customer success manager

entry level it technician

entry level business development

information technology intern

operations associate

Year Up United

Please note that my home site was Mesa but most of my training was at Central City. The review below reflects both locations. 

As with any office setting there are always different personalities.

SOME management are very narcissistic and self centered. There are some who feel that they could do and say what they wanted when they wanted because they'd been there for awhile or because they were in management. These very people came and went they pleased, worked remotely as they please, and brought their children to work. I felt like a child myself as every single thing was decided for me. I felt as if I had no control over what I learned and how I did my role. My supervisor stated that she was not a micro-manager but her tone along with her directives said otherwise. There are some who felt as if their accomplishments and degrees were more important than others and this was made very clear. During meetings I could barely get in a word edgewise, so I simply stopped trying and then decided to look for a job elsewhere as I have always been apart of a team and allowed to make decisions and offer my opinion because I was a valued.  I would have preferred not to have been hired if my degree and accomplishments did not fit my role. I ended up resigning after only 8 weeks.

SOME of the employees are cliquish as most have followed one another from one organization to another. You have to really watch who you confide in or obtain advice on how to navigate through the office politics because almost everyone is connected. They'll listen and then go back and tell what was said. I reached out to people so that I can try to figure out how to make things work, only to find out that some were stirring the pot behind the scenes. 

I was judged for my outgoing welcoming disposition and was essentially told that I was unprofessional when wanting to make the students feel comfortable. (And I beg one's pardon, there are in fact MANY corporate companies who are informal and like to make their employees feel welcome. If one hasn't been in the working world long enough, one wouldn't know that but felt it proper to judge me instead.) This was the first time ever in my career that my personality was called on the carpet. My personality has worked for me and added to my success in both in corporate and in non-profit for well over 30 years. Because of their judgment, I then became serious and withdrawn (which is not me at all.)

I personally HATE how some staff treat the students in regards to the strict policies during class. These are PAYING adults not children.  They are not allowed to have cell phones in the space at all. They are STRONGLY encouraged not to go to the bathroom during learning community and guest speaker. None of this is NOT realistic for corporate. These students like everyone else have children that they need to check on. Some of the staff speak the the students as if they are beneath them. I personally witnessed one Admissions staff member and alumni speak to a student so rude and as if he was bothering her. I was really taken back. Some staff are highly sensitive to the fact that they are the same as the students and treat the students bad in an effort to flex their pseudo authority. They have had a few students either flip out on them at the site or go to social media with their issues. 

The working environment is call center like. NO ONE has an office (which is fine if that is what one likes.)  It was loud. There were times when I would be on the phone and they would yell across the cubicles or it would be super quiet and then one would start singing on a random.  Some clearly were never taught proper office etiquette.  

EVERYTHING is collaborative which is also fine but I was not aware that my days would be spent literally either in a circle with staff and students, in several meetings where I had no voice, or in a cubicle always having to be "on" with no privacy for 8+ hours. I am personally not used to this environment. It is ok for some but not me.

The dress code is VERY strict yet confusing. They have Business Professional, Business Casual (which is not really business casual,) and Smart Casual. Some staff were very focused on monitoring what others were wearing and not focused on their own personal "professional dress." They are BIG on consistent feedback yet some are unprofessional on how they relay it.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have made sure that I knew what the office setting was like, thoroughly understood the dress code, and asked more questions of my Supervisor during the interview in an attempt to gauge her management style. I probably would have flourished in the Central office or in another role where I wasn't consistently in the office.  I hate I did not feel that need to leave but there are just some things that I am unwilling to put up with professionally. 

ON A POSITIVE... The mission is AMAZING. Year Up helps many young adults start their lives on the right track. The pay is decent although I believe that I was supposed to be offered more but that was my fault for not negotiating. The benefits are AMAZING and unlike anything I have ever seen before. Some of the staff are wonderful and truly try to support you.

If you like the high collaborative, always "on" atmosphere then this is a good place for you to be. If you are coming from a place where you have privacy and the full autonomy to do your job, look somewhere else.

Spent roughly 9 months working here and everything seemed fine at first, but slowly and surely the office began to show its true colors.

Management is some of the worst I've ever seen. Days are spent doing nothing and yet most staff is never available. Any time someone was needed they were nowhere to be found or their online status was permanently set to away or offline.

Most of the job was centered around holding events to show off but they are always slapped together at the very last moment. Some peoples entire jobs centered around getting events and corporate sponsors, and yet on the day of or day before they would have no idea who is doing what or going where. The very rare occasions upper management steps in are only to micromanage and take credit for any actual work that gets done. On one occasion where an event was being held the director was no one to be seen and only stepped in to adjust a couple chairs in a room or move some food on a table.

Speaking of showing off, that's all anyone seems capable of doing. Coworkers had no issue with maintaining a holier-than-thou attitude at all times. They'll give you the robotic hi or how are you doing, and then turn around and tell your manager what a poor job you do.

For an organization that is trying to put up a front of how tech savvy they are I've never seen a larger group of COMPLETELY tech illiterate individuals. IT tickets are 90% something isn't plugged in and they can't be bothered to do it themselves. Operations tickets are pathetic excuses for people simply not wanting to do their own work. Remember how I said events were thrown together last minute? Most of the tickets are someone needs something done that moment and to disregard whatever else you're doing. If they even send in a ticket, a good amount of the time they just ping you directly over Skype and say they need it now.

"Hey I know you're probably busy but I need 20 laptops setup in the next 10 minutes." They have no idea how to prepare for anything.

The name has a lot of sway, for some reason, and that's about it. I highly recommend everyone stays away from working here. Managers and directors have been in the same positions for years but all other staff have an EXTREMELY high turn-over rate. In my time spent here, 3 different departments had to hire entirely new staff due to poor management. Can you say multi-hour lunch breaks?

Stay away.

Well I was really an intern studying various subjects spanning from English to computers to business etiquette. Everyone was friendly and eager to learn. Everyone was friends with everyone. I learned that no matter where people may come from, urban, rural, high low or middle class, behaviors tend to remain the same. Senses of humor are templates so no matter what people can always have the same sense of humor no matter where you are from (they targeted inner city youth ages 18-24). Management was always understanding and hands on. There was no division or sense of hierarchy, but rather genuine willingness to lend a helping hand and show us something we may or may not be accustomed to. My fellow students were all about my age, all of them bright and ready to learn something. The goal of this program was to become A+ certified and eventually intern at one of their corporate partners and to hopefully be hired for full-time employment providing you are a good fit and excel. The hardest part of the job was learning the ins and outs of a computer motherboard. We literally had to know each and every component and it's function. We had to learn each cable, the name, and origin of that cable and any other component related to a computer (which spans to an atm, laptops, phones, etc). The most enjoyable part would be when you actually know what's what and you can dissect and diagnose a computer's hardware as well as software.

Everyone there loves helping the students. As both a former student and staff, I know that love was there. And connections made felt like they are going to last a lifetime.

Culture is a bit toxic. There is a push to consistently be prim and proper all the time. You are forced to punish students who don't conform to corporate professional standards. While the model works to impress corporations with incredible hard-working interns, and it trains students to navigate majority white, upper class -like corporations; it feels a bit white-washing.

Some managers were sweet and caring. But management overall was a hot mess sometimes. National headquarters staff is majority white and dictated how programs were led. As an on-the-field staff, I was tossed around a lot to do whatever they wanted, even if it required more work. It was also frowned upon to seek support or follow-up with those outside of your direct hierarchy.

While I was happy to have had the opportunity to work there, and loved serving our young peoples, I was treated very poorly by management - including being sabotaged when trying to get recommendations for my next job. I don't plan to work there again. And those who plan to work there, be ready to be tossed around like a puppet.

Overall, Year up is as a national organization is striving towards its mission actively with an exceptionally supportive and involved Founder/CEO.

At the Philadelphia site, leadership leaves the day to day work entirely in its employees hands. They do not use professional modes of communication, are unresponsive and extremely unsupportive with unreasonable expectations. 

I learned a lot from working at year up, from both my positive and negative experiences. A few are that when an organizational leadership is passionate and mission driven, it creates an environment worth being a part of as well as reaps deep personal reward in the work we do. I've also learned that team cohesiveness is unprecedented when it comes to a healthy working environment; where the work gets done and done with high quality. Without effective communication, collaboration and team cohesiveness, things become chaotic and both employees and the people we serve suffer as a result. 

The most enjoyable part of this job was by and large, the students. Being able to support the positive journey they embark on is incredibly rewarding. You are able to watch and help them grow leaps and bounds.

Typical day at work include doing 20 different tasks of which 5 are included in your job description, some can be fun! Leaderships is lacking (mostly they are "working virtually").Great mission statement and vision however poorly executed. Great place to learn how to play the #'s game. 
Great place to work if you want to understand the opportunity divide to see why it still exists. This organization lacks leaders, definitely has managers who lead by title but lacks leaders who propels and insight innovation. If you are a talented qualified person, please volunteer. Most enjoyable part is working with students who are passionate, and want to do better. Great company that looks amazing on the web, paper and on videos, executing the mission is the challenge and this organization has to learn how to effectively manage change. Resources are misused on items of low priority to the mission, technology for students are desperately lacking. The vibe/culture is that of a corporate/non-profit. Great health benefits.

I've seen poor leadership and people management drive multiple people out of the department I was associated with, or burnout entirely. People are scared to speak up and voice concerns, and those that do are singled out and targeted as being problematic. Gaslighting and nepotism is rampant across all leadership and throughout various departments. Often times upper management position themselves to be empathetic to staff, while at the same time adding to your plate with no regard to your current workloads or support in visioning/planning. The company itself has great intentions, but needs to come to an understanding that you cannot mentor/coach students through the program and have a full-time role on-top of your responsibilities in the "learning community." While great on paper, I've seen some of the most brilliant nonprofit leaders be driven out due of the organization due to being overworked, most of which have been women or members of the LGBTQ community.

Year Up aims to help young adults earn meaningful careers, which is amazing. The young adults are the best part! Many of them do gain amazing skills and jobs throughout the program and after. The management on all levels is poor. The work is draining. There’s not room for growth on the program team. Black staff aren’t valued. Senior leadership makes advances at younger/new employees. The environment is tense and condescending. You don’t get extra pay based on your degree. They promote people based off tenure not experience or skills. Staff don’t have a true sense or understanding of youth development or student development to support young adults. Assumptions are made about them because of their race, lifestyle, or SES. They feel that they can fix systemic racism by providing black kids with skills to have a job. The racism in the workplace isn’t addressed. You get reprimanded for speaking about your own experiences. Management and leadership don’t address the issues that staff bring up. There’s really so much more to say. 

I honestly complained about year up until I graduated. It was a full time job and full course load for a small to no amount of pay. Which the staff deducted from without mercy for "infractions" but getting through the process not only prepared me for the corporate environment, it also gave me a big name company to put on my resume that landed me a job paying nearly $20/hr at the age of 21. So no, year up is not for the faint of heart. Yes, they are essentially selling students to companies for a free 6-month "trial". No, the staff is not always going to be in your corner because their job is butts in seats not caring about you. None of that matters it's 1 year that can change the rest of your life by giving you 6months experience that allows you access to high paying jobs you would not otherwise have access to. Nothing is free you pay for that experience on your resume by working your butt off and being frustrated for a year. 

I love the mission of the program but the opportunity is not for everyone. I am alumni my experienced from Year up is only great in the beginning. Yes I have seen folks been successful in my cohort theres like 7 people out of 40 students that I saw got a job afterwards. You have a better opportunity if the staff like you. You dont get to choose which internship you will go. I have seen folks who did cyber class and got an internship as business and also I have seen folks who went to IT and got a job as business. Like I said if the staff like you they will put you in the good position if not you will end up not having internship at all. This is just truth that you will face in Year Up if you join. This is just my opinion. Even though I stated all of this I am still grateful to year up and still recommend people to join them. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Customer success manager 168 salaries reported	$525 per week
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Information technology intern 127 salaries reported	$525 per week
Operations associate 75 salaries reported	$525 per week

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