Pros
First, when reading other reviews, one should keep in mind that the different divisions are very different. I worked in divisions I (AMA - Advanced Mathematical Applications) and VI (ADA - Advanced Data Analytics), so this review is specific to those divisions. Negative aspects of the divisions that are outside of Reston, that I see on this site and that I heard while at Metron, do not reflect Metron's Reston divisions.
The culture is very academic: Metron focuses its recruiting on mathematics PhDs. They are not hired for their esoteric skills in algebra, topology, etc., but rather for their capacity to learn. Metron has hired mathematicians with almost no programming experience, expecting them to pick it up on the job (similar for other skills). Learning is strongly encouraged, and each new project usually presents an opportunity to learn about a new field of statistics/applied math/CS/OR. I learned a lot about a variety of fields while I was there.
The pace is relaxed. As a contractor, you work 40 hrs/week, and the distribution of those hours is flexible. We usually had more than enough time to meet whatever deadlines there were, and the slack time could be filled by learning about different approaches and experimenting with them. Everyone gets their own cushy office with a powerful computer and a big whiteboard. The majority of the work boils down to programming, often in Java or MATLAB, implementing algorithms for statistical inference, optimization, machine learning, signal processing, etc. Often this involves visualizing the output in Metron's Glimpse (it's on Github - check it out!), which is invariably fun. For the most part, the work is very engaging.
It was a pleasure to work with the vast majority of the colleagues that I interacted with. They are generally nice, laid back, and smart. The different managers who I worked with each had very different managing styles but I enjoyed working with all of them. Every manager comes from a technical background, like the analysts, which I found to be very good, as they can accurately represent and sell the work. Perhaps one competitive downside of this is that we look dorky compared to companies that have marketing departments!
Overall, I highly recommend the analyst position in Divisions I and VI to mathematically-oriented individuals looking for challenging, interesting work outside of an academic environment.
Cons
- My salary was lower that it would have been at a big tech company.
- Some projects are more interesting than others, and some clients are more frustrating than others.
- Draconian security measures for projects requiring clearances are a small annoyance (this unfortunately inherent in government contracting).
