No focus, no future, poor management, and well more...
Pros
- Free cereal (not generic!), soft serve, soda - Good benefits you can pocket quite a bit into an HSA, but no 401k matching which is disappointing - Transparency to upper management. You can talk to who you need to (with limits of course) - Everyone says it is a great resume builder. Who knows if this will hold to be true. - Freedom to learn and implement many different things even if only slightly related to your job title. - Many, many kind people who are willing to help each other and make the place better for everyone. - Many, many smart engineers.
Cons
- On the flip-side many, many morons/crazy people who are ready to jump to conclusions. - Stupid email chains with many people included. - We do things in a scrappy (i.e. crappy) way. - Bullying and harassment... a lot of drama. - Also people who do not fundamentally understand the process are somehow in charge? - A lot of great data to play with if 1.) we chose to collect it 2.) had people who understood the fundamentals of statistics (n=5 is an amazing benchmark). - Engineering trials are considered pointless and equipment is turned over to production before validation. - Preventative maintenance is considered waste. Though people will definitely be sure to let you that we aren't doing it. - Responsibilities between manufacturing and maintenance are highly blended. Be prepared with your wrenches at all times. - Safety is not always the primary concern. Management may permit, partake, or even suggest unsafe procedures. Be ready to stand your ground. - 24/7 on call. Does not matter if you worked 20 hours in a day always be ready for a call at 3 AM. Be prepared for continuous firefighting (erm I mean thermal event management). - Management over promising on timelines without consulting engineers. - Everything you do is "high priority" just ignore that nonsense. No one bothers to check in and see how to help you move along or what is gating your progress. - Divisions of teams between departments even between employees of the same title. Employee skills are not leveraged and instead everyone can learn everything and in turn become responsible for everything. - No mentor-ship for new engineers. This could be considered a pro for some as you will be treated as a full engineer and as stated above you have a lot of freedom for self-directed learning. - An office space perpetually being constructed (do you like breathing weld dust?) - Strange hiring practices. - Unbelievable amounts of turnover. - Extremely understaffed with people way above always looking to chop more. - Because they are so understaffed once you learn about a piece of equipment it is now under your ownership. The previous owner will have no stake in the day to day operation of the equipment. It's all yours now. - Don't view stocks or the low value relocation package as perks. Those are just golden handcuffs to keep you here for two years and burn through you.
