Pros
FAST does a great job taking care of its employees. This is certainly not a comprehensive list of all the pros, but these are a couple things that stand out to me: - FAST has great health insurance/benefits - You don't have to be a manager to make manager-type pay. If you are a good employee you will get paid like one even if you don't have the skills/desire to move into management. - FAST does a great job encouraging its employees to get involved in their community; there are abundant volunteer opportunities and fun local events to get involved in. There are also a few things worth mentioning that have both an upside and a downside: - There is not a lot of room for advancement in software development; many of the skills learned are not applicable outside of FAST. However, there are a few skills learned that can be taken anywhere (not just software development positions). These include teamwork/communication, problem solving/logic, SQL, and BASIC coding skills. - You will work right alongside the state workers. This can be frustrating, especially during the beginning of a project when trust is still being built. However, this can be very rewarding as you begin to work through problems together and formulate solutions. - FAST can require long hours depending on what part of the project you are currently in. You are expected to be able/willing to put in extra hours, sometimes on short notice. However, FAST also compensates for any overtime fairly. - FAST also expects employees to be able/willing to move (sometimes with very short notice). This can be difficult with working spouses/children, but it can also be a great opportunity to travel/move at no expense to you. If you are hired as an implementation consultant, it is important to remember that you are a consultant. There may be days that you spend most/all of the day coding/configuring the software, but you are expected to be able to consult with the state workers during this process.
Kontras
There isn't much to complain about with FAST, but there does tend to be a focus on alcohol/partying, and if that isn't your thing, it can be difficult to be involved in company activities. To be fair, that doesn't mean that there are never activities that don't involve alcohol, and management is always looking for new ideas. If you have activities that you would like to see happen, you are more than free to organize something or to communicate your ideas to the appropriate person.