Pros
Great place to gain early career experience if you desire a career in federal government contracting.
Cons
I was misled during my interview process. I was led to believe several key things about the position that evaporated after getting an apartment at my own expense 1000 miles from home and starting to work. Yes, these things were at the level of "I should have had them written into the contract," but I did not. The "relocation expenses" were not handled as advertised in terms of accounting, making the total amount that came to me for expenses about half of what was in the offer letter. It could have been handled differently by accounting, making the amount much higher after taxes. During my 18 months, the "big project" I was expressely hired to do kept getting put off. I was repeatedly told that it had nothing to do with me or ICF and there was difficulty with the client (a federal agency) and it was all about internal politics. I was told to be patient. In the meantime, I was given various tasks that would come up, but never any work that resembled a data architect role. My mistake was being loyal and staying with them for 18 months. I should have left much earlier, but I thought that by showing I would stick with them regardless would eventually be rewarded with more challenging work. I am senior in my career, which has been a lot of consulting and contracting, particularly in data warehousing. So, settling in one company for the next 10-15 years is a desired career goal. And no, that doesn't have to mean "riding it out until retirement." I have no plans to "ride out" anything. It means to continue to grow as a person and a professional, but taking my knowledge and experience and focusing it in strategic ways that grow my career in new directions. One month before being laid off, I was still being told, "Hang i n there and be patient," except this time with the added, "we're going to try and find you work in other programs," "Programs" meant other federal agency contracts. I received a severance I would have expected as a junior programmer. I was told the severance package was "typical in the industry," but I've been laid off before and always had better treatment than with this company. There are several things that glassdoor will not allow me to put here.
