Pros
Great work/life balance, job security
Kontras
Compensation, at least for people with science degrees, is so far below average it's a surprise anyone stays more than a couple years. They have quite a few people at the bottom, the technician level, which means that if lots of the talented ones leave for a better paying job there will always be someone else to fill their shoes. It seems that it would be a better idea to identify potential talent and reward those with a compensation equivalent to what other biotech companies pay. Even if you do get a raise and/or promotion, the pay will still be far below what you could make elsewhere simply because you'll start at a very low rate. If after 2-3 years they bump you up to 40k (you'd be incredibly lucky), it may seem like a big raise but just take a look at what other companies in this sector will pay an R&D scientist with a few years of experience and you'll be ready to do what almost everyone else does, and leave. For anyone unlucky enough to be in QC or the "chemist" positions in manufacturing, you truly have no hope at all. I have heard those jobs start around 26-28k and there honestly is nowhere to go except R&D, where, after a few years in manufacturing, you'll still start at the technician level and make somewhere near 30k. It really is an absolute joke and I don't understand how people can do that...unless you have a spouse making a real salary. Anyone with any talent at all will leave here quickly. The few talented people who have stayed, and worked their way into leadership roles, have only stayed because of family commitments, and even they will tell you to run for the door.