Exponent reviews

You are limited to the projects you get which can be boring

The work at Exponent is absolutely grueling and non stop. Employees are passively expected to be on call 24/7 and on vacation. Few people use vacation time because the work environment is constant pressure to maintain metrics for work. Overall, it is not a good career option - the exposure to actual industry a PhD gets is very, very shallow. As a technical person, the positions will not train you in industry on an in depth level that is expected of a PhD. At Exponent you will gain few translatable skills by working at Exponent - just brief exposures to low level science. On a consultant level, you will gain few usable executive leadership experiences because the company's understanding is that everyone needs to be self sufficient. Mentoring is minimal, especially outside of programs that a few employees get. The pay is below what a PhD candidate can get. The company acts as though it pays in prestige. Exponent is generally regarded as a place of under experienced people who are 4-5 years out from their degree. It can get difficult to find a job outside of Exponent since the experience of a sometimes consultant, sometimes engineer isn't applicable broadly.