Ford

Great company. A blessing to work there. Get Ford on your resume. Great pay and benefits. Get paid overtime. Job security for engineering specialists is pretty good. Plenty of downtime, which gives you time to study or take care of projects. My supervisors were very cool and understanding. I enjoyed working with them.

As a Dimensional Engineering Specialist in the Body Shop at the Chicago Assembly Plant (CAP), I had to be trained by an engineer who had been there for 25 years. He was a very miserable individual.

I pride myself on being able to get along with almost anyone, but this individual was the absolute worst person that I had ever worked with. Working with him was excruciating, and I am so happy that I quit.

The plant has a vibe that sucks the soul out of you. My friend did two tours in Iraq, and he told me that his mental health had drastically improved since he left CAP. That should tell you everything you need to know about working there.

The union toolmakers, most of them, don't want to help you and give you an attitude when you ask them to do something. The line workers are cool for the most part, but there is just something about CAP that makes you hate working there.

My advice: don't work there. All the fun engineering jobs are in Dearborn.

Also, the crew schedule leaves you with no life. There are three crews (4 ten-hour days):

• A = M-TH (5:30 am-4 pm)
• B = T-TH (5:30 pm-4 am)
• C = F-M (F and Sat 5:30 am-4 pm, Sun and Mon 5:30 pm-4 am)

I worked C crew, which really affected my personal life. You get used to it, but it's not sustainable.