NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Employee Reviews about "campus"
89% would recommend to a friend
(79 total reviews)
Dr. Laurie Leshin
90% approve of CEO
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Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "A good work/life balance with a 9/80 schedule where you work 9 hours each work day and get every other Friday off." (in 50 reviews)
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This rating reflects the overall rating of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and is not affected by filters.
Found 79 of over 1K reviews
Updated Nov 28, 2023
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Reviews about "campus"
Return to all Reviews- 3.0Sep 16, 2016Engineer IVCurrent Employee, more than 10 yearsPasadena, CA
Pros
Get to work with world experts in fields, just down the hall. One of a kind projects (go to Mars, Europa, etc.) Nice people and campus to work at
Cons
The space business is very conservative - you're not going to be using the latest and greatest components. The lab is a hybrid of academia and industry - some organizations are very "peer reviewed publication" centric, others are not. The space business is very process intensive, while academic research tends to be more ad-hoc, so there is a tension as ideas move from low TRL research to higher TRL implementation and the required level of rigor jumps dramatically. Physical infrastructure and test equipment inventory is aging - an artifact of being a government facility.
2 - 4.0Jan 3, 2014Anonymous InternFormer Intern, less than 1 year
Pros
The people here are very smart and the campus location in Pasadena is great. Also, you can't beat the excitement of going to Mars!
Cons
There is a lot of bureaucracy. Sometimes the place feels too big and lacking unity. Students should watch out for dead-end research internships that lack strong mentorship.
- 3.0Sep 21, 2021Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee
Pros
Very great work environment all over campus
Cons
You need ellbows to rise up the ladder
- 4.0Jun 3, 2019InternCurrent Intern
Pros
It has a campus like environment and people are friendly.
Cons
There is Limited Parking space.
- 5.0Mar 5, 2021Summer InternFormer Temporary Employee, less than 1 year
Pros
Got to apply coursework I had previously learned, and learned a few things ahead of my classes. Got to work on a type of instrument that might one day be used in space. I also got to work in close proximity to fellow interns even though they were on separate projects, which was nice socially. Amazing cafeterias.
Cons
Its a huge campus. On-campus parking is a pain if you can get it.
- 2.0Aug 12, 2012Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee, more than 8 years
Pros
This used to be a great place to work, but it has changed dramatically in the last few years. Despite poor management, the technical staff is very capable and inspiring to work with. Has a great campus environment. Great success with Mars lander, but there is nothing after this, and many of its really good designers have been let go.
Cons
Has lost its direction, and its major funding sources. Has moved further away from space exploration in favor of DoD work. Experience base is being lost with layoff of more senior workers in favor of new grads. Salaries are being driven down, no raises in years. Mid-level managers are scrambling to protect themselves and their allies. Morale is very low.
2 - 5.0Aug 7, 2016Graduate Student InternFormer Intern, less than 1 yearDover, DE
Pros
The campus is fine tuned for for optimum working environment. The people are incredibly nice and hard working. It was the best job experience of my life.
Cons
Pasadena is real hot in the summer, and the campus is big - going between buildings is a bit intense. But I experienced no issues with the laboratory itself.
- 2.0May 8, 2012EngineerCurrent EmployeePasadena, CA
Pros
Nice campus...academic feel. You can stroll around and catch a cup of coffee now and then and be outdoors. That's about it.
Cons
Absolutely terrible management - no future. Dirty DIRTY politics, outright lying reasons for layoffs, corrupt management....all work towards destroying an organization that was once proud to accomplish things. There is no future for this place...there are no projects coming up, there are no real jobs available...managers are downgrading themselves and pushing existing people out the door to keep their own jobs...very dirty indeed. There is little to no recognition for good or outstanding work. Managers will throw you under the bus at the first hint of a "whine" or complaint from others. Beware...management and HR now work together to rid people of the lab...sections and managers create ridiculous schedules to be met and know fully they will not be...then they scapegoat people they want to fire/layoff because the milestones have not been met. The amount of dirty games and politics played at JPL right now cannot be over-emphasized...it's become a really lousy place to work.
17 - 5.0Jan 25, 2018Postdoctoral Research FellowCurrent Employee, more than 3 yearsPasadena, CA
Pros
It's great to be around so many very smart and very kind people, quite an inspiring environment. The opportunities to get involved in different projects and missions are endless. The JPL campus is beautiful as well. They also offer to work a 9h day and take each 2nd Friday off.
Cons
Parking can be a bit difficult, security and on-boarding for foreign nationals is handled very professionally, but can be a bit tedious.
- 5.0Apr 13, 2019Engineering Co-OpCurrent Intern, more than 1 year
Pros
Space exploration Everyone is open to show you what they do Freedom of work hours and how you do your work Diversity of thought on campus Ability to move around if you want Just everything.
Cons
Pasadena and the area is expensive HR can be terrible at getting back to you Finding a full time job can be very difficult
