I was hired at Exal Corporation in August of 2008. Unlike any other career that I had, Exal was the "perfect" dead-end job. It has a 2-3-2 schedule which runs from 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM (Monday/Tuesday...off on Wednesday and Thursday...then work Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Then come back on Tuesday and Wednesday.....then off from Friday-Sunday.) After 2 weeks of working days I would work nights from 7:00 PM - 7:00 AM. I HATED the schedule more than anything else. I was an extrusion operator on line 4 which had a lot of break downs. There were multiple components on the extrusion machine. The punch, the ironer, the trim/brush and the washer. I was responsible for all of the components and routine maintenance. The heat was stifling and the place was extremely loud. It definitely isn't a place that anyone with ambition to better themselves to work. I wanted to finish my college degree after I was employed with the company in 2008. The pay was $13.46 per hour for me when I was working. After 6 months it increased to $14.18 per hour (2008). After 2 years of employment with Exal the max rate was $17.25 per hour(2008). To my knowledge, the current rate is around $19.75 per hour for extrusion operators.



I often heard some of my co-workers bragging about how much overtime they worked to gross salaries around $60K per year. It didn't impress me. I wanted to gross $60K per year based on a great paying career instead of working overtime. The job was the "perfect" dead end job. There was no way for me to continue my college education with that (2-3-2) schedule. I felt like "Andy" in the 1993 movie "The Shawshank Redemption". I felt trapped, uneducated and hopeless. I've never had so much determination to leave a workplace until I started working at Exal. I was in the fire department prior to working at Exal but due to relocating back to Ohio after going through a divorce I had to find whatever job I could in order to pay the bills, and Exal happened to be the choice.



After six grueling months of pounding the pavement looking for other places of employment that offered more opportunities , I've finally got the phone call of a LIFETIME in March of 2009! I had a job offer from the federal government! I was so excited after the call that I created my resignation letter within minutes after I got off of the phone. My last day that I worked at Exal was March 19, 2009! I am currently employed with the federal government with a base salary of $62K! Overtime is optional for me. The biggest benefit of working here is that it's a Monday-Friday job with weekends off…….. HALLELUJAH!!! I will have my college degree this year (2015).





I'm thankful for my experience at Exal. It motivated me to pursue a higher education as well as not taking my "trivial days" with my current employer for granted. My advice to anyone interested in working at Exal is to have no illusions about the work schedule. For myself, that place was an “ambition” killer. It’s not a place to work if you have career goals; it’s a “JOB” not a “CAREER”….there’s a difference. 12- hour days are the norm and it will be very challenging to pursue a higher education while employed at Exal.



It pays a decent salary after 2 years ($45,333.99) roughly without overtime. With some moderate overtime an employee can gross around $60K