US Department of Commerce – “Stability: Yes Innovation: No”

Pros

Stability. A typical government job with predictable hours, fairly predictable work, and even predictable promotions. The USG rewards handsomely those who decide to stick around with plenty of leave, health benefits and retirement. Depending on the specific position, you're involved with policies that show up on the front pages of the Washington Post and NYT, and you have the opportunity to meet some of the most influential people leading the most powerful country in the world.

Cons

DOC, as they call it, is a typical bureaucratic nightmare. Innovation is often not recognized, nor rewarded, and sometimes even looked down upon. Although promotions are predictable, it is not necessarily merit based, which can be frustrating. Whenever a new appointee comes on board, they try to make sweeping changes that usually never work, wasting time and resources. The Department of Commerce is also a huge agency - so your work is rarely your own, the way to the top is usually long and political, and one wonders whether anything one is working on is really having an impact, positive or negative.

Advice to Senior Management

Senior Management needs to be forward-thinking, and not caught up in archaic bureaucratic norms.