Pros
The salaries are very good.
Kontras
As a contractor working in support of federal government customers, you are treated as if you are working in a meat market. There is no communication with management, no mentoring. If there is a problem, they lie to you and say that the customer doesn't want you anymore and you are removed the same day so they don't have to give you severance. No discussion. No warning allowing you the opportunity to understand what you may have done wrong or correct any misunderstanding. Other contractors and subcontractors will stab you in the back in order to take your job for their company. Government contracting is NOT A STABLE CAREER PATH. You are just treated like a body. If they don't like you or someone talks smack about you, the company will walk you out without discussion. If you are interested in being set up to grow and succeed, this is not the career path for you. Corporate management is so bad, they are not even aware of the day-to day work that you do. So, when they tell you that you are being terminated, they can't even articulate how your work was deficient because they don't know what you were doing for the customer. If you have good technical skills, you may survive for a while (a couple of years) but over 30 years, I've seen good engineers suddenly walked out simply because someone whispered in a manager's ear saying their solution is better. Not even a discussion with the person!