Pros
The benefits package is about as good as you can get in today's work environment for a job requiring no experience. In this respect an individual can learn new skills and a trade all courtesy of Uncle Sam. It helped give me direction and opened my eyes to the world based on all my travels and interactions with a diverse set of people. The opportunities to choose a line of work and sometimes abandon one line for another are available. One thing for sure is if your not real keen on what you presently do in the Navy, you have many avenues available to do something else and will always move on after a couple of years based on how the navy rotates it's people.
Cons
It's easy to see the downside when in it and keep that in perspective. For me the adventure and unpredictable nature of what I was doing and where I might go was exciting and new. After a time that wears off as normal life proceeds with marriage and family. It takes an extremely strong family and huge buy in to the Navy lifestyle to enjoy what it is and be successful. Attitude is everything and it's not for people looking to challenge and change the status quo. The working hours and ability to plan can literally suck depending on your job and a bureaucratic style of management still permeates this industry. Oh did I mention you are put in positions that could get you killed.