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National Security Agency

Engaged Employer

National Security Agency reviews

3.7

73% would recommend to a friend

(345 total reviews)
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Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, USA

Not enough data to show CEO approval

53% positive business outlook

National Security Agency has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 345 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The National Security Agency employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Government & Public Administration industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

345 reviews
4.0
Aug 9, 2008

Defend the nation!

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Exciting work! You are protecting the nation which is very fulfilling. Job security is excellent. Great health benefits, retirement options. Lots of opportunities to attend conferences and other kinds of training. Work/life balance is terrific, as well. You can work just about any kind of schedule you want, ranging from 8 days every 2 weeks to 10 days every 2 weeks. You are unlikely to ever work over 80 hours every 2 weeks. If you are in such a position, you will be compensated accordingly, but moving throughout the agency is easy so you can really decide what you want to take on. If you want to climb the chain, it used to be that seniority got you ahead. Now it is more based on performance, but we will see how the pay bands end up working out.

Cons

Pay could be better - with the new pay banding system, it is possible that employees may be paid less than in the past, but they also might be paid more. There are still the same caps that existed before, though, which means industry should pay you more. Also, the educational opportunities are becoming more limited. There used to be a program that you could take a year off to study for a graduate degree which is now eliminated. There is still a program that allows you to spend half your time studying, though.

4.0
Jun 27, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1. Opportunities to broaden career by working in other offices. 2. Employees on a "technical track" are financially compensated on par, if not above, managers.

Cons

1. Middle management is sometimes pulled from the technical ranks but not effectively trained on how to manage their employees. 2. Speaking of management, some offices are still operating from a paradigm suited to an older generation, which is at odds with recent, younger college graduates.

3.0
Jun 22, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The flexibility in your work schedule was insane. Everyone enjoys having a good leave program and enjoys using it. The work is also something you could never do anywhere else. It is extremely exciting work and you do feel like the work you do matters.

Cons

It's a big beurocratic mess. As such, promotions can be a nightmare. In my instance, the person who was deciding if I should get a promotion was my bosses bosses boss and they were managing 200+ people and hardly knew my name. Salary also doesn't move up very fast. Although, if you can hold put until you get to the upper ranks; you will have a good salary for your level of responsibility.

Viewing 343 - 345 of 345 Reviews

Glassdoor has 408 National Security Agency reviews submitted anonymously by National Security Agency employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if National Security Agency is right for you.