For some context (without doxxing myself), I left ExxonMobil a little over a year ago after spending only a few years with the company. I was hired directly out of grad-school and was pretty excited to be chosen (scientific background). I stayed away from this site for much of the pandemic as I found it quite toxic. The majority of folks who were posting could barely spell what they were trying to say, and I felt it wasn't a great representation of the general feelings of the workforce. I did find the site super useful in ensuring I left appropriately and with the proper information. So here is my input, a little over a year out:
I 100% made the right choice. I was hesitant at first as the compensation was great at XOM, but I soon found that the bonus structure employed at most other companies matched, or exceeded what I was making at XOM. Total comp now, I make more than I was at Exxon. Quite frankly I didnt care too much about the pension, and for anyone who has done the math, it isnt super beneficial until your later years (they are backloaded). I never "mentally" considered the pension part of my pay, so it was easy to part ways with. I found you also get paid more at XOM to account for the volatility. At the end of the day (and I think this site highlights it perfectly), the pay isnt worth the headache or the uncertainty.
I really enjoyed my coworkers AND my middle management (yup). All were fantastic and smart people that were worked extremely hard. My peers were excellent at their job and I personally benefited being around them for the few years. I also benefited from the compensation related to moving to the site, and XOM essentially provided my emergency savings and cushions that I felt extremely fortunate to have.
My dislikes: I found the company to move at the pace of a snail. Science moves 100 mph and they suffer from a culture focused on safety and one that has moved historically slow. Exxon has a wide moat and it's only recently been in jeopardy with extremely low crude oil prices and competition from greener energies. I believe the command understands this 'slowness' to be a problem, as they often mentioned and discussed it. The challenge was unraveling 150 (or however many) years of culture and practice seemed impossible (honestly, it is impossible). R&D in and of itself was moving insanely slow. Aside from the inherent challenges in green energy (from an economic and scientific perspective), it seemed like the company was technically unprepared to handle the work. Petroleum science (I felt) was really an engineering problem, and one XOM solved quite well. They struggled (IMO) in advancing new science that would benefit the company from a new energy POV (basically couldnt think outside of the box. They were experts at petroleum and I didnt feel like they would ever be experts at anything else, like they needed to be). The company puts engineers center stage (and i get it), but this really creates challenges for the scientific folk with regards to advancement. I also felt quite uncertain about R&Ds future and the company never really spoke much to it.
Since leaving Ive found my new company (and Ill mention its a larger company with regards to revenue) to be super transparent. The work and firm itself are quite progressive and honestly, it's night and day compared to XOM. People are genuinely excited to work and that level of happiness really transcends. I actually work about 100x harder than I did at XOM but i love it, and I wake up waiting for it to start.
Basically, I am super thankful for what XOM provided and really enjoyed my first few years. I enjoyed my peers and I enjoyed working for a firm that has such a rich history; its super impressive. Am I glad I left? Yes. For anyone young that is considering leaving...weigh your options. Do your research (glassdoor, speak to peers, network) and DO NOT BE SCARED OF ATTRITION, DO NOT BE SCARED OF LEAVING. Its normal, XOM expects its. You are not unique or special, and your coworkers will be fine. If you dont like it, go find your happiness elsewhere. If you enjoy it, stay! Your pay and benefits are really great and your peers are awesome.