Pros
- Job security (so long as Congress funds the government) - Interesting work - Reasonable work/life balance - Occasional travel (average 1x/year) to some interesting places (both overseas and in the States) - Vast majority of colleagues are professional, interesting, and great to work with - Cash bonuses for deployments to military operation areas (if you're interested in that) - Ability to take lots of training in and outside your area of professional responsibility
Cons
- Nearly impossible to get promoted under new Talent Management System introduced 2 years ago, can only be promoted once a year; income stagnation after a number of years - Leadership/management can be hit/miss depending on the office you work for - Trade-off between high cost of living in the DC area or having to deal with extreme traffic congestion - Government bureaucracy