Pros: A large company virtually guarantees a wide variety of work. There is almost certainly a job that you will enjoy at Boeing if you are willing to dig for it. While the pay is average, the benefits are actually pretty good, particularly the 401k match.

Cons: Many systems (both hardware and software) and processes have not been updated since well before the turn of the century, haven't been maintained, and are barely holding together (duct tape and chewing gum is only a slight exaggeration). As a result, you are going to spend way more time than you need setting up anything hardware-related. It was not unusual to spend hours setting up for 10-15 minutes of testing, and that was if you could get the hardware working at all. Any requests to management to fix these issues will fall on deaf ears. Either the program does not have the time or budget for it, or it's clearly not an issue and you just need to work more hours to compensate. The majority of programs seem to always be millions over budget and years behind schedule. In addition, there is rarely consensus from the powers that be over the priority of work. As you might imagine, this does not exactly create a calm workplace that is conducive to doing your best work. The company's age can also lead to a bit of an old boys' club in certain areas, where if you haven't been there for at least a decade, don't bother; your opinion will not be taken into account. Pay is a bit on the low end. A first-year engineer at Google will make about the same as an end-of-career senior engineer at Boeing.

Pros: Benefits: Free health care and tuition reimbursement for any class you want to take. This is unmatched elsewhere. Strong company, because they have a strong footprint in both the defense and commercial industries. Therefore, in terms of job security, there is always work to do. Also, job mobility is very flexible. When you get bored of a project, there are a ton of other groups that are willing to take you on for different projects. Easy to move around horizontally, at least.

Cons: BIG company. When you work on something so large, like the 787, it is hard to see what exactly you contributed to the project. Sometimes, you feel like just another number.

Pros: Friendly people, fairly low stress, good benefits, paid overtime, cool products.

Cons: Decisions come from management down. Engineers are not very empowered or encouraged to be innovative. It is very difficult to change jobs. There are many senior engineers, so even if you have a lot of experience, it is hard to advance into positions of greater responsibility.