Pros
When looking for employment out of college, I knew I wasn't interested in putting on a suit and trying to impress HR managers to get a job pushing papers; I'd already tried that route during co-op! Practichem offers quite the opposite- I was able to jump in and immediately begin creating products that had a direct impact on the company's future. The technical team works very closely with each other, which has allowed me to gain a much broader field of knowledge compared to being pigeon-holed to one task. As a mechanical engineer, I never thought I'd be writing Python scripts and navigating the Linux command line! The nature of the market means that if you have a good idea, almost every modern manufacturing tech is at your disposal. In one year, I designed and had built parts with machining, injection molding, thermoforming, carbon fiber forming, extruding, and rapid prototyping. Being able to test out ideas with the in-house CNC is also a great plus. The culture here rewards productivity and getting projects across the finish line. I believe this makes me a better engineer, and I can come home every day feeling like I really pushed the company forward.
Cons
The downsides of Practichem are pretty universal across start-ups. Namely, if you don't like what you do, you won't last. Working at a small company is all about balancing priorities. People who succeed here are able to determine the most important task at hand and follow through. If you're interested in building a company, you'll love it. If you want to ask the boss what to do next, well, you won't like it here :). Yes, the hours are long. Yes, design changes can happen fast that blow out a week of work. Those days suck. However, until you're at the top of the hill you have to be ready to make changes to meet customer demand, and I get that. You'll be paid less than your peers, but it's a startup. High-risk high-reward is the name of the game.
