Prós
National Instruments is a great place to start a career. Intern and young engineers are given interesting, challenging and even key projects that they may not be given somewhere else. The mentoring is great and help young people learn and grow in their career. National Instruments is committed to a superior employee communication. There is a great leadership team. As long as you're ethical and do your job correctly, you shouldn't be afraid of being laid off, even in an economic downturn.
Contras
The pay is average compared to other companies. Great expectations for little reward, even when you perform well. Don't expect bonuses unless you really, really, really go above and beyond your daily job and come up with something innovative. It is sometimes hard to balance work and family time. It seems harder to move up the hierarchy on the technical track. There are more opportunities on the management track.