Pros
• Good research to hands-on balance. • Unique and challenging problem solving. Work is rarely boring. • Cradle to grave project ownership. If you start work on a project, you will follow through with quoting, purchasing, assembly, programming, testing, deployment, and maintenance. • Any given Project Engineer is likely juggling at least 2-3 important projects at a time, not including other minor responsibilities. • Co-workers are all friendly and atmosphere is welcoming. • Senior management checks in frequently on project status' and provides great feedback for growth and development.
Cons
• Project management and workflow needs polishing. We've tried many project management techniques with nothing sticking for longer than a few months. • Production always takes first priority, even if this means putting all other projects aside. This can be derailing to your workflow, but it's manageable. • Compensation strategies rely on weekly overtime. Easy to increase your weekly overtime, but difficult to make gains to base pay. Therefore diminishing work / life balance depending on how much overtime you agree to. • Opportunities to take on more responsibilities often not met with increased compensation. • Low morale due to low-pay and poor work / life balance.