Pros
After learning the basics by "working in the trenches", HP offers rapid advancement to their employees. The health benefits are unmatched by any company in the industry. The company is employee owned, therefore all the financials are made public, and profits shared. I didn't appreciate this until I compared this to several family/private owned companies. The work is incredibly rewarding as you get an opportunity to build very diverse projects. You are challenged everyday you are at work, and the diversity in the daily routine is addictive. Finally, the senior management has always focused on the employees. I've always said the distance between the president and the field engineer is so close, and I've loved that fact from day one. Relationships within the company often are very tight.
Cons
Hours, hours, hours. I've never worked less than 50 hours/week in five years. Although the hours range depending on the status of the job, the range has been 50-75 hours/week. As long as you're willing to commit to the long hours, the reward is great. However, this is clearly not conducive to having a family. I myself will have to question my employment with the company once children are in the picture. The huge amount of responsibility can also be a con at times. Most co-workers share stories about worrying about work into their night, and even dreaming about work. Most employees are able to adjust to the pressure within a few years. At first the moving for each job was intimidating to how I wanted to live my life, however, now I consider the moving a pro as I've been able to see and experience so much of the country.
