Pros
Not like any other machine shop! We were making incredible parts for cutting edge companies. The parts that we were making were exciting, complex and precise. What I like about being a machinist here is that you have full autonomy and control over that parts that you are assigned. I love the challenge of designing and optimizing the entire manufacturing process from start to end. The machinist here designs work holding, does setups, builds tools, cuts material, does metrology and then cycles each part that they are responsible for. Having a mixture of design and manufacturing where I can be some combination of an engineer and machinist, that allows me to use my mind and my hand to build things every day is why this place is so niche and great. This place thrives off of and embraces experimentation, exploration and learning. It is a fast paced environment with a lot of young, smart minds, eager to learn and teach. The people and culture of this shop is what really makes this place special. I have never been to a shop with so many young and smart people. Everyone is open-minded, extremely passionate, talented and hardworking!
Kontras
I left because I felt that what I described above faded. The fulfillment and learning that I received at the beginning of my experience did not last for my entire experience. Management and policies began to change and the result of that was a culture shift that was not desirable to me any longer. As the company's structure and its employees began to change rapidly the things that were most important to me, the people and the culture, became altered greatly.