Pros
There are tons of opportunities within the organization to move up or take your career on a varied path. Salaries are generally good, particularly for the non profit sector. I am proud of our mission and have made some of the closests friends of my life there. I also have a boss who encourages creativity and that is important to me. Overall the work is rewarding and intellectually engaging. I've traveled places, met people and had life experiences I would never have had outside the Red Cross.
Cons
The financial struggles of the Red Cross have taxed the employees in numerous ways-particularly during last year's RIF. We watched friends get laid off, we've had our own budgets cuts and we continue to watch belt tightening eat away at misson and morale. The complete ineptitude of our fundraising department to raise money isn't helping either. The hours and workload can be tough, particularly during disasters. I don't mind hard work and don't have kids, so for me it's not a big deal. But I do watch co-workers struggle sometimes.