Pros
Work is high tech programs, mostly for Defense and NASA. Several GD divisions are at this site, so there are opportunities to move to different types of programs without having to relocate. Work and Life balance is very good -- overtime is usually limited to a few crunches to complete a big milestone and then it's back to 40 hour weeks for quite a while. Some programs are on a 9 day/80 hour schedule that gives you every other Friday off, too. The managers are really decent people: if you need to take a few unplanned days off, like when a family member is in the hospital, they don't ask you why you missed work for that -- instead they want to know if your family member if OK and if you came back to work too fast because you could work from home for a while. Pay is good, tho raises tend to be small -- but even during this bad recession, GD has been doing some hiring, and employees have been getting raises every year. Other local high tech companies have been laying employees off and making their staff take pay or benefit cuts -- but not at GD. Job security is very good, as DoD work isn't being outsourced -- as most other American high tech jobs are. You can feel like you are making a real contribution as a citizen in this work, as most of the programs are upgrading products and developing new systems for our military, space communications and homeland security. For example, GD C4S division in Scottsdale is installing a system right now all along our coastline that helps the Coast Guard pinpoint the exact location of boaters in trouble, to ensure speedy rescue -- so this work is directly saving lives.
Cons
Like the situation at many large companies, an employee's hard work may be overlooked when your manager does not take the time to identify which employees are most productive. Younger employees may not receive early promotions to reward exceptional work, as it is easier for many managers to just promote staff based on "years of service" vs. performance. There are cash bonusses available to reward good work -- but again, it depends on whether your boss takes the time to do the paperwork and identify deserving staff. So some groups regularly get cash rewards -- and other groups with a different manager, don't get these bonusses. At GD you need to tell your boss when you have done something exceptional, rather than counting on your manager to find it out. If you keep management up to date on what you are doing and when you have done great work, you are more likely to be rewarded. Regarding upper management, GD does need to be more agressive about pursuing new business. GD has backed off from a few pursuits that we could have won because management seems to be only pursuing the "sure bets." With government spending on Defense starting to slow down and less programs being funded, GD needs to go after all the new programs it can credibly do.