Pros
-Impressive amount of intellectual freedom -Uncompetitive funding to bring in students or research assistants as interns/postdocs -Work as little or as much as you want/flexible work schedule -Healthy amount of travel budget for conferences, workshops, academic visits, etc.
Cons
-Workplace amenities are far below acceptable level, and the disrepair is demoralizing: ---bathrooms are broken for years at a time ---the cafeteria seems unchanged for 25 years ---the water on-site may not be safe to drink ---mice problems due to inconsistently taking out the trash ---random furniture is strewn about the hallways ---far fewer parking spots than employees, causing a demeaning daily hunt for parking that wastes a lot of time (and driving is the required method of transit since public transit is awful in the vicinity) ---only acceptable coffee is from a vending machine In my view, it is not asking too much to demand a workplace with safe-to-drink water, acceptable coffee and bathrooms, and parking. Lacking these basics can be oppressive. -Bureaucracy: ---to get things done, must plan months in advance (I've requested Mathematica for my work computer 4 months ago at time of writing, still waiting...) ---people who are managing funding lines don't have technical expertise over the areas that they're managing, too much emphasis on synergizing with other research programs ---We are supposed to be doing research that enables future army technologies, but there are no regularly scheduled meetings with developers; put another way, I don't know what development challenges are a focus at a low level, only a high buzzword level (which is essentially meaningless), and therefore do whatever research I want. Having this level of research autonomy is nice, but it can feel like shouting into a black hole. -Compensation ---The starting pay is far better than an academic postdoc salary, but it is far worse than an industry postdoc salary (saying nothing of its comparison with full time industry or academic positions) ---No relocation expenses, annual bonuses are paltry --> What's the long term reward for maintaining an ambitious research vision? More bureaucratic responsibility, but not more pay. ---Employees who seem to be *done* researching and lose all hunger for publishing form deadwood that cannot be cut away. -Community ---There is essentially no workplace community. The company culture is leave work early, keep to your self. People live all over the DC-Baltimore corridor and drive from far away, making it a challenge for any semblance of cohesion to form. -If you are an ambitious researcher, prepare to work on your own (or to bring in students), as there are not others you can collaborate with in order to blitz out new publications. Those others (especially more senior people) are completely bogged down in random management initiatives.
