Software in a manufacturing company environment
Pros
Established company with established product line. They make a ton of money on consumables, which are almost guaranteed repeat purchases. Relatively good work/life balance. Relatively good pay and benefits. Generally willing to pay for tools and support from vendors as needed. Friendly people willing to lend a hand.
Cons
History of fragmentation in code bases that is being addressed. More than a few areas of code that are difficult to work with. In certain areas, there's a lag behind the current industry norms in terms of tools used and software processes followed. Some of the process requirements feel micro-managey. I often get the feeling that showing a lot of "motion" is equal or better than showing a lot of results. Manufacturing mindset at the mgmt top-level. In other words, this is not a software company. Not necessarily a con, but teams are spread out in multiple locations globally making coordination sometimes difficult.
