Welll, if you haven't figured that ou before your season, you most certainly will after.
Pro forms, freebies and such are not limited to those who work. If you don't get any discounts you always know someone who does. You get to know a lot of people on a season so a breakfast every now and then and stuff like that may not occur as often as for an employee but on the other hand, you get to ski every single day.
I worked half my first season (ran out of money due to poor weather) and 2-4 days a week on my second. Haven't worked on season since, might it be because of what I want to focus on. If you want to ski a lot, party a lot and meet a lot of great people, sure work is great. If you want to be the best skier you can be, ski the most awesome terrain in the most awesome conditions, meet a lot of great people and party a lot, not working is great.
My problem with working is that someone wants me to do something on a specific location and time. That something might be not skiing on a bluebird powday when all off your buddies are out on the tour/heli/cat/inbounds day of their lives. Or maybe you're tired on the mentioned day because you were up late working.
On my season in Revelstoke, ski patrol were always nice and shared their info. But neither I or the people I ski with are "the bros who pour their cold ones or tune their beat to shit skis". We got to know a bunch great people, both working and non-working, one of them is even a business-associate today :)
Both working and not working has their pros and cons. The way I see it, working has the ultimate con, it interferes with the skiing. But it really comes down to what your priorities are, yours are probably different then mine. I know for sure that if I were to have the winter I had in the alps once I again, I would take a full time job (a total of 1 feet of snow mid-winter, walking around in surfshorts and t-shirt is not ideal).
Basically, It's you cup of tea, enjoy it however you want :)
