Pros
Great place to gain work experience. New Civil Engineers are placed on a mandatory rotation which gives them a chance to see different divisions within Caltrans. Great Benefits, Vacation, Paid sick leave etc.
Cons
Although some divisions are always busy, overall things run slow. The procedures of most things are "the way it's always been done" which cause delays and lagging. More than half of the employees have over 20 years experienced and a lot of them are unwilling to change the way they do work to adapt to newer policies that make sense to the younger hires. Often Student assistants that work during their summer breaks (furthering their chances of future employment) are children of current employees of Caltrans, which gives them a leg up, versus someone who has to go through the normal/lengthy application process to get a job.