Pros
I will remember my three years at Xenon Arc fondly. I couldn't have asked for a more supportive learning environment or a wider breadth of opportunities to try new things. I came out of school with a chemical engineering degree and little idea of what I wanted to do with my career. Xenon Arc gave me the opportunity to develop my technical critical thinking skills while also learning the basics of running a business. Through my three years, I learned what I liked doing and what I didn't. As you developed interests in certain areas of the business, Xenon Arc leadership comes along side you to encourage growth in the areas you enjoy most. I am leaving Xenon Arc now for my dream job. I can confidently say that the experience I gained at Xenon Arc was instrumental in securing the offer I eventually accepted. I'd also like to note that this position is a technical engineering position. If I would have chosen to stay on a business management or business development role, I also had offers. If you dive into a role at Xenon Arc, the world will be your oyster. I cannot speak enough to the friendships I fostered with both my coworkers and supervisors at Xenon Arc. My direct lead and my VP were both exceptional at developing talent and rallying their teams. I will miss everyone dearly as I move on to my new job and sincerely hope to maintain the friends I've made at Xenon Arc. Leaving has truly been a bittersweet experience as I'm sad to leave but also so excited for what's to come. If you're early in your engineering career, an engineer that's curious about the world of business management, or just burnt out from life in a plant, I would 100% recommend considering Xenon Arc as a potential career pivot. You will either gain valuable technical problem-solving skills that will rekindle your love of engineering, or you will develop a deep and wide understanding of business practices that will pay dividends later in your career. And if you're not an engineer, this is still an excellent place to learn! There are more positions fitting for non-technical backgrounds than technical backgrounds. The most important part of working at Xenon Arc is to embrace your entrepreneurial side! The generous PTO policy is a huge plus as well! In a world moving to unlimited PTO policies that can rake advantage of employees, it's great to see Xenon Arc Leadership encourage and push employees to fully utilize all vacation time (which is not a small amount).
Cons
Xenon Arc isn't always competitive with salaries given the high cost of living in Washington State (especially if you have a technical degree). That said, that could be changing. Regardless, I found the lower salary an easy tradeoff for the experience at least for the time I was there. Some may find the breadth of responsibility overwhelming, but this is also one of the reasons individuals learn so much while at Xenon Arc.
