Pros
MIT is at the technological forefront. Some incredibly technically talented and brilliant people work there. People look at you differently when you say you work for MIT. Great health benefits.
Kontras
Culture. Case in point: a SENIOR LEADER recently broadcast an email announcing a new page on the intranet with the meant-to-be-attention-grabbing subject line: "PAY CUTS ACROSS DIVISION". What message does that send about the value of personnel in that division to their leaders? In the middle of a recession, undoubtedly there were recipients in the division whose families have been directly, perhaps painfully, affected by the economic downturn. Although the leader did follow up with a brief apology, the organization saw fit to PROMOTE that person to an even higher level of leadership. Although there are a minority of technical employees who 'punch the clock', the majority are not that way. Consequently, they should be able to work in an environment that supports them and their growth. The organization has a long way to go in that respect. The really sad part is that the organization is more than capable of getting there. A fiercely internally competitive culture retards successful collaboration, and the 'what's in it for me' attitude prevails because it is rewarded. Politics can be thick. Cultural change is occurring, albeit slowly. I hope to see the day when no senior or junior manager would ever dream of doing something like the example above.