Pros
There’s a lot of reasons to want to work for the Survey. Serving the community, working for the government in a scientific mission that directly benefits people all over the world. The benefits I would rate slightly above average and job security is good. You work with people who are passionate about their work.
Cons
There are several cons that I think people should know. One, the government (non-military) is not going to pay very well. If you are located in Menlo Park, finding an apartment for less than $2k is all but impossible. If you have kids and your spouse does not make a decent wage, forget even thinking about working here. Do not think about applying for anything below a GS-13 unless you have done all your homework and don’t mind spending over 50% of take-home on rent/utilities. There’s always the option to be homeless, we have a coworker who’s been homeless for over 6 months now. We’ve had over five people leave for greener pastures and nothing has been done to improve the conditions for the employees. There is a big percentage of the people here that are maxed out at the GS level and have no kids. This is not a family friendly place and it shows. Very few people that work here have children. Rent/Property value has gotten so bad in the past six years it’s unbearable for anyone GS-12 and below. If you are in a technical field be prepared for feeling like maintenance and standards are low on the priority list. It’s difficult for management to fill positions for those that have left. People may care about those that are struggling but nothing is being done. Transparency has yet to be seen.