National Instruments Reviews in Austin, TX Area

Pros

Benefits, work product, people, balance of work and personal life.

Cons

Company is still young, growing pains expected

Advice to Senior Management

Keep the good communication going.

Pros

Great advancement opportunities if you are in the right department. Stuck out the recession. Officers take a larger pay cut before the employees do (which is smaller).

Cons

No different than other companies, but management can favor more tenured, less knowledgeable of current conditions employees because they have been there so long.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep doing what you are doing. You have a great base, but recognize the innovation and ideas that a pair of fresh eyes can bring

Pros

Good company to start a career with, especially if you only have a bachelor's degree in engineering (more about graduate degrees below). Good people. Laid-back atmosphere. Open communication. Volleyball. Deck parties.

Cons

Absolutely ridiculous salaries. Non-respectful of graduate degrees (company gave 1.5K raise over other bachelor's candidates for a 2-year full-time master's degree !!!!). No great bonuses or salary raises in following years either.

My advice: Ok to be there when you are young (22-26). Enjoy the time, make some friends, play volleyball and drink beer at work (yes, it is allowed). Leave when you start having a family/buying a house to get some real value for your education and qualifications as a few beers during the deck parties don't pay for your mortgage/wedding check at that point of the life.

Advice to Senior Management

Look around and increase the salaries !!

Pros

The environment is healthy, relaxed and open.

Cons

Salary is below average, still nothing to be concerned.

Advice to Senior Management

Improve the salary basis.

Pros

good co-workers, on-site doctor and gym, CEO and founder still at helm

Cons

poor pay structure, consensus-driven decision making,promotions too entrenched in social circles/playing politics, middle-management sucks, limited/slow growth opportunities

Advice to Senior Management

consider trimming the fat - lots of inefficiency hiding in the middle layers of the company,...makes growth for true innovators difficult as promotions/ideas are controlled and people are forced to under perform to keep their jobs

Pros

I enjoy the project that I work on. I feel like I have a lot of freedom in the technical decisions that I make.

Cons

I think the pay could be a little better. I've been at NI for many years and I hardly make more than when I was hired (of course, I was hired right before the great economic collapse of 2008 and like almost all NI employees I didn't lose my job so.....)

Advice to Senior Management

Maybe try and be a little more competitive with pay. That actually applies extra for remote R&D facilities. My group works closely with another group in another country and we frequently lose good people from that group because of issues dealing with overwork and pay. If you are going to try and save a little money by opening a remote R&D facility (notice to the readers, NI doesn't lay off employees in Austin to staff these facilities, they just start growing more slowly in Austin) then can't you spare a little bit extra to pay them competitively so we can get the best?

Pros

NI has a great culture, honest management, competitive pay, great benefits, awesome products, an on site doctor, on site gym, three cafeterias, Austin is a great city. It all adds up to a great place to build a career.

Cons

You might be able to make a few dollars more somewhere else, especially mid career, but if you stick it out and perform you will be rewarded. This is a rare company that you can spend a career at.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep your eye on the 100 year plan and do not fall into the trap of paying attention to the analysts quarterly expectations.

Pros

NI is a young company. It is a fun environment with many benefits on site. It is a pretty laid back atmosphere.

Cons

There is very little room for advancement in the sales department. The compensation for the job required is not sufficient.

Pros

The people are fantastic. The opportunities are endless. You can take the chance and make a name for yourself. Innovation is encouraged as part of the NI Culture.

Cons

I'd like to see NI embrace a little more top down vision than it has now. There is a lot of consensus driving that it not necessary.

Pros

Career Development, Networking, Work/Life Balance, Benefits, Culture

Cons

Low Salary, Masters Degree doesn't help