Pros
Being a federal position, compensation is relatively good, especially in this challenging job market. Also, some positions involve extensive overtime which makes life rather miserable but is good for your paychecks. Advancement opportunities are likely good for talented individuals in Geography that are willing to relocate to the DC area.
Cons
. . . but I'm not sure that talented individuals will be happy there. There is a strong culture of micromanagement that makes every project very frustrating. Also, project management and implementation is highly fragmented so that information sharing is very poor and important feedback does not make it back up the chain. Managers lack technical proficiency and conceptual understanding of the projects they manage. High-performers and innovative ideas are regarded with suspicion. Positions working with the decennial census are temporary and the are few opportunities for advancement or retention is poor for most positions.
