Pros
*Work-Life balance: Flexible work schedule - when I need time off I can get it. Raytheon uses mod-time which lets you flex your time in any way you wish in a 2 week period. Also Raytheon is actively promoting it's 9/80 program which allows you to work 9 hours a day and have every other Friday off. I've made it a point to talk to other people about their work habits and for the most part it seems reasonable. Some of my colleagues do occasional compensated overtime but it might be two or three weekends every 4 or 5 months. Personally I have only done one weekend of overtime in the year that I have been with Raytheon. *Upper Management: We don't really interact with these people too much but over the last year a lot of effort has been made to humanize the upper management. They serve us icecream at luncheons and they all act very humble. They also participate in diversity events and take the time to talk with the rank and file. Addressing issues on the Employee Opinion Survey is a site goal. *Pay: Pay is average, as a masters graduate in EE I started at 64k. Some of my friends started at 70k and others started at 55k. I did bargain with my salary and managed to bump it up 1.5k. *Advancement: Right now I'm taking my first year to get my bearings and get situated in the area. Raytheon tries to promote its mentoring program and rotation programs. I haven't taken advantage of these but they are definitely promoting these with vigor. *The old guard: The median age at this site is easily 50, this is a great thing when it comes to advancement. Eventually a dearth of positions will open up and us young whipper snappers will be there to fill in (and get some juicy promotions!)
Cons
*The old guard: Lets face it, not exactly the most exciting place to work for a new grad. The site has gone on a hiring frenzy and has snatched up a lot of new (college) talent. This makes the social scene at Raytheon tolerable and I've managed to make a few friends! However, the great majority of the work force is over the age of 40. *Process: A necessary evil, about 30% of my time is spent coding and 70% of it is forcing myself through the QA aspect of it. UGH TEDIOUS! *Site growth: As I lose my naivety I am becoming more and more concerned about the growth potential of this site. It doesn't seem like any new big programs have been awarded to this site recently. *Kingdom protection: Nothing is documented and all/most knowledge is tribal knowledge. This can be infuriating as it turns daily tasks into treasure hunts. Tools on my project are also very dated and do not always work well. *Disgruntled workers: Maybe it's just the area I sit in but, MY GOD the amount of b**ching that goes on. This spooks me, I get the feeling I haven't been here long enough to know the "other" side of Raytheon.
