Pros
Working with brilliant partners within Higher Education.
Cons
Coursedog is attempting to solve a genuinely difficult problem in higher education, and the software itself is powerful. The challenge is that realizing the platform's value requires significant institutional change management, cross-functional coordination, and long-term stakeholder buy-in. Many higher education institutions struggle with these prerequisites, which creates a difficult operating environment for both customers and employees.
Given the complexity of implementation, I expected to see highly coordinated internal teams, clear ownership structures, interoperable systems, and consistent project management practices. Instead, I frequently observed critical operational processes being managed through Slack threads, unclear accountability across departments, competing priorities between teams, and recurring system-level issues being treated as individual performance problems.
The company has talented people who care deeply about higher education, but the organization struggles with operational alignment. Communication between departments often feels fragmented, roles and responsibilities can be unclear, and employees are regularly asked to absorb the consequences of organizational inefficiencies.
Work-life balance was also a significant concern. Extended workweeks were common, particularly when managing customer escalations, implementation challenges, or cross-functional coordination gaps. The pace may appeal to some employees, but prospective hires should understand that sustained 60-80+ hour weeks were expected.
