Sometimes your work doesn't always speak for itself. You can do great work, but if no one notices it then it really didn't happen. You have to be your own greatest advocate. Make sure people notice your work. Your admin manager is not always on the same project as you, so when it comes down to your annual review, you need to best convey your accomplishments. It also helps to have other people advocating your accomplishments such as your project managers your worked with and fellow colleagues.
Also, to be successful at Booz Allen, networking is key. This isn't necessarily a downside, but if you are not social, you will be lost in the fray. This is not saying that you will not like working at Booz Allen, but to get recognized and open up the opportunities you want, you need to network as much as possible.
One downside I have experienced at Booz Allen is that your admin managers don't always necessarily do all the work to find a project for you. If your own group doesn't have work for you, then you have to start looking for billable work outside your group. Your manager helps you out, but at the same time, you are doing most of the work yourself. Finding opportunities in the company, sending out e-mails, following up, and interviewing with those project to get on. This can be a good or bad thing. You have the ability to guide your own career, but at the same time it can sometimes be annoying and cumbersome to make sure you are billable. This being said, usually when I jump on a project, you are able to stay on for at least 6 months to 2 years depending on the project. But it is the times when I am rolling off a project that this situation happens. Different people in Booz Allen have different experiences with this, but my experience has been that I do most of the work to find myself a new project. Ultimately, the onus is on your admin manager, but you need help the process out as much as possible. If you are not billable for a long amount of time (1-2 month +), your employment at Booz Allen can end. I have never seen this happen, but I have heard of it happening in other groups. With all of this being said, I have been 100% billable the whole time I have been at Booz Allen. This whole point comes back to my networking comment beforehand. The more your network, the easier it is to find your next project.
Another downside with Booz Allen is that their tuition reimbursement amount, in my opinion, is lower than it should be. They offer $5,000 a year, but with rising tuition costs, I think it should be raised. This could be a non-issue for you if you are not looking to get another degree. They do on the other hand offer $2,500 towards a certification or training class, which might be more inline with people who aren't interested in a degree.
