Vantaggi
You spend a lot of time working independently inspecting construction materials with many breaks between tests. The upper management seems to be of higher quality, though middle management is lacking. Many of the lower level employees are interesting and fun to be around but there is very high turnover. SCI offers great benefits and has good company wide activities.
Svantaggi
Middle management can be inept and uncommunicative. The pay rate is awful. The work is essentially construction labor. There is essentially no opportunity for advancement. Hours are long and intermittent. 12 and 14 hour days were common. Also showing up in the morning to discover there was no work for you. As an hourly employee this makes budgeting very difficult. Overtime is often available during the summer but is balanced out during low construction times in the winter.