Vantaggi
The benefits are great, and anyone who disagrees either doesn't have a lot of experience working outside the federal government or they expect to have a personal a@@wiper. It doesn't say it in the print, but from experience my insurance covered much more than the average person carrying a similar plan (i.e I had Kaiser and my Kaiser was better than the individuals paying out of pocket for the same plan). The government pays more into, thus you pay much, much less at the counter. Same with Dental/Vision. Federal holidays....much like teachers, you get them all off. Flex schedule. Loved working 6am to 2:30, but you could work 9:30 to 6 if you desired. Walking distance to Amtrak/BART. Workplace: most people are kind, and if you have a good attitude then it's likely that you will meet some good people there. Providing you don't mess up badly, your job is almost as secure as someone with tenure in an academic institution.
Svantaggi
THis could be a huge thing for people, or it could not be. For me it is. The work is tedious and exceptionally dry. While it's not entirely repetitive, it is broadly speaking quite repetitive. Sorry if that doesn't make sense, but it's a federal position so much of the stuff you deal with is sensitive information. For me this was too much, and I no longer work there because it was difficult to maintain a reasonable amount of focus. MY commute was also too far. The work is important, and the knowledge you need to acquire is pretty extensive, though not unattainable. The problem is the salary doesn't quite reflect the job to your benefit. If you're married, I would imagine the salary would be solid combined with your spouse's (providing they work), but the BA salary alone is pretty me