Skip to contentSkip to footer
      employer cover photo
      employer logo
      employer logo

      General Atomics

      Engaged Employer

      General Atomics reviews

      3.9

      71% would recommend to a friend

      (1,976 total reviews)
      avatar

      Neal Blue

      78% approve of CEO

      68% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      3.9

      Work/Life balance

      3.8

      Diversity & inclusion

      3.8

      Compensation and benefits

      3.7

      Career opportunities

      3.6

      Culture & values

      3.4

      Senior management

      General Atomics has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 1,976 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The General Atomics employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Aerospace & Defense industry (3.6 stars).

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Reviews by job title

      2K reviews
      1.0
      Mar 12, 2009

      It always comes down to (bad) management in the long run.

      Engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      The pay is adequate. The work and co-workers are interesting. Once you get over the bad management, you don’t have to work too hard. They have nice facilities up on the hill.

      Cons

      Management lies to customers and employees. They are rude as they do so. It is a well known secret around the industry. Your supervisor will not protect you since they are busy managing up. It is a fiefdom, and you are a serf. Your job is to parrot the ideas approved by senior management. As a good employee, try to look surprised when they fail.

      4.0
      Jan 14, 2009

      GA-ASI, a great place to learn solid technical tools

      Engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      As an engineer, there are many opportunities to get close to the products and collect feedback from the grass roots. The layout at the RB site is such that many of the shops are within a 5 minute walk and there is unfettered access throughout. The morale is generally very good and I get the sense that many employees, , have a connection to the product. There is often ample funding to pursue product improvement projects and milestones are often accomplished though these are often late because projects are not properly scoped but that's for the other section of the review. I have never had valid time off requests denied and my supervisor has always been flexible with errands that occasionally pop up during business hours. My co-workers enjoy their jobs or at the very least put on a happy face. It's a pleasant place to work. Oh, and you get paid every other week.

      Cons

      Poor documentation of legacy products. The company has grown a lot and the products developed during the 'by the seat of your pants" days are not well understood by incoming talent. There is a lot of tribal knowledge that isn't shared. Another issue I have is poor scoping of projects. We often look bad/foolish/naive resulting from overambitious people overpromising directly to the customer.

      4.0
      Dec 12, 2008

      A good place to start, but not a good place to stay

      Scientist
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      For those who are getting out of college, General Atomics is an excellent stepping stone in one's career. For those of a scientific (but not engineering background) they provide a good salary, with a comparable benefits plan. You work in close knits teams and get to know your coworkers very well. Morale is generally very good as often milestones are reached. I never felt unappreciated for my work and my morale was generally very good. In terms of the ability to take time off, this job is excellent. Management always allowed any of us to take time off even in the busiest schedules which we worked around.

      Cons

      Management has the view of fix problems when they're seen, which is often not the source. The dated view of quality management often creates situations in which work was done unnecessarily and and unproductively. Those who see these things happens are demoralized when they have to go through with these management decisions. As I have rated communication poor, it is in regards to group to group communication. As there are tight knit groups that are working on overarching problems, there is poor communication relaying specifications and quality issues to the next set of people handling a task. This leads to redundant checks or hidden imperfections that are found out (as a surprise to the latter group). Steps are being taken to mitigate this, but its a far cry from competent in my opinion. "Don't pass on bad quality" should be a motto. The other thing is the ability to advance in the career is not the best. The group from which I come from is small, so moving up in the ladder requires others to step down. I consider this a place to get started but not to stay. It has taught me alot of skills which could be useful in other industries.

      Viewing 1966 - 1968 of 1,976 Reviews
      Related searches: General Atomics jobs | General Atomics salaries | General Atomics benefits | General Atomics interviews | General Atomics conversations
      ReviewsGeneral Atomics reviews

      Glassdoor has 2,268 General Atomics reviews submitted anonymously by General Atomics employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if General Atomics is right for you.