1) Nettlesome work environment. Coworkers are the competition with whom you will compete on performance metrics which of course translates to receiving (or not receiving!) bonuses, raises, and promotions. Problematically, coworkers are ALSO the ones from whom you are supposed to find work. It is a total conflict of interest—asking to get work from those with whom you compete. Because work does not come directly from clients, there is an extremely limited pool of people from whom you can get work and they aren’t inclined to give it to you for sake of their own interests unless they have extra (“work hoarding” happens during slow times of the year). If you don't manage to find any work, it counts against you so you'll either be trying to find work or have too much work to do which is extremely stressful. I have also witnessed lots of back-stabbing, credit-stealing and petty games going on due to the competitive work environment coupled with fake smiles. This is the number one reason working at Exponent is difficult. Instead of the traditional business model of having a boss hand down work or even having a team that all has a common goal, you will be expected to find your own work *internally* and work with people who are working against you.
2) Unchallenging science. Often the type of tasks that are done for projects are tedious, simple things. Frequently the work performed does not require a PhD whatsoever. This can seem like a plus to not have to do super cognitively-demanding tasks, but then one realizes they’re mostly doing a myriad of tiresome and unexciting tasks. Over time, while you’ll work with the latest technology in industry, your own personal hard-earned skills as a scientist will wane. There is some opportunity to be creative in how to tackle particular tasks.
3) Finally, this isn't really a long-term job. You’ll become a jack of *many* trades but master of none. You do whatever work comes in and you will like it (or you can quit!). Some projects are legitimately interesting, others are not, but that is the nature of consulting work—Exponent will take any project no matter how meaningless it is as long as it helps pay the bills. If one expects to specialize and become a true expert at something (which a PhD student is typically driven to do) you do not want to stay at Exponent and instead apply to a company that specifically does the type of work you want to do. There is no passion for the work here at this company, it's all about the money. Why else would PhD graduates forego pursuing topics of their own interest in an academic setting other than being offered a lot more money than what an academic position would offer? Notice that most of the company is filled with younger employees despite being around since the 60’s and you’ll realize the turnover rate must be high—it’s also why they’re constantly recruiting and trying to hire. I don't get the sense they're overly interested in retaining talent so much as just finding new talent. It's alarming that fresh PhD students are the targets for recruitment rather than seasoned professionals.
