Pros
Compensation and benefits – Cymer pays their employees a competitive salary, and has a great 401K + medical plan. Growth – I started off in a junior position and moved into a leadership role within a year. Cymer hires the best talent in the industry and gives opportunity to grow and expand roles and responsibilities if there is a willingness to work hard and learn. The People – I had the pleasure to work with some of the brightest engineers, scientists, and program managers in the industry at Cymer. Most people were willing to teach if there was a willingness to learn. Technology – Work on the bleeding edge of technology to enable future technology.
Cons
Work / Life Balance – Members of test + integration staff members work long hours at home and abroad. Management sends employees internationally without notice. Politics – Lots of infighting between managers. Senior management hordes information and trades it as bargaining chips. Culture – Witnessed the GM for a business unit refer to an engineering project manager as the “village idiot” on numerous occasions. The pace is extremely fast with a sharp learning curve and it can be difficult to learn the entire process. If you can become successful at Cymer, you can be successful at most other companies.