Great mentorship programs and high school intern —> college intern —> entry level —> more senior employees. Good culture overall and work-life balance. Great benefits, especially for continuing education. Variety of work.
Federal contractor stability and benefits
Access to meaningful work with real professional value
Professional development opportunities exist within the institution
Cons
Whim-based supervision with no consistent written standard
A culture where informal practice overrides written policy selectively
Professional development systematically blocked
A management structure that documents against you while leaving comparators uncorrected
The psychological cost of having to document every interaction just to protect yourself