Vantaggi
The opportunity to see the inside workings of very secret consumer devices to charged litigation cases to intense government research is something people at Exponent can see on the same day. Generally, there is an atmosphere of teaching, mentorship, and communal respect for each other. The pay is not very competitive at the beginning but quickly makes up for the life you've had to leave behind to be successful.
Svantaggi
The expectations are high, the people who are successful have to sacrifice their personal lives, family, and selves to succeed. I have to be honest, I thought I could continue to do that after 4 years of graduate school but the burn out is real. Single income and not wanting to live in a tiny apartment is practically impossible off the salary of Exponent in the heart of the Bay Area. There is an attempt to teach management skills to supervisors but it often falls flat due to the nature of the person who is successful at Exponent - data driven, antisocial, blunt people with doctorate degrees in engineering. Not sure what they expected to happen.