Pros
Once you're past probation, you have stability and good benefits. There is a rigorous four-month classroom training on eligibility for usually food stamps and Medicaid eligibility, with five exams you must pass with 80% or better, and you must have stellar attendance unless you are really sick or have Covid. But if you plan to take vacation within the first six months of employment, don't. You have four months of classroom training and then 2-3 months of on-the-job training, which can be in Antioch or Hercules until you are given your permanent location and assignment, where they try to give you a place near your residence. Yes, you start out initially on the lower end, salary-wise wise at around $53,000 a year, but after your training you get a raise and then it goes every six months. You qualify after a year to bid up for a promotion and you can level up faster if you have a bachelor's degree. I really love helping the community and I'm in my Master's program to be a social worker so I like what I do. But it's not for everyone. You have to do rotation in a call center at least twice a week but after your nine-month probation is up, you can work two days a week from home. So, if you want to help the community, especially vulnerable low-income and homeless populations, this is a great choice. You are serving your community.
Cons
The cons for me are shifting from one location to another. And you bond with your training class, so it will be hard once we separate. It's like going to college and then graduating. It's an intensive ordeal, and you have these bonds and must go your separate ways. Call me sentimental. Regarding other Cons, if you're training in Concord, the bathroom situation is sub par. It really needs to be fixed. And the AC in the summer sometimes doesn't like to work so they'll ship you out at a moment's notice to Hercules or another location unless it's too late in the day. The training and tests are not that hard. It's all open book but you need to pay attention and ask for help to make sure you are doing everything correctly. But the training program for the software can freeze up. It did on our final and upset a lot of us. If you have test anxiety, I'm sorry. I say, bring in music to help yourself relax and just practice before hand. If you practice and take good notes, and make sure you know how to use all the spreadsheets, you will be fine. I promise.