Pros
Training and clearly defined methods for engineering work. You can literally work on something new every day. There is always a new challenge. The employment is very stable.
Cons
The shutdown work schedule. Basically, don’t plan on seeing family or friends during the Holidays. You will be running an installation or modification during any plant shutdowns. This is really starting to wear on me. Decision by committee. While I think it is great to have a project team and gather information from all possible stakeholders, at some point a decision to proceed with the project is necessary. Too many times the decision is so delayed that it causes unnecessary stress and difficulty in completing the work. The pay scale and pay increases are not on par with other companies. If you do a great job and meet all of your yearly objectives, you might see a 3-5% increase. That was barely keeping up with inflation. Now, inflation is blowing past that sort of increase like it is standing still.