Pros
On-the-Job Training: There are countless employees here who have amassed decades of experience from which younger employees can tap and learn. Pepco was "founded" in 1906 so there will never be a shortage of information or knowledge. 100% Tuition Coverage: PHI cares about the education of its workforce, especially its Engineers. In fact, they care so much that they'll pay for your college degrees and more. Who does that?! Benefits: PHI's benefit package is top notch. Medical, Vision, Flex Spending, Dental, Life Insurance, etc. Also included is the aforementioned tuition supplement, company discounts, and the gratitude of customers when power is restored. Salary: As an entry-level engineer at PHI, the salary offered is quite satisfying. As an entry-level employee at PHI period, the salary is quite satisfying. Sure, like everywhere else, some promotions are muddied by politics but for the most part people are regularly promoted. Opportunity for Growth: With the many complaints come opportunities for growth. Wherever there is a need, an employee can fill that void and rise through the ranks accordingly. There have been people that have reached top management positions in only a few years due to them taking advantage of a combination of special projects, tuition assistance, and good ol' fashioned networking.
Cons
On-the-Job Training: Unfortunately, unless you seek information you will struggle. While there are those who are willing to help you, if you do not ask you will still be responsible for what you don't know. Often this means assignments will be given with no guidance or instructions. Short Timers: These are folk who are near retirement and love to tell you how close they are to it. While this alone is not necessarily a "con," hearing about it as a younger employee can sometimes be depressing. Also, often the people with the most number of years are often those who complain about their job the most. Change is not welcomed warmly here. This attitude does harm to younger employees because they now see a future of complacent. "I'll just work hard now until I reach a good salary. Then it's Easy Street until retirement, baby!" No. Peak Hours: Kin to the above "con" are what I call "Peak Hours." These are hours worked by some of the senior employees that are considered the most that they will ever work. After so many years, some folk seem to not even want to push anymore. The salary is comfortable (and overly generous in some instances) so why do any more than expected? Definitely a cultural nuisance for this company. Knowledge Transfer: Bottom line: people are retiring and they are taking all of those years of experience with them. Share the wealth! But why share when you can just retire an return as a contractor and get paid for this knowledge that the company has just lost? Brilliant!