Pros
This all depends on what department and direct manager you have but my experience has been a very nurturing experience where we have had good work life balance and an encouragement to better ourselves with education and additional skills.
Cons
This all depends on what department and direct manager you have but the cons that I have experienced is a disconnect of industry standards for pay vs job description. Having a similar job in the private industry would yield at least a 30% increase. It is very hard to get a pay raise outside of the "yearly" raises that all state employees receive in accordance to the state's approved budget. If you get stuck in a department with a senior leader that doesn't recognize your or your group importance, it makes for a miserable work environment because there is little avenue to remedy this. Leaders can make your working life very hard, on purpose, and label their actions as innovation making it hard to prove malice intent.