Pros
The work is interesting, challenging, and impactful. While change is slow in the government, I feel like my work helps to make positive changes. I really like my coworkers, and I generally feel supported by my project teams. I feel like I get to associate daily with smart, dedicated, and hard working individuals who are willing to teach and be taught. There is a culture of continuous learning. It’s fairly easy to switch between projects, so I have never felt bored or “stuck” in work that doesn’t fit my skills or interests. I love working from home and that most of my coworkers work from home too. I go into the office if/when I want, but there isn’t pressure to do so. There is a lot of flexibility to make a schedule that works for you. Many people choose to work part time in ways that work for them- like 4 days a week instead of 5. I think the pay is more than fair. I’m making $50k more than I was at my previous job.
Cons
There is pressure to be billable. There isn’t enough PTO, especially for those of us with families and have to take days off to care for others. The company is large enough that it’s difficult to be nimble when staffing needs on projects change- so some people are overstaffed, and others are very understaffed. The company rewards people with SME more than those with project management skills, and I see talented individuals plateauing at the company and not getting the opportunity for project leadership (even though they have leadership skills) while people with SME are thrust into leadership (and higher pay) without the people/project management skills to be effective in those roles. This seems especially true when we hire experts at the P4+ levels.