Pros
I got to work at the Skunkworks as an entry level software engineer for a little over a year and a half. The second project I was on was kind of fun and I got to do some cool stuff. The work was very, very slow, though this could be a con. Life was easy, the people are nice and happy to be there.
Cons
The first year I spent here, I was put on another project since my main project had some issues that delayed it by a whole year. The first project was horrifically mismanaged and genuinely made me question my life choices. My second project was a little funner, but I started feeling like I was stagnating. And that is the biggest gripe I had working here, I wasn't really learning anything. I could have stayed, and kept learning skills that would have not gotten me anywhere outside of defense, but I left for a salary that is actually within market value and for a company that values its software engineers. At LM, it took literally over a year to jump through the IT and financial hoops to get a compiler. That's right. I worked my first year without a compiler. Pretty standard fare, too, it seems. LM values its other engineers like aeros, electricals, and systems, but does not value software at all. Do yourself a favor and work somewhere that will value you and your growth. Or do what I did--work here for a year or so to get your foot in the door and get "experience", so more noteworthy software companies will glance your way.
