Pros
Lots of good things to say about SSA. Good health benefits and PTO. They allow flexible start and stop times, as well as telework - it’s great for busy parents or people with outside obligations. Training and ongoing education is valued by SSA. The agency employs some really excellent people. It is a great agency for people who like repetition and stability in a work environment.
Cons
Rote work with few opportunities to advance other than into management. It’s difficult to stay engaged when not working toward something. Accounting for every minute of the day through signing in and out and leave requests for any time away is construed as infantilizing by some. For some positions, above-and-beyond work is rewarded very minimally, if at all. More typically, the hardest workers are given more work to cover for open positions or underperforming employees. Those with excellent performance reviews are given a nominal bonus a little over 1% of salary. Pay for attorneys is low compared to private sector and it is not keeping up with inflation. Many more employees are retiring or resigning than in prior years. If one is interested in career advancement and is not politically oriented or interested in management, they should consider using the time with SSA as a career step and move on to another agency or private sector to advance.