Pros
trauma-bonding with coworkers, learning new skills that not many people know anything about, when managers are good...they're GREAT. pay is bonkers, but only because you're being worked to death and getting so much overtime. I always said, if you were a life-timer in the service industry, or just a hustler in general, you could handle this job. But, set boundaries and realize how essential you are to them because of the worker shortage...they literally cannot afford to fire you. The only reason I survived as long as I did, was by saying no to extreme work demands they'd try to throw at me...trying to send me out to another station for a 2nd full route after I'd just walked in from finishing a 10 hour day? Absolutely not. I was able to get back on my feet financially in about 7 months, though. forever grateful for that.
Cons
the most abusive job I've ever had. Still processing the trauma of being overworked every day for 12 hrs straight, 6 days a week, every week of the year. I didn't see friends, have time for myself, or even laugh really for the 7 months I was employed. The system is outdated and rather than fixing what is very obviously broken, they'll run the entire thing, and all the poor hardworking employees, straight into the ground in a matter of years. their only solution to people quitting left and right is to work who they do have left to death to make up for the excessive mail load. managers are promoted from within the company, but not within crafts, which is the stupidest thing I've ever seen. you've got managers that are mostly former clerks, aka the people who sit inside all day at a computer, running entire mail stations full of people doing hard physical labor they have zero experience with. The outcome is nothing short of disastrous, and has lead to inept, lazy, unproductive leadership...as well as intense disdain and contempt from the carriers. I've seen managers belittle, shame, threaten, and break subs at multiple stations when they've tried to say no to work or stand up for themselves. There is zero screening and seems to be almost no requirements to move into management at USPS. The number one reason people are quitting in droves is poor, stupid, abusive management. And then, zero accountability.