Pros
Direct management chain is great. Enjoy the pace of work at a site. Some government sponsors are amazing individuals to work with and support!
Cons
Large focus on hiring external vs internally promoting people of equal skillsets. There’s often a sense of “intellectual superiority” among individuals that gets pitted against others in a negative fashion, so much so that it blocks non-masters and PhD holding folks from advancement and recognition of impactful work. Certainly feels like a bro culture with lack of respect for others. I often-times find myself at my wits end, fed up with the disrespectful, clique-ish shenanigans of coworkers. Diversity of opinion is not valued here; in fact, good luck getting most coworkers to set aside their ego and actually listen to the ideas of others. Most sponsor work is unfulfilling, and lacks the appropriate rigor to be effective, and Impactful. The dynamic of MITRE vs Aerospace vs Contractors is ridiculous and unprofessional, I’ve never been disrespected in that manner by non-MITRE professionals before. Pay is low, promotion potential non-existent but always dangled in front of you, forget getting a raise that keeps up with inflation and cost of living.