Very Different from the Ordinary Big-Box Aerospace Co.
Pros
Working with the smartest, most ambitious engineers and scientists in the United States. Few constraints, particularly concerning money...if you need something, even if it costs 100K (or a million...), you'll get it. Uncle Jeff is on a mission, and if you need something, go get it...in fact, get two in case one breaks. None of the typical oversight or control functions you'd normally expect in a "human-capable" rocket manufacturer, so there are fewer obstacles to moving forward with the design/development process. The engineer is responsible for every aspect of his/her part or function, from design through prototyping, and then selecting an outsource or in-house manufacturing strategy, and finally QAing your parts and determining flight-worthiness. This strategy is not accidental...the whole idea was to throw out big-box aerospace's burdensome infrastructure, where it takes 5 managers weeks to make a simple drawing change. With very few exceptions, the engineer is responsible for providing a flight-worthy part/function/procedure.
Cons
Not much mentoring or hand-holding. You're expected to know your stuff, and to figure out how to make it happen. Tremendous growth in the last couple of years, without having a seasoned management team in place, has resulted in under-qualified people being pushed into levels of responsibility for which they aren't prepared. Confusion about direction and scope are common, and I personally advised a number of young engineers about navigating the confusion. Basically "Figure out what you're really good at, then find a team that needs that talent real bad." Good engineers were occasionally consumed in the confusion, but I believe the senior leaders felt that was the cost of growing the company rapidly.