Pros
Work is challenging and there is so much to learn. Haven't grown out of it at all as compared to other places. And the work is important, esp if you're working a good mission. People are generally friendly and helpful. Vacation eventually gets to 5 weeks a year. Sick time is a day a month and adds up nicely in case of a medical emergency. 8 hour days and no take home work if you're dealing with classified stuff all day.
Cons
Many - all sorts of pathologies. It's a troubled place to work. Many people haven't worked anywhere else so they are what I call 'institutionalized'- no concept of how the outside world works, including how to write a resume. Two major drags on the agency- baby boomers and the military. The boomers are gradually leaving, the military isn't going anywhere. Working with military was once cool, now it's just a major reason to leave. And, the military mindset is seemingly transferred to civilians. Example- don't like your job? Too bad, you have a 2 yr obligation and you have to tough it out or resign to get out of the job. Leadership, not senior leadership, the generic 14s and 15s, are terrible. You'll encounter unethical behavior and complacency - in buckets- because they think they can't get fired. The root of all evil in the agency is this belief employees have that they can't be let go. Lots of conflict, presumably because the 14s and 15s like to throw their imagined weight around. Not a lot of overseas opportunities. If you want an overseas lifestyle, you'll get more at DIA and of course CIA. Sounds like NCIS also has more. And obv the foreign service. No student loan repayment. If that's important to you, you're better off at one of the 30-40 federal agencies that offer it, like CIA and State. Internal vacancy ads are poorly written and often out of date, a reflection of the lousy leadership. Promotions are a major source of yearly frustration and take up buckets of oxygen. Sprawling bureaucracy. No joke. If you don't like policies and restrictions and filling out forms and sharing your financials, you don't want to work at NSA.