Pros
There is plenty of opportunity to be highly technical. Engineering is a valued skill at GE and there are many options for career paths. The work is challenging and there are a lot of resources available. The goals of the business are clear and there is a strong emphasis on values and credibility. There is a lot of internal career training opportunities and a large array of business tools the company uses and teaches. It is possible to transfer internally from one division to another and make a major career change while maintaining benefits and years with the company. The company reputation is great for training good people and GE alumni seem to be in demand.
Cons
Changes are made quickly and sometimes without warning. Our business name has changed 3 times in the last 5 years, our CEO has changed 3 times in the last 5 years, and we seem to be constantly going through reorganizations to realign our portfolio for the stockholders. Quarterly profits are the most important metric. There is a culture of fire-fighting mentality and priority is not given to documentation or projects to improve communications and job-specific training. IT and Engineering software tools are often developed in-house on shoestring budgets which is often less reliable than commercial software packages. The company is conservative when it comes to business innovation and cultural change. There is always more to be done than people to accomplish the work. Individuals are often given demanding auxiliary jobs to do on top of their primary focus.