Pros
The benefits are very good. I believe that the CEO really means it when he says he wants the best he can do for the employees. It's a tough place to be when you have to answer to the stock holders as well as the customers, employees, etc. And as companies grow, they must change.
Cons
I worked there for quite a long time. I can really only speak for one portal, but my view is that NIC and the portals do not promote the right people. The people who do the real work and have the "team" mentality rarely get promoted. I'm sure many in leadership do a great job, but too much emphasis on promotion is "talking the talk" and "looking the look". That "Marketing" mentality doesn't get applications written and it doesn't meet the needs of the customers. It concerns itself with looking good, winning awards, (and I suspect bonuses). And I hate to say it, but those sort of people tend to be "me" people. Since those in leadership often haven't done the "real work", they just don't understand the importance of putting resources into building infrastructure (upgrading applications for example) because those things aren't pretty and shiny. Pet projects that get attention demand the resources. The other truly necessary things are supposed to some how "still get done".
