Vantaggi
There is no place like a research center for being able to do creative and rewarding work. We get to work on new and interesting missions. There is really rocket science to be done here. There is no reason to get stuck in any position or field of research for life: However if you are doing good research, you should be able to make a case to do it for as long as you want. There are lots of missions that need new and groundbreaking technology, and it is very satisfying to see your work make a true impact. You get to work with absolutely incredible and creative minds.
Svantaggi
Yearly budget cycle and political realities make long-term research an even more challenging goal. At one point, it seemed that we were rivaling professors for having to write proposals and bring in grants. Starting salaries are not as good as in the private sector, but upper level positions can be competitive, especially when you factor in negative profit sharing and the job instability in this down market. New civil service positions are far and few between, and contractors have better job stability than in the outside market, but not as good as a traditional civil service slot.