Managable Jobs? Do tell.

[Anonymous]

Programmer for a fed contractor. You can only bill 40 hours and there’s no overtime so you do your 40 and go home.

[Anonymous]

nonprofit grants manager

[Anonymous]

and please tell us OP what you do so we can avoid it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:and please tell us OP what you do so we can avoid it

OP here. Marketing. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

I think it also varies within companies, based on department or team leadership. I’ve had similar roles in the same company and in some the culture is 8-5 M-F and in some it’s checking blackberry during evenings and weekends and working as requested whenever.

[Anonymous]

The fed contractors I know work very long hours, rarely take vacation (because your job might be gone when you return), and live under constant threat of layoffs due to mergers.

Maybe some firms are cush, but that is not the norm. The recent thread on the GDIT merger will steer you away from this industry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trade association.

Very true, at least when I worked for one 20 years ago. They've seriously whittled down their staff since then, though, so I guess you need to pick one that has a very stable membership.

I left because I was bored out of my skull, which is often the downside of stable, predictable jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be careful with assuming fed jobs are like this. I've been a fed for almost ten years and never had a straight 9-5 where I wasn't checking in off hours and on vacations. Yes, it's more flexible than when I was private sector. So instead of 8-6 or more, I can do 9-10 hours split between day and an hour or two after the kids are in bed. But it's not a 9-5 and to home not thinking about work thing.

I've never heard of a fed who could work after kids are in bed. My entire Department is not allowed to work like that. You can only work during core hours and can't split telework like that. Additionally, I can't telework with small children in the house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be careful with assuming fed jobs are like this. I've been a fed for almost ten years and never had a straight 9-5 where I wasn't checking in off hours and on vacations. Yes, it's more flexible than when I was private sector. So instead of 8-6 or more, I can do 9-10 hours split between day and an hour or two after the kids are in bed. But it's not a 9-5 and to home not thinking about work thing.

I've never heard of a fed who could work after kids are in bed. My entire Department is not allowed to work like that. You can only work during core hours and can't split telework like that. Additionally, I can't telework with small children in the house.

Ok, sorry your department doesn't allow that. Mine does and I love it. I'm just saying that there were a lot of feds posting that they had jobs like this and I wanted to caution OP that fed jobs can be just as variable. A lot of the times it depends on the manager or organzition within the department or bureau.

[Anonymous]

Nursing. But my husband makes 3 times my salary and answers emails 24/7 and as such we can afford to live and raise children in DC.

[Anonymous]

Legal secretary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be careful with assuming fed jobs are like this. I've been a fed for almost ten years and never had a straight 9-5 where I wasn't checking in off hours and on vacations. Yes, it's more flexible than when I was private sector. So instead of 8-6 or more, I can do 9-10 hours split between day and an hour or two after the kids are in bed. But it's not a 9-5 and to home not thinking about work thing.

I've never heard of a fed who could work after kids are in bed. My entire Department is not allowed to work like that. You can only work during core hours and can't split telework like that. Additionally, I can't telework with small children in the house.

Ok, sorry your department doesn't allow that. Mine does and I love it. I'm just saying that there were a lot of feds posting that they had jobs like this and I wanted to caution OP that fed jobs can be just as variable. A lot of the times it depends on the manager or organzition within the department or bureau.

PP who's a fed analyst. The key is to get a fed job that doesn't let you telework. I have one that requires a TS clearance, so I would be arrested if I worked from home. I have zero access to work materials from home.

Managers definitely pull long hours sometimes, but analysts typically don't. Plus, unlike the private sector, the govt has to pay you for every hour you work, so anything above 40 hours/week gets you overtime or comp time. Not a bad deal.

Being a contractor is completely different. Much better to be a staff employee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fed contractors I know work very long hours, rarely take vacation (because your job might be gone when you return), and live under constant threat of layoffs due to mergers.

Maybe some firms are cush, but that is not the norm. The recent thread on the GDIT merger will steer you away from this industry.

+1

This.

OP, government employment is the most viable option for you, given your parameters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be careful with assuming fed jobs are like this. I've been a fed for almost ten years and never had a straight 9-5 where I wasn't checking in off hours and on vacations. Yes, it's more flexible than when I was private sector. So instead of 8-6 or more, I can do 9-10 hours split between day and an hour or two after the kids are in bed. But it's not a 9-5 and to home not thinking about work thing.

I've never heard of a fed who could work after kids are in bed. My entire Department is not allowed to work like that. You can only work during core hours and can't split telework like that. Additionally, I can't telework with small children in the house.

Ok, sorry your department doesn't allow that. Mine does and I love it. I'm just saying that there were a lot of feds posting that they had jobs like this and I wanted to caution OP that fed jobs can be just as variable. A lot of the times it depends on the manager or organzition within the department or bureau.

PP who's a fed analyst. The key is to get a fed job that doesn't let you telework. I have one that requires a TS clearance, so I would be arrested if I worked from home. I have zero access to work materials from home.

Managers definitely pull long hours sometimes, but analysts typically don't. Plus, unlike the private sector, the govt has to pay you for every hour you work, so anything above 40 hours/week gets you overtime or comp time. Not a bad deal.

Being a contractor is completely different. Much better to be a staff employee.

This is not true. DH routinely works 50-55 hour weeks and isn't paid for it. He only gets overtime when he works long hours overseas or has a huge project with a due date. It's rare to get overtime as a fed. When we made under a certain amount (under 70k?) we did get overtime for working more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be careful with assuming fed jobs are like this. I've been a fed for almost ten years and never had a straight 9-5 where I wasn't checking in off hours and on vacations. Yes, it's more flexible than when I was private sector. So instead of 8-6 or more, I can do 9-10 hours split between day and an hour or two after the kids are in bed. But it's not a 9-5 and to home not thinking about work thing.

I've never heard of a fed who could work after kids are in bed. My entire Department is not allowed to work like that. You can only work during core hours and can't split telework like that. Additionally, I can't telework with small children in the house.

Ok, sorry your department doesn't allow that. Mine does and I love it. I'm just saying that there were a lot of feds posting that they had jobs like this and I wanted to caution OP that fed jobs can be just as variable. A lot of the times it depends on the manager or organzition within the department or bureau.

PP who's a fed analyst. The key is to get a fed job that doesn't let you telework. I have one that requires a TS clearance, so I would be arrested if I worked from home. I have zero access to work materials from home.

Managers definitely pull long hours sometimes, but analysts typically don't. Plus, unlike the private sector, the govt has to pay you for every hour you work, so anything above 40 hours/week gets you overtime or comp time. Not a bad deal.

Being a contractor is completely different. Much better to be a staff employee.

This is not true. DH routinely works 50-55 hour weeks and isn't paid for it. He only gets overtime when he works long hours overseas or has a huge project with a due date. It's rare to get overtime as a fed. When we made under a certain amount (under 70k?) we did get overtime for working more.

It's not rare. I make $90K as a fed and get overtime as long as my supervisor approves it. I can't just decide to work longer hours for no good reason and claim overtime, but if there's something pressing that has to get done, my supervisor approves the overtime.