The downside: I'd be a government employee. I'd be one of those people everybody snears at. Other veterinarians would look down their noses at me, people would hear that I worked for the government and assume I was lazy or incapable of getting a real job somewhere, and it could prove a challenge if I ever wanted to move on to a job outside the government.
My employer would freak if it became known I was even considering this. It wouldn't upset them so much that I was leaving as it would that I'd be taking a government job that could potentially set me up in an adversarial postion with them. I don't even know if this is covered in the noncompetitive clause I signed with them when I got the job here. I *think* that only covers going to work for a competitor, but I'm not sure.