employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

General Atomics

Is this your company?

Low pressure, low salaries - Software Engineer-II General Atomics Employee Review

4.0
Jul 8, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Manager was amazing Project was decently fulfilling Worklife balance was excellent, like 100/100 perfect score, no joke Labs were a mess, I got to help make them better which was nice Very diverse workforce, I got to work with tons of women and folks whose English wasn't great, which helped me learn to communicate more effectively

Cons

They laid me and 16 other people off 3 weeks before Christmas (lmao) Defense contract work is always a crapshoot, if the work isn't won, you're out on the street Your program might be mismanaged, I got lucky(ish) Job duties took a while to align with advertised duties Salaries are designed to be uncompetitive to keep wages low Yearly raises are awarded on a merit system (up to your manager) Only so many above average raises handed out every year

Explore other reviews about General Atomics

5.0
Jun 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Very good work life balance

Cons

9 hour shifts 4 days a week

3.0
Jun 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Mostly good people and skilled engineers that are easy to work with and great to learn from across all groups/locations. There is opportunity to pursue technical areas of interest and to stand out by leading improvement efforts. The company is flexible and often facilitates changes according to interest. Sense of job security generally feels good and stable, the greater GA really backs the Space division. The greater company works on some really interesting and cool things, beyond just defense. Pay is pretty good. Experience with most middle management (of engineers) has been positive, they typically advocate and support their employees.

Cons

Unsure of division leadership and strategic direction. Overall impression is that engineers' perspectives are not adequately weighted in both proposals and certain decisions for active missions. Processes burden performance, though there is intention for constant improvement. Ignoring engineering concerns (i.e. with schedule) + process burdens often result in delays and increased pressure, and therefore a less than ideal working environment at times. Overtime pay is not guaranteed but can be approved. Working with teams in different locations can lead to tension and "silo-ing" (though not always). Space division is becoming mostly defense focused (an industry trend), but would be nice to continue work in the civil earth and space science arena. They also demo'd a nice cafeteria/gathering space for more work/equipment space.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All