Pros
This review pertains to Budget Division at the U.S. Census Bureau's HQ in Suitland, Maryland. Working as a Budget Analyst (full-time, permanent) provides great training to go on and work with a "Program Area" with Census or other agencies. This is supposedly because the U.S. Census Bureau has one of the more complicated and challenging set of budgeting operations to work in because of our numerous surveys (e.g., those that we request appropriated funds for, and for those surveys done for other agencies or parties). After talking with other individuals who have worked in general financial services directly for U.S. gov. agencies, some have remarked that 'if you can understand budgeting at Census, you can get it anywhere,' or that they wouldn't come to Census to work in budgeting because of the complexity of it. I don't know how true this assertion is, but this is what I've heard or have been told by other colleagues who got this info from non-Census feds or former feds.
Cons
Budget Division (all 4 areas, Formulation, Execution, Working Capital, and Systems) has been going through tumultuous times for the last several years (2014 to Spring 2018), with several waves of full-time, permanent feds leaving the Census Bureau or Budget Division at the GS-15, GS-14, and GS-12 levels, or working on temporary details or even indefinite details within the Bureau. Another wave is anticipated soon given conversations with colleagues and many, if not most (that's not an exaggeration, believe it or not) staff in budget division are applying for other positions at Census and other agencies, or are dusting off their resumes. Morale is shot, unfortunately, because of tone-deaf management (speaking generally), lack of a healthy organizational culture with clear healthy values that are people-oriented, perceived lack of sincerity and even trustworthiness regarding management, multiple vacancies that are not filled leading to increased demands placed upon all, and an overall dysfunctional environment. It's not the pay and benefits that's the problem. It's the intangibles as evidenced by staff leaving for the same grade at greener pastures. "Tone at the top" is alarmingly bad.
