Pros
Great group of people you work with. Everyone comes from very different backgrounds but you all find something to connect over You do get perks, and not all of them are parties. You get great gym benefits, health benefits, discounts, and freebies, and a strong mission. Not to mention weekly dinners for every dept. When you get to manager level in buildings, you feel an incredible sense of ownership. You run a team, and essentially run a business. You are in charge of your budget, hitting goals, and making sure it is healthy. You learn EVERYTHING it takes to run a business, From sales and management to IT and facilities. You have a hand in it all. It can get overwhelming but there is an amazing support network within community teams - someone has dealt with your exact situation and will walk you through what to do. You make amazing connections, internally and externally. Members become your friends, and you get a lot of opportunities from that!
Cons
Not all departments are created equal- I have been in Community for a few years and it was amazing. You are at the core of the business, you make amazing friends, but you don't get the recognition they deserve. Every department shuts down for holidays or Summer Camp or Summit, but not Community. One person must stay back and man the fort and it is hard to a) feel valued and part of the team when everyone else is together and b) get anything done when no other department is around. If you need help, it may take hours for a simple response to come through. It has gotten better, but there is still room for streamlining a lot of processes. You work long hours, especially in community. You get in at 8:30 daily, and don't leave until 6:30 at the earliest and it is easy for it to take over your life. Not all the work is glamorous! In community, there will be days where you have to make the coffee, or straighten the common area, but you just gotta do it..not because they make you but more because you are essentially running your own business and you should be proud of what you do and what product you put out. A lot of what we do is, at the core, hospitality and not everyone has that mindset. Some members are awful. They blame you for everything that does wrong, even if the internet is down in every single building in the city. Sometimes its hard to put on the smile and not tell someone to shove it.