Great pay; demanding environment; chaotic scheduling
Pros
The pay is great. I worked here for the 2020 census (May-Oct 2021) and we made $20/hr in Alabama. Overtime was also available 7 days per week. If you are looking for a flexible, work-from-home job, the census can provide that (at least during COVID). The supervisors were mostly remote working over the phone. I did have field time a few hours per week. You also gain the chance to work with a variety of people, and co-workers are great and very committed to the mission of the census. And it's a chance to support a good cause (an accurate count brings public funding and more to your area).
Cons
We were required to work 7 days per week during the Census, roughly 12 hour days. Although we were remote we were on call continuously during this time. I was berated for not joining a work meeting that was called at 9 pm on a Sunday, with 10 minutes of heads up. All work meetings were considered mandatory even if they were scheduled with less than 30 minutes notice. I believe many people made this job work as it is flexible and work-from-home; can accommodate childcare; etc. And due to its temporary nature only lasting a few months, many were willing to put their lives on hold during this time for the pay. As someone seeking greater work-life balance I had a lot of trouble with this job and it was not a great fit for me, although I did learn a lot and enjoyed feeling like part of a larger team. The managers worked even more grueling hours than we did. I took one weekend off at the beginning of the Census (2 days; at the time I didn't consider this taking time off as it was a weekend) and was shamed considerably for it when I got back as others had to cover for me, etc. I did not take a day off after that.
