Pros
With hard work and dedication the advancement opportunities are endless. A decade of experience with this company and always new opportunities to learn everyday, fast paced, overtime and bonuses, good pay, paid training. At the company level the environment was comfortable and familial - sometimes dysfunctional like most families are! Proves that lifelong employment is still a possibility in todays world. As a general rule with dedicated and uniquely skilled employees there is a reciprocal commitment.
Cons
For those who do not understand the steel industry is a roller coaster and if your only in it for the good times this is not the place for you - cutbacks are always eminent during slow times. The corporate office only cares about a results, sending the message everyone is expendable (sometimes with very little or no warning). This attitude often trickles down causing a "running scared" environment in management and can lead to poor treatment of employees. When times are busy it's high stress, high expectations, often asking the near impossible - for average pay. However, all said none of this seems uncommon in the industry and people who meet these high expectations are generally "safe" - though they still have to live in the panic-culture.