Pros
Steady paycheck, available benefits, heated and cooled cubicles (when the HVAC is working right). Very occasional contact with the DoD users of the system revealed the importance of the program. (Once you had clearance and need-to-know of course.)
Cons
I survived 14 years of threatened quarterly layoffs including one where a reorg put me under a manager who immediately put me on the layoff list. I was saved by a different manager who actually used my work product to fulfill a program contractual requirement and knew that nobody could replace me. Employees are managed awfully much like a cattle drive with binge hiring and binge firing and no interest in training. You'll eat dust and like it! Manager positions go unfilled even when existing managers try to twist arms and offer encouragement. The smart people know it's a trap and say no - even the ones identified as high-potential employees who are given special nurturing. A few of us retirees have occasional lunch with still-working employees. Apparently the environment has not improved and new employees only last a few months before shaking the LM dust off their feet and moving on. There is no sense of team nor collegiality within so the still-employed have to look outside for some social contact . Not an iota of understanding of "social capital" to be found. I put up with it so my chronically ill wife could get treatment. When she died - I was done with LM.
