Pros
-Job security is pretty solid if you're a production floor employee -Culture among non-management employees is welcoming and not toxic -Benefits are even better than the feds -We have stayed open during the pandemic with only one week furlough -The defense industry is expected to grow even more within the next 5 years
Cons
-Unless you're a manager, director or executive you'll never earn more than a survival wage in the 35-60k range -You get better job security as a production floor employee, but you earn much more working upstairs as an engineer, designer, product introduction or PLM, etc. -Not much hope for advancement; my two predecessors left due to a lack of engagement with the job; I can see why as I experience much of the same; boredom is quite frequent -Management is arrogant and always says they're open to suggestions, but that's if you work upstairs, not on the production floor -This job is great if you want or need stability in your career, but it won't give you much more. HR refuses to divulge pay brackets and we've lost many good people over the years because they weren't getting paid what they were worth according to one of the floor team leads -Some past benefits are gone and others slowly evaporating -My advice to you is keep building your qualifications outside of work and have them pay for tuition. If you want to move up, pray for someone to leave or retire. If not, it's going to be a long ride. Buckle up.