Pros
Great flexibility in hours. Salary is adequate. Opportunities for off-site work. Good opportunity to get into government contracting. Can obtain a Secret security clearance.
Cons
Work-life balance is nonexistent. NO SICK TIME. Minimal time off (10 PTO days plus 10 holidays a year, that’s it). Mandatory “uncompensated overtime” every week, no exceptions. No office events or any occasion that warrants additional time off, such as half days around holidays or office gatherings/events; in fact you are expected to use PTO if you attend an office party (of which there is only one per year). Standard yearly raise was 1.8%, which barely covers inflation. Little incentive to perform well. Tough commute via public transportation, and driving isn’t much better since there’s no parking. Things take much longer than they should. It can take up to a year to access programs required to do your job. Simple “employee of the month” awards, which come with no actual benefit, can take 6 months to be delivered. Morale is abysmal. A huge part is likely the lack of time off, forcing people to work when they’re sick to avoid using PTO. Almost zero office budget for anything that could help morale. The client being in the office doesn’t help. Toxic work environment. There’s a huge divide in the office; gossiping and belittlement behind coworkers’ backs is disturbingly frequent. There’s resentment between Alion and its subcontractor. Overall bitterness leads to poor communication and unnecessary battles.