Pros
The people at National Instruments are all so incredible -- this company does a great job of hiring kind, yet motivated individuals, making anyone's experience at NI a great one. The culture is like none I have ever seen -- family oriented, but efficient. They place a high value on work/life balance, which is becoming harder and harder to find in today's society. Also, this company is very flat and transparent, meaning that you are exposed to upper management daily, and nothing is kept a secret from you. I will never forget when I, as an intern, approached CEO, James Truchard, who we call "Dr. T," just to say hello. Upon doing so, he put down his work and had a conversation with me... I will forever respect him for that. He sits in a cube, just like the rest of us, and eats in the cafeteria every single day, just like "one of the gang." I love this fact about him and the company he created.
Kontras
The only con I would say about working for NI would be that because the atmosphere is so laid back and comfortable, sometimes expectations are unclear and that can make some roles somewhat inefficient. You have to learn to ask for deadlines at this company.