Have a degree or an ambition? Get out.
Pros
Nice sea breeze, very unique work environment and final product. The hours in my position, for the time being (short staffed), and with my supervisor (excellent guy to work for), are very flexible and include overtime. That isnt always the case. Departments vary wildly.
Cons
Where to start. The company is screwing up. The pay is so low for the industry, people dont stay long unless they only have a HS diploma and NNS is all theyve ever know. The shipyard singlehandedly has turned Newport News into a poor area. Opportunities for advancement are slim, and the raises are a damn joke. Its 6% from a planner 1 to a 2, which could take years to get. Our guys with experience are getting poached and the company wont do a damn thing to retain the tribal knowledge. There is no written standard for my position, everything is through word of mouth and disappears when the old guys retire or go elsewhere. Our director is part of the problem. He doesnt understand whats going on with his talent. He recently told us to throw new employees at our staffing issues, but doesnt understand that theres no one left to train them. Not to mention how behind we are on work. Additionally, production planning here isnt what it is anywhere else. You sit and basically copy and paste mindlessly all day. There is 0 job meaning. Its very tedious, and extremely easy to make mistakes with the poor training and nature of the work. Its never understood (actually by anyone that works here) what half the buttons or functions do or are included for. FINALLY. The parking is pathetic and disgraceful. You cant find a spot after 6am. Heaven help you if your shift cant start earlier than 7am. This is very much a high school mentality. People wait to go to their shifts, wait for the lunch bell, and wait for the leave bell. Lots of people excited to rat others out if they leave early or start working before the bell. Its a waste of your time. Oh and if you get towed? Good luck getting your company to back you up. The situation is actually worse than all the reviews say. Every time we get another aircraft carrier, parking gets exponentially worse if thats even possible. Don't work here unless you're treating it like a paid internship. The bottom line is that this place is for people who go nowhere. The company doesnt give half a damn about its employees.
