Pros
Phenomenal coworkers and a rich work atmosphere. NI's philosophy of recruiting the "best and the brightest" really shines in the quality of people it employs. Extremely bright, fun, diverse, out-going people people hired into the company make everything else tolerable. Flexible scheduling. Very little micro-management. Plentiful opportunities and encouragement to increase company knowledge. Very environmentally conscious. National Instruments does a good job of providing employees outlets for creativity, though it sometimes neglects to properly acknowledge achievements of creativity. Granted, this will happen with any company, but it seems that tactful self-promotion is the preferred method of praise at NI, which can be a bit awkward. Lots of travel opportunities--for the first year or two.
Cons
Not many opportunities for vertical career advancement; career openings appear in more of a horizontal position. Sometimes it's hard to be motivated for extra work when the reward doesn't necessarily move your career, say, three steps forward. Rather, it moves your career one step forward and then two steps to the left or the right. Managers act more like motivational orators than genuine logistics coordinators and mentors. You ask a manager a question, and assuming a ten-minute reply from a manager, the reply will have the following breakdown: 8 minutes will consist of compulsory enthusiasm and praise to you, and in the remaining 2 minutes might be the answer you wanted. The rich work atmosphere is regularly clouded by typical run-of-the-mill corporate hoopla. (The hype has good intentions, of course.)
