Pros
SOSi is a unique kind of place but not for the faint of heart. You will find that the office environment is most certainly good for some laughs and has an uncanny resemblance to the television show "The Office." This is due, in part, to the nature and being of those that fill the space. They span a wide spectrum and are constantly changing, like children rushing through a toy store’s revolving door. This naturally makes for an "interesting" time and you’ll leave with a few good stories to tell around the old campfire. A contributing factor to the massive line-changes in office personnel comes from the fact that the corporate mentality is (or was) one that every person is replaceable, or as one more prominent member of middle-management used to say, “You are all expendable.” Of course, this doesn’t fare well with most people, so the vast majority of the rank-and-file set sail for kinder waters within a short amount of time. Such a situation inevitably forces those that choose to weather the storm to learn countless jobs outside their job description (if one even exists) and this can be very beneficial when checking boxes on “past experience” sections for future jobs applications. And with a company that runs through employees like calories through the morbidly obese, you are sure to meet a lot of people. Like the morning tide, they will come and go. But the sheer fact that they shared the SOSi “experience” with you will create a unique comradery, only reinforced through the shared misery, which will undoubtedly help you in your networking for future employment. If you are a retired military officer, SOSi is definitely the place for you. It offers you a great opportunity to supplement your sizeable retirement with another large paycheck accompanied by minimal work, if you so choose. Just make sure to drop a few military acronyms and "take down a couple targets" in the office from time to time, making constant references to your stint as a commander or a "leader." Ahhhhh, who am I kidding, do it all the time. That way, everyone around the office will know you’re the real deal and mean business, instead of just being some phony who may or may not have an actual skillset that contributes to the complicated tasks at hand. If nothing more, taking a job at SOSi might parallel the experiences I’ve heard from old friends who’ve dabbled with illicit drugs—most notably acid. They described it as a sort of euphoric experience that starts with an increase in heartbeat, dilated pupils, and emotional upheaval. This quickly turns into hallucinations and uncontrollable laughter for no apparent reason followed by the dark lows of depression: for example, you will begin to think you are seeing people showing up to work, clocking in abbreviated hours, and leaving when they feel the time is right without actually completing the tasks that were asked of them from other departments. Moreover, sounds will be distorted, objects may appear to come alive, time will become irrelevant, and you will endure intense feelings and emotions that you haven’t experienced before. Mood swings are inevitable, you may develop a nervous twitch, and your life’s path will come into question as you contemplate the deeper meaning of why you are there. Essentially, you’ll feel like you’re on another planet as people with distorted bodies walk by you, speaking foreign languages you don’t understand. And when the trip hits its "peak," you will probably have to sit down by yourself, away from everyone, and take some time to reconnect with your equilibrium. All in all, it’s not something you want to do for the long haul and surely not something that you want to find yourself addicted to. But, trying it probably won’t kill you and you may find that you’ll be a better person after doing it. If nothing more, you’ll know that you can endure its wrath and handle whatever life throws at you, but keep in mind that you always run the risk of walking away a withered and broken man/woman.
Cons
If you're looking to be part of a cohesive, all-inclusive team, this probably isn't the place for you. If you aren't over 50, weren't a high-ranking officer that retired after decades in the military, and/or aren’t someone that has 30 years of experience at some large corporation, you will have your work cut out for you. You see, SOSi is a series of abstract divisions that better resembles the Pentagon than a corporate office. There are a whole slew of people in the upper-middle and top echelons looking to cash in on the big coin, but only a couple of poor, lowly, forgotten saps at the bottom, getting their hands dirty and pulling the bulk of the load. The department you are hired into will be instrumental in determining how you are treated and valued. If you are placed in certain areas within the company, you will most likely find that your opinions will not hold the clout that they might otherwise have at another organization. Your work and insight will be marginalized by your lack of time and grade in service, and you can bet your last ha’penny that your paycheck and the way you are talked to will directly reflect that. At first, this probably won't bother you, since you are new and looking to prove yourself. However, as time progresses and you gain confidence in your work, you will find that this seemingly obvious discrepancy between job performance and compensation will leave you feeling belittled and empty, which in turn makes you bitter/angry (a factor that is reflected in the astronomically high turnover rate). Finally, this high turnover rate will eventually wear on you. All the great, friendly, and talented people that you befriend throughout your tenure will come to pass. They will move on to bigger and better things, only to be backfilled by some new "recruit" or temporary hire. I think a former colleague summed up the SOSi experience best when he likened the company to the Cleveland Browns. “Every year, new hope abounds with the addition of a new crop of rookies and free agents. But alas, the dysfunction and politics at the front office always lurk in the background, killing the beast from the inside.”