Process
I interviewed for a frontend role, and my primary language is JavaScript. Coursera is disappointingly one of the companies that have their recruiters ask candidates JavaScript questions from a Google Doc during the first screen.
Be prepared, because they don't tell you this upfront. The questions test quirks of JavaScript, and the code snippets you have to read through are not how good engineers should ever use or write JavaScript. You can easily type these bad code examples into your console to get the answer, but I did not do that and gave it my honest try.
I don't know how many you have to get right, but I got two wrong and did not move on to the next round. Please reconsider if those questions actually give you the signals you're looking for in frontend engineers.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 61 interview experiences for the Coursera Software Engineer role in United States.
Success Rate
15%
Pass Rate
Coursera's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in the United States is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive41%
Neutral34%
Negative25%
Candidates reported having good feelings for Coursera's Software Engineer interview process in United States.
Coursera Work Experiences
5.0
Company with a great culture and brand!
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Mountain View, California, United States
April 3, 2018
Pros: I love working here. The people are great!
The work is pretty interesting, and I do feel like everyone believes very much in the mission.
The pay is pretty good, and there are some pretty decent perks. The best part of it is that you feel like you have a direct impact on Coursera with the work that you do.
Cons: The technology stack is somewhat chaotic due to past decisions. Ramp-up time will be higher than at an average company. However, we are moving towards simplifying some things recently.
Also, some people have been a little rattled by the reorg that happened in late 2017, which is kind of expected. I think the reorg was needed if we ever want to be super successful and generate revenue.
There are some old-timers leaving due to the change. The company felt a bit like a school at times in the past, which I feel has halted our potential a little. Hopefully, the recent change will make us more into a successful business.
1.0
Bad company for engineers
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Mountain View, California, United States
March 26, 2016
Pros: - Great original mission.
- Close to the Castro district in Mountain View.
Cons: The current engineering leadership is poor.
I would say it is one of the worst in the valley. The best engineers are leaving in droves to companies like Uber, Khan Academy, Airbnb, Quip, LinkedIn, and other smaller startups.
There is no understanding of how to manage an individual engineer's career. They will promise you a lot when you join, but it will turn out to be a career graveyard.
5.0
Great people tackling a huge market with a golden mission
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Mountain View, California, United States
July 19, 2015
Pros: Coursera is opening the world's most elite educational institutions to everyone in the world, and creating opportunities for people to dramatically improve their lives.
It's a mission that gets me right out of bed every morning.
Cons: The goals are audacious, and the business model is still in flux. This isn't a better mousetrap, like Uber cabs; it's a new configuration of a vast, complex ecosystem.
- 5.0Company with a great culture and brand!Software Engineer • Current EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesApril 3, 2018Pros: I love working here. The people are great! The work is pretty interesting, and I do feel like everyone believes very much in the mission. The pay is pretty good, and there are some pretty decent perks. The best part of it is that you feel like you have a direct impact on Coursera with the work that you do.Cons: The technology stack is somewhat chaotic due to past decisions. Ramp-up time will be higher than at an average company. However, we are moving towards simplifying some things recently. Also, some people have been a little rattled by the reorg that happened in late 2017, which is kind of expected. I think the reorg was needed if we ever want to be super successful and generate revenue. There are some old-timers leaving due to the change. The company felt a bit like a school at times in the past, which I feel has halted our potential a little. Hopefully, the recent change will make us more into a successful business.
- 1.0Bad company for engineersSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesMarch 26, 2016Pros: - Great original mission. - Close to the Castro district in Mountain View.Cons: The current engineering leadership is poor. I would say it is one of the worst in the valley. The best engineers are leaving in droves to companies like Uber, Khan Academy, Airbnb, Quip, LinkedIn, and other smaller startups. There is no understanding of how to manage an individual engineer's career. They will promise you a lot when you join, but it will turn out to be a career graveyard.
- 5.0Great people tackling a huge market with a golden missionSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesJuly 19, 2015Pros: Coursera is opening the world's most elite educational institutions to everyone in the world, and creating opportunities for people to dramatically improve their lives. It's a mission that gets me right out of bed every morning.Cons: The goals are audacious, and the business model is still in flux. This isn't a better mousetrap, like Uber cabs; it's a new configuration of a vast, complex ecosystem.
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