Pros
- Revenue stability - Self-directed learning - Project self-selection - Tuition assistance Congressional funding ensures MITRE (and other federally funded research centers) see a steady stream of income. Given the input funding is capped, there is an incentive for the organization to ensure the employee is fulfilled with the work assignment.
Cons
- Risk aversion - Government bureaucracy - Emphasis on being known, not solution quality MITRE National Security, which for many years was a prestigious institution, suffers the same fate as the defense industry at large: bloat without productivity. Yes, you get to provide recommendations to government leadership and inform them of the best courses of action. Government responses are classically risk averse, and implementation can take months to years. Engineers, builders, and people actually concerned with solving problems struggle to thrive here.