Engaging work with supportive managers but bureaucratic challenges
Pros
In the government consulting practice I was able to stay engaged and connected which was paramount in staying on good, interesting, well funded and personally fulfilling contracts. I think very fondly of my time at IBM. Managers were supportive and would explain the lay of the land.
Cons
Sometimes changing contracts could be stressful. Not all people would work hard, so surrounding myself with people I liked working with was important to me. There was some bureaucracy in promotions/raises and those sorts of efforts took a lot of time. Good to be proactive in communicating your goals to managers. Ultimately I left for private sector and it was at that point in time I learned a promotion I'd been pursuing had finally been approved. Still glad I left for my own personal lifestyle / moved farther from DC and had concern about a project change that wouldn't enable remote work.
