Pros
- 40 hour / week job most of the time. - Flexible schedule to accommodate personal errands during the week. - Every other Friday off. - Slow and easy work pace if you want, like a lot of people do, or tons of work if that's how you are.
Cons
- Massive layoffs, with incorrect selection of who should be let go. - Required training modules every year, or more frequently for some topics. - Lots of unethical practices at all levels, from Engineers to VPs. I upheld the company's values as they're taught in the training modules. When I witnessed unethical practices and shady dealings with outside companies, I gathered evidence and built my case. In the end, I was told to drop it. The company stole an employee's invention, stripped him of any credit, added him to the layoff list nearly 10 times, and bled him dry in court. Lots of funding and projects being taken from West Coast facilities and rebased on the East Coast, resulting in waves of people on the West losing jobs. VP visited the campus one day, said he was the one fighting tooth and nail to keep R&D funding in San Jose. The very next day, funding for one of the more promising R&D projects was cut, and everyone on the project was on the layoff list. The list goes on and on. - Lots of slackers at the lower levels. People burning through government-billable hours, doing nothing. - Benefits are a joke after all the budget cuts. - Security clearances needed. Little to no jobs available if you aren't cleared. - Can't get into the interesting projects unless you're part of the inner circle. It's also not possible to get rid of underachievers who are in the inner circle. - People promoted to positions they aren't qualified for. - Consultants given no respect. If a consultant saves a project, a permanent employee will be given the credit. You don't give the medal to the arsonist who started the fire. You give it to the firefighter. Period.