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Lawrence Berkeley Lab

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Software - Software Engineer III Lawrence Berkeley Lab Employee Review

3.0
Jan 29, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Beautiful place to work. Most of the people are bright, competent and friendly. The software projects are interesting. You get to see how your work helps the business partners. Ergonomics of the furniture in your cubicle will be great.

Cons

5.5' x 8' cubicles. Management is kind of confused. They will send you to weeks of classes on subjects like agile projects and then tell you not to use it. They will tell you things in interviews that either don't turn out to be true or that don't happen once you get hired. They put micro-managers in who will tell you to do a project and then try to manage it from above or around you - getting resources involved at inappropriate times, telling others to do something on a project you're supposed to be managing. software engineers will end up with projects where they have all the responsibility for success and no way to get cooperation from the other people/groups. There was no IT function for a long time, so there were people programming who shouldn't have been and there is a lot of 'quick and dirty' stuff in every environment you can name. If you don't have a car, just getting there can be a pain. Plan on spending quite a bit of time standing on a street corner in Berkeley or a BART platform or at a bus stop on the hill. Benefits are good, salaries are so-so and raises are rare and small.

Explore other reviews about Lawrence Berkeley Lab

5.0
Jul 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great collaborative environment, great views

Cons

Some parts are slower moving due to bureaucracy but LBNL is unique in that red taping is also loose in some areas allowing for quicker innovation

3.0
Jul 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

work life balance; World-Class User Facilities and Instruments, Top-Tier Scientific Collaboration

Cons

Temporary Nature of Early-Career Roles: For postdoctoral researchers, positions are inherently temporary. Securing a permanent Staff Scientist role at a national lab is notoriously difficult due to limited openings and highly competitive, lifelong tenures, which often forces researchers to look externally for long-term career growth.

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