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Defense Strategies Institute

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Great place to learn, good culture - Anonymous employee Defense Strategies Institute Employee Review

5.0
Oct 2, 2019
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- A small company with big growth potential. I feel as if there is a plan for every employee moving forward to grow with the company. - Management does a good job of providing the instruction needed to succeed while allowing the autonomy to develop skills on your own. No micromanaging here. - Speaking to the last two points, employees are afforded the opportunity to make their mark and offer their unique skills. Because it is a small company, people wear many hats. - Fair salaries and above-average health insurance. - Working at a company that deals with the defense industry may sound like it could ruffle some feathers, but everyone here is respectful of each other. - Summer Fridays and breakfast Fridays are nice perks. - No one is asked to work crazy hours. Seldom have I needed to stay longer than 30 minutes past closing. You can (almost always) leave your work at work. - Occasional travel to DC and a few other locations for events. No mandatory travel for marketing, but you can sometimes if you want. (Production travels to their events.)

Cons

- Sometimes things can move slow or get repetitive (but I see this changing with company growth.) There are busy seasons and slow seasons. - Only two weeks of vacation time with no rollover. After the first year here I would like to have an extra few days and the ability to bank days. - Limited WFH. Though the work/life balance is great, being a commuter can be time-consuming and it would be nice to be able to have some flexibility.

Explore other reviews about Defense Strategies Institute

5.0
May 26, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Small, close-knit office. The position offers really interesting opportunities to engage with senior-level decision-makers in the government and military and research emerging defense capabilities.

Cons

Some may find the office to be too small.

2.0
Sep 12, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The company gives you exposure to very well educated and interesting people, though this only happens once a month at conferences you put together. You also get to learn how to speak to high ranking government officials.

Cons

I think the problem most people have here is how underpaid everyone is. It was hard to speak to your friends knowing they easily made $30,000 more then you, not specific to those in finance. I mean everyone will make significantly more then you when you work here. Also, there’s very little skills to be learned at the job besides Microsoft Word. Lastly, the position breakdown is one in which most of the jobs do the same thing but they change up the titles to give you the idea that you’re moving up but responsibilities don’t seem to change. Few benefits beyond the standard healthcare package and leaving early on Friday’s in the summer. The early Friday’s are great but I think people would give them up just to take a normal salary. The salary level is that of a first year graduate even for those 3+ years out of college. The profit share for events is also very very low, its frustrating when you think about how much the event made and how little you got from it

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