Pros
Your experience really depends on the unit you work for. I’m told I work for the fun unit, so my experience may be more positive than most. In six years I have worked for three managers (within the same unit) and all of them were smart, supportive, and fair. Given the limitations of government employment, overall I have been satisfied working within this Department. Staff is friendly, management is supportive, and the atmosphere is intimate because the department as a whole, is actually quite small in comparison to most state offices.
Despite being an office building, a lot of the staff are actually fire fighters, so there is a blue collar feel –which is nice. There’s a little less political correctness, double speak, polished lip service and more down to earth, level headed, straight talk. For me it’s a good fit.
Cons
-Business processes are outdated
-Headquarters building is old with limited parking, no bike storage, and zero showers.
-Limited upward mobility
-HR is the worst and timekeeping system is archaic
And just like with all government jobs:
-Slow to implement change
-Zero performance based bonuses or raises
-Bad, lazy, incompetent co-workers will never be fired
