Stability of Work in Defense Industry (USA) 2

[ProEpro]

The major defense employer in my town is Lockheed. They have a reputation for having laid off 10X the number of people they have hired. The work there is seasonal depending on if the democrats or republicans are in power. Are all employers in the US defense industry like that?

I am considering a position with a communications equipment company that gets >50% of it's income from defense work. Things have been good for them the past few years. Should I expect that to change as we try to wind down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?

How can I tell if the job is tied to some large contracts and will be gone when it is done?

What should I look out for in working for a defense contractor?

In general what is it like compared to a private sector commercial job?

Thanks In Advance

ProEpro

http://www.whitelightdesign.com

 

[IRstuff]

Are all employers in the US defense industry like that?
>> Not even all of LM is like that. Different divisions' management have slightly different styles.


Should I expect that to change as we try to wind down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?
>> Afghanistan is probably not going to end anytime soon. However, unless your company's business in production, current activities are essentially irrelevant.

How can I tell if the job is tied to some large contracts and will be gone when it is done?
>> In general, you can't tell. And even if you could tell, there's no way to know how the management has structured their employment levels.


What should I look out for in working for a defense contractor?In general what is it like compared to a private sector commercial job?
>> Personally, I don't think there's much difference. Business cycles are different.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize

 

[MikeHalloran]

The US maintains a relatively stable number of really interesting defense jobs, chased by a substantially larger number of engineers, technicians, managers and other people.

The jobs are not stable in any other sense. They come and go in different locales depending on which Congresscritters are in power and which of the Evil Empires wins the most recent contract, or in the case of airborne tankers, the most recent appeal.

The various Evil Empires compete mostly on the basis how thoroughly they can manage to mislead, underpay, and otherwise abuse the workforce, which because it is much larger than the instantaneous population of positions, is forced to be nomadic.

Chances are that you will meet more people in the defense community, because of the forced peregrinations, i.e. shorter business cycles.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[ctopher]

Aerospace and defense companies are known for layoff's every several years.
With the US gov't talking of a shutdown soon, there may be a hold on all hiring, but more layoffs.

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP4.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[IRstuff]

Unfortunately, no one wants to cut where they need to cut, which is all the future pension obligations, so, yeah, they'll probably cut procurement, but it probably won't be a big chunk, because of all the troops stuck in Iraq and Afghanistan.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize

 

[stanweld]

The Defense industry is prone to boom and bust cycles depending on the whims of politicians and current "fear" environments. Completion of contracts and lost bids also contribute to the cycle. If you are looking for job stability, forget about it!

You should be able to get some information as to the company's current Defense contracts/subcontracts and duration thereof during the interview process.

 

[plasgears]

Keep your eyes and ears open for the next challenge: Libya. I have rec'd signals from a number of quarters.

 

[ProEpro]

Thank for all the opinions. It sounds like my impressions were accurate. I should say that I know some people who have worked at Lockheed all their lives.

Does it matter what part of the defense industry? Would communications equipment be better than planes?

ProEpro

http://www.whitelightdesign.com

 

[ctopher]

From my own experience, in large corporations that do defense work, you are just a number. The lucky ones and the important positions are more likely to stay. It's also who you know .

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP4.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[IRstuff]

There are no guarantees in any particular field, although communications and intelligence processing is always a big deal. Nearly a 7 years after Pat Tillman's death by fratricide in Afghanistan, the Army still has no means of IFF for dismounts.

However, all the armed forces are heavy into UAVs, so there's lots of work in developing smaller, more capable UAVs for different missions.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize

 

[beej67]

If the guys you're working for are expanding due to BRAC work, then keep your eye on the horizon, because BRAC is winding down. (supposedly)

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