Pros
All the advantages of any other government agency are available to you. YOU SHOULD NOT BE APPLYING HERE if you are just starting out in the federal government. If you're looking for a break from a fast-paced job environment and nearing retirement, this agency is for you. For example, if you've been working out on a treadmill going 200mph and getting tired, considering getting a massage and some refreshments to recharge your batteries? Then, if this is you, you should apply 100%. The massage to recharge your batteries may be your entire career though. This is 100% stress free environment. Zero demands.
Cons
Do you want a GS13, GS-14 or GS-15 promotion without doing the hard work to earn it? Do you want zero accountability? During your workdays, do you wish to manage a profitable business on the side? perhaps in the cafeteria, by a window overlooking the city? Do you want to show up to the workplace and then leave for the day? Are you looking for a job that does not requires any mental effort? If the answer was "YES" to all those questions, then it's time for you to check out the EPA (Embarrassing Poor Agency aka Cubicle Farm Ville). Keeping up with the fast moving world outside of the agency will be your second job, if you want to stay on top of your game (skills, trainings, courses, skills development courses, education, new tech, etc). T Because the agency will not assist you improve or acquire new skills or learn anything new in a classroom training environment, but the good news is that the high salary will help you pay for your own professional development courses. So, it works out for the first 2-3 years. Management, on the other hand, doesn't give a damn if you care about your work. Your colleagues will likely shun you since you've become the family's scapegoat if you undertake any task to change. If you try to adopt a new procedure, even a basic one like utilizing an Excel spreadsheet, you'll find that your colleagues (especially the old-timers) will gang up on you since no one likes to be held accountable if the outdated work procedures are upgraded to the 21st century. Everyone has their own unique method of doing things, thus they won't stick with the new procedures if they are imposed. For your career development, appraisals, and other matters, you have GS-7 skilled and knowledgeable supervisors at the GS-15 level. If you have superior education and you have had at least one good supervisor in your career, you will notice within minutes how incompetent they are. Your managers will tell you what to do even if they have no idea what they are doing and what type of job they are supervising. When it comes to sending emails, the inhabitants of Cubicle Farm Ville are TERRIFIED. It's a very politicized agency on the inside. Even when you bring up a problem/concern or question their methods, managers don't even respond to your emails. SEMS is the name given to the system for storing data (the Sea of Engine Mess Searches). It's tough to find the information you're searching for since contractors use this software to save everything. It's a classic example of a mess (untidy state of things or of a place). It is against the law to engage in certain recruiting practices. Internal or external, management has final say over who is hired like any place else but this place is something else. A rising star in the agency is someone who has been kissing bums, is white, and has a strong desire to continue kissing bums (at the management, senior level).