Pros
EMD has a rich history rooted in the nuclear power generation industry. It is an easy place to gain experience with lots of opportunity to learn and their co-op and internship program provides future engineers with a path towards full time employment. If you wish to work in a manufacturing facility or the nuclear power industry, your best bet is to use employment at EMD as a resume builder and after 2-3 years find an exit for a better paying employer.
Cons
Salaries for engineering roles are far below average. Annual merit increases for all office roles are of a below average percentage. There is no defined career ladder and there is little room for compensation or title growth in your role. There are real examples of engineers working for decades without receiving promotion. For reference my salary at 7 years of experience is more than double what it was at 5 years of experience when I departed EMD. As you gain more experience, your work load, responsibilities, and overall importance of work and the visibility that comes with it will rapidly outpace your salary and position title. Senior management is known to have an extremely arrogant attitude towards their customers, stakeholders, and employees alike and they make continued poor decisions. Management also bends over backwards to appease the union shop workforce while neglecting the needs of the office workforce. One positive is that most senior management is nearing retirement and it will allow Curtiss-Wright corporate to potentially step in and change leadership, giving the facility a much needed revival.
