Vantaggi
You meet some very dedicated people who are dealing with a population that generally very challenged in becoming employed/re-employed in this job market. It also offers an opportunity to understand and have a greater degree of compassion for many people that do not meet the middle class's definition of "being deserving" or "not taking responsibility" for themselves. You learn that you "need to walk a mile in someone else's shoes" before discounting them or judging them. On the other hand, benefits include sick day and vacation accumulation and the possibility of some retirement benefit if you are a "lifer."
Svantaggi
Low pay for the dedication, working environment (Workforce Centers are often in marginally safe locations in NO-frills facilities.) As a state employee of the Texas Workforce Commission, your value, abilities, and skills are often discounted by the private contractor for whom meeting certain metrics (which dictate the contractor's contract renewal and potential bonuses) is often at odds with meeting the real needs of the unemployed. The contractor's primary responsibility is program (SNAP, TANF, WIA) facilitation. This is where they make any profit. There is considerable conflict in some workforce development areas (There are 28 in the State of TX) between the profit motive of the contractor as a private entity and the Employment Services staff which by federal law cannot be privatized. There is little chance for upward mobility of any significance as a state employee. Raises are miniscule if non-existent. But increased responsibility without increased authority is plentiful.