post-doctoral fellow

student intern

postdoctoral researcher

physicist

technologist

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Working at LLNL was a completely different culture than anything I had experienced previously. I learned to adapt quickly to the requirements of the job and how to immediately contribute to my specific group to have success, The engineering work was rigorous and very thorough from design all the way through documentation and approvals. As a detail-oriented thinker, I appreciated this approach but found it cumbersome at times. 

Compensation was great and benefits were decent (I actually worked for a contractor to the lab, though all my fellow employees and supervisors were LLNL employees. Government pay is really good there).

Managment and job culture left a lot to be desired, really. Government projects can be slow and therefore frustrating at the lack of progress over long periods of time (funding issues, etc.). Decision making from immediate management would lean in one direction one day and a totally different direction the next based on upper management's immediate needs funding constraints. The scope of my group's work was cut significantly over my time there, indicative of growing budget problems for the larger project as a whole. This greatly lowered group morale from repeated unexpected layoffs. 

I had very little (read: none) feedback from management as to my own professional development and this was also very disappointing as a early-career engineer looking for direction from older engineering mentors.

My career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has been exciting, technically challenging in the sense continuously giving me the opportunity learn new technologies from day one. The Laboratory has provided me with the opportunity to grow my career in my different types of technologies. I’ve had the opportunity to manage a budget to implement the IPTV infrastructure, manage my own responsibilities and prioritize my own schedule. Always had the ability to contact outside the department personnel when needed to implement projects to meet deadlines. 
My coworkers have absolutely been a tremendous help and it’s been an honor working with them all during my career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. They are all well respected in their areas of expertise and have always made themselves available to help at a moment’s notice. I appreciate them all. 
Working at LLNL has allowed me to see some exciting and interesting research work that occurs at the national lab. I have traveled to some awesome locations for job assignments that I will always remember. It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to work for the prestigious Research and Development Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 


First, the job listing and the work I performed didn't coincide; talks about utilizing my skills and education turned into nothing more than mindless tasks... Example, I was originally in talks about working on advanced mechanical/electrical devices but once I got in, that "mechanical" aspect soon changed and I was placed into a chemistry department, which was unique but most of my time my abilities weren't used appropriately, and I would just anchor down desks and/or devices on shelves for earthquake precautions. 

Workplace culture was poor as well. My manager was nice, but those who I would consider as teammates weren't anymore than "know-it-alls"; one in particular. We had more arguments and disagreements than having each others backs. It made working pretty unbearable. Everyday was not only a battle to do my tasks  but in order to even complete them I would have to almost bribe others to help; anywhere from gaining transportation, to having a custom part designed and or welded. LLNL was never under the same umbrella. 

If anything, I do wish I stayed with the company longer in hopes I could have changed the culture within. 

The Lab is a great place to work. You won't find better people striving for higher goals unless you work at the Vatican or maybe a children's hospital. 

The facilities are awful. If you are looking for plush, keep moving. We work in badly air-conditoned/heated trailers scattered all around some cow field planted with landmines. We ride awful bicycles you couldn't give away from meeting to meeting with helmets that make you look like you got off the short bus. 

Because the people are sharp the jokes/irony are funny. It's worth the jokes...all we do is laugh. As a matter of fact, our friends and family even laugh about the jokes and repartee later on upon retelling.

Budgets are cut, no salary increases, no travel, no professional journals, no supplies (byop...pen). For meetings, lolol...instructors bake their own goods and bring them. Students buy coffee from the machine or community coffee pot. I'm serious...and it is bad coffee. 

But we love it here! I'm leaving because the budget cuts are cutting our jobs. I still have one but for how long?



I worked at LLNL for fifteen years. I had the opportunity to work on a range of projects that contributed to the United States.

The people I worked with generally ranged from very smart to brilliant.  I was able to work on projects that I would not have been able to work on anywhere else.

Most LLNL projects have very little supervision. As a contributor you have a goal and are expected to meet the goal. Coming from a corportate environment this can be a culture change, but once I understood the culture I did well.

In the area I worked in, many projects were funded for relatively short periods of time (four months to a year or two). When your project comes to an end, there is a lot of pressure to find a new project and you are required to interview internally for projects. If you don't find a project for a period of months, you will be terminated. While this is still more stable than the world of Silicon Valley start-ups, it can create constant pressure to find projects.

The work is not that difficult but the maps are extremely outdated. Induction is the preferred method of locating by this group of locators. You will be required to mark empty conduits and lines that run way outside of the work zone. The scanning is difficult if you do not already possess adequate experience reading the GSSI Mini-XT. If you mess up, you will be informed very publicly, so maybe record these instances. The most difficult part about this job is accessing communication structures and getting into certain buildings before you attain the Q clearance which is a totally seperate nightmare. Record your reviews without informing anyone, and be extremely blunt when you write them out (yes, you write out your own reviews). I would also suggest printing out a copy of your employee profile (the whole thing) as well as copies of the Q clearance background questionnaire. Other than that just be mindful of people who act like seniority is an official title. 

Since I was an intern, I only spent 3 months here during the summer, which were some of the most interesting in my life.  A typical day started with me arriving and riding one of the bikes they have lying around for us to my building of work.  My position had me working at my desk and computer for a few hours, occasionally chatting with other workmates or playing ping pong during breaks.  I always had access to assistance from my mentors when necessary.  Though the days sometimes dragged on and the topic of work was challenging to understand at times, I enjoyed breaking through that barrier of understanding each new day.  I greatly enjoyed the scenery and being able to immerse myself in it fully every time I went out to lunch or travel anywhere, thanks to having bikes to ride around right through it all.  It simply was a pleasant place to be.

Education Benefits, Reimbursement for Degrees at Accredited colleges and universities is a great benefit there.   I got my Bachelor's and Master's the first time I worked there.  I was encouraged by my manager to go back to school to get both degrees.  My manager was incredibly important to my career.   Not only did I get my degrees I got great work experience.  I learned so much about the organization development field of work.  

The most enjoyable part of the job was the quality of the people and  the high level of  education and qualifications of my coworkers and clients.   I really enjoyed working with them.  I was assigned to two different  Directorate twice to work exclusively with them.   I really got to know their leaders, supervisors, employees and a lot about their work, structure and business practices.  However, some of the technical work was difficult for me to understand.  I worked with a lot of  physicists and engineers.  

Account management on many aspects including spreadsheets, heavy customer and phone contact, scheduling, project followup, computer usage for e-mails, meetings, and communication, domestic and foreign travel arrangements, interviewing, and resume screenings. I gained quite a lot of experience and background on interviewing techniques and how to handle time management and multi-task effectively. Managers and co-workers were very professional as was the company culture and employer offered effective training on areas of computer skills and personal aspects to enhance employee development. Most challenging was when all areas of management within a department changed office and brought in their staff leaving a feeling of where the rest of us fit within the department. Most enjoyable was the education and experience gained while employee at the Laboratory.

I had a great experience working at this company. It provided a positive and supportive work environment, making it an excellent place to grow professionally. The mentors were friendly, approachable, and always willing to share their knowledge. Whenever I encountered challenges, they were quick to offer guidance and help me find solutions, which made my learning process smoother.

Another major benefit was the remote work setup, which gave me the flexibility to manage my schedule while staying productive. Despite working remotely, communication was seamless, and I always felt connected to my team. The collaborative culture and supportive leadership made it easy to ask questions and continuously improve my skills.

Overall, this job provided a great learning experience, and I appreciated the opportunity to work in a professional yet welcoming environment. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a supportive team and a remote-friendly workplace.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Post-doctoral fellow 48 salaries reported	$118,838 per year
Student intern 72 salaries reported	$8,255 per month
Postdoctoral researcher 114 salaries reported	$127,281 per year
Physicist 22 salaries reported	$183,537 per year
Technologist 53 salaries reported	$52.80 per hour

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