Pros
Having many years spent with GD I saw may different things, so I can say that it's might be a good time and bad ones. And it's really important how the Company behaves in the times that are really stressful and hard for everyone. There are many tradeoffs here and one may say that GD takes care only of their own business and not about the people who work here. Well, business goals are important for sure, but GD never forgets that those goals may only be achieved by hands (and heads) of the engineers and that's why taking care of its staff - is a huge and important area inside that GD. The company I joined 6 years ago and nowadays - a huge difference I can see: several new offices around the world, many new directions of engineering, many internal programs for engineer's constant improvement and being up-to-date with modern tools and technologies. GD's growth is outstanding and impressive. And I am happy to stay and work with these people. A few details on the pros in particular: - Salary. Fully white (important for Russia). Depends on your skills and your contribution level. Definitely might be reconsidered twice a year. Fits the market level. - Bonuses. As long as you work in GD you gain benefits that might be spent as compensation for some purchases like sports, insurance, medical-treatments, additional education, etc... - Life and health insurance is included - Gain your confidence with English - Travel a lot if you want (Business trips (or even relocation ) to Europe, USA, RUSSIA) - Remote work is acceptable by agreement with the manager - Vacation bonus (going on vacation - get additional % payment) - Flexible working hours. - Working with the latest hardware (MacBooks mostly) - Possibility to participate in the tech conferences (speakers are rewarded) - Possibility to work in RnD and non-project work, such as contribution to internal educational programs. - Probably I lost many important points to say here, but I think this you probably find on your own.
Cons
Having said so many good things, I also want to say, that it's not a fairy tale and you need to work and work hard to keep on track and being a team member. You have a lot of opportunities here, but you have to be ready to invest your time, your mind, and your skills as fully as possible. The tasks might be stressful, the requirements might be unclear, the clients might be too demanding. And from time to time you have to deal with this on your own. That is challenging, but this is all about GD.