to make decisions about my job, and I trust others to talk candidly with them without fear of repercussion. It’s an incredible feeling! Thank you for fostering an environment of trust at BNR. From the happiness side, thank you for setting an example and encouraging healthy work/life balance. It’s easy for me to take for granted the fact that I can spend time with my wife and son in the middle of the day without the weight of someone breathing down my neck, but it’s not common to feel the support of your company behind you in this. Finally, thank you for emphasizing learning and experimentation. It makes work exciting! It keeps folks here and is one of many reasons for those outside the company to be jealous of our jobs. Just this week someone said to me (paraphrased) “Big Nerd Ranch? Wow, how did you score that gig?!” That feels really good. So despite what people may say in their frustration, be encouraged that you have created a very special company that does a lot of good for people’s technical and personal lives. I can’t thank you and everyone at BNR enough!
Cons
At times there has been a lot of people leaving. Everyone has their own reasons, but as someone still employed here it introduces some doubt. It is also hard when those folks are role models you trust to have around for your own growth. Regardless you can't (and don't want to) force folks to do anything. So all that can be done is learn from their reasons and focus on making this a place people love and need.