Pros
Job Stability First off, the job stability is second to none. All you have to do is show up and move the mouse on your computer once every ten minutes. Electric Boat has run a monopoly on the submarine industry. Electric Boat is the sole contractor to design submarines for the US Navy. While this sounds great and it is nearly impossible to get fired, you don't learn many transferable skills. But hey, if you like to show up and collect a paycheck then this job is for you! Electric Boat Athletic Club & Networking Electric Boat has an athletic club which is very welcoming to anyone willing to have a little fun and network within the company. Easy Job This is an extremely easy job. As I said above, show up and collect a paycheck. That's it! Don't expect to learn much in terms of transferable skills to another company. So long as you don't work in the shipyard itself the work / life balance is nice. I have heard some real horror stories of people having vacations be canceled because management demanded it.
Cons
Well, onto the massive problems with this company. Electric Boat is arrogant in thinking they will always be there. Well Newport News Shipyard is catching up and surpassing Electric Boat by the day. This company still operates like it is 1952 and cant let go of the glory days of the good ol' days. You are nothing more than a number here. No Incentive / Bonus Whatever you get hired in for pay... expect to make that for a long time. Raises are miniscule 2-3% at most and there is no actual bonus for anyone so whatever you get hired in as for base pay will be your pay. The pay is not competitive especially when you factor in how expensive it is to live in Connecticut. This helps lead to the MASSIVE turnover of this company. But as you read on you will see the rest of the issues. Company Culture Absolutely toxic. The company culture is disgusting. EVERYONE is pessimistic and openly talk about how much they hate their job and are looking elsewhere. Electric Boats mantra is to hire tons of kids right out of college to pick up work that they have no idea how to do and no one wants to teach them. The old timers do not want to mentor or teach others and you are left confused and being yelled at by the Navy because the leaders at Electric Boat are oblivious to anything happening around them that doesn't involve a spreadsheet or planning schedule. Time Tracking and Planning One of the worst aspects of this job is the beloved "Artemis" project tracking. Coupled along with the ATA box, you must track every single miniscule task you do..... down to the 6 minute increment. You must use a black box on the wall and charge individualized "shop orders". But hey at least I can tell my kids and grandkids I know what a time punch is! Another thing about planning. All this company cares about is the schedule. You have to work arrangements then "sell" them to the government. Does it work? Does it have good quality? Who cares!!!! as long as you "sell" to the government on your scheduled date everything gets thrown under the rug and that's it. Forget if it works or not, we hit an imaginary deadline someone made 10 years prior in the planning department who has no idea what engineering or design entails. Other Issues The company has also destroyed the tuition reimbursement plan so that you can obtain your masters degree, coupled with the loss of OT, and the parking (it really is that bad, expect 3/4 mile walk, if you show up by 6:45 / 7:00 am). A word of warning, you WILL get pigeon holed in this job if you stay for several years, there is zero growth and you are a paper pusher. The facilities are horrible, Electric Boat buys an old building and just lets it continue to fall into disrepair. They pack so many people into the New London office the bathrooms can’t even keep water pressure. Oh and you know how at a baseball game you must stand in line to use the bathroom….. Yeah get used to that here too. There is simply too much overcrowding. The new London office houses more than double what the building was designed for. On to management, the weakest link in the entire company. All levels of management have a disconnect with their employees. Electric Boat didn’t get the memo of happy employee = good product. Management looks down on everyone and just buries their head in the sand. Management cares more about their pockets right now and they will let the chips fall when they are not employed there anymore and it’s not their problem. The one thing I learn from Electric Boat is this “It’s not my problem”. I would never recommend this company to anyone I know, its only a feasible place to work if you are from Connecticut since there is nothing else in the area in terms of engineering jobs.