Pros
- Some really interesting programs and work - things to be proud of. - Good corporate benefits and schedules ( e.g., Flex Time, 9/80). - You can run into some good and talented people.
Kontras
- The aerospace reputation of the company does not carry over to IS&GS. - IS&GS (now mostly being sold off from what I hear) was in desperate need of work: though management tried to avoid sweeping layoffs, there were some layoffs (including "voluntary separation" for senior managers) with no new program wins coming in. Morale was pretty low. - Coming from college to the workforce without having had an internship was a jarring transition in that there wasn't an explicit way to teach you how to do your job well, especially in system engineering: how well do you write a document? when are your requirements too specific? what level of detail does a L1 diagram need? ERBs, TEMs, and senior engineers are instructive, but I have to imagine that there is some middle way between getting a Master's, self-study, or pure OJT. - Was part of their Leadership Development Program. Had to try and find rotations yourself. While several were able to stay onsite, relocation was a serious possibility. If you were expecting to have rotations available for the kind of work you want to do, the reality was that you take what rotations are actually available. This could be as coincidental as simply knowing someone, and they could put a word in to a manager. So technical development wouldn't come necessarily from OJT on your rotations (my expectation). I was told it would come from my Master's.