Pros
- Permanent staff in D09 made it a joy to come to work every day. There's a excellent office culture. - You'll be given responsibility appropriate to your ability/skill/work ethic. - Rather temperate summers with little chance of meeting a dangerous animal. - Fair compensation. - Staff make an effort to help you find which protocols interest you and work to make sure you have opportunities in them. Boulder reviews will lead you to believe that everything is in disarray. I can only speak to my experience, but potential TFTs should take those reviews with a big helping of salt as they don't reflect anything I saw while I was there.
Cons
- D09 is in a town of about 10,000 in ND. As far as small towns go, Jamestown is pretty good, but it certainly does not have the amenities of a Boulder, SLC, or Knoxville. - Having a bunch of early 20-somethings working together can sometimes lead to a "summer camp" atmosphere where some professional faux pas might be broken. - There's no inherent feedback mechanism for how well/poorly you are doing your work. You need to seek out that information if you want it. - Limited opportunity for advancement. TFTs generally move on to other companies after 1-2 years.