Moving from government job to private sector--what's it like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't. You will work for a living. And you can get fired.

This. Lol

I love how people in the private sector think they're the only ones who work. Hey, just because your boss is getting rich off of your lack of job security and crappy benefits doesn't mean you're the only one working. Believe it of not, when you treat employees like human beings with families to support and not dollar signs to be disposed of when you need to buy a new yacht, they actually work hard for you. Amazing right?

[Anonymous]

I had a close relative that worked in private sector for 35 years, retired and then was able to go back to work at GSA for another 6 years.

He said it was the easiest job he ever had.

He would go in at 6 and be out by 3 every day. Everyone left by 3:30. No one did anything early in the morning that was for breakfast or gym or reading paper, real work started about 8:30 or so, everyone took time for lunch. The whole going in early was to get there and do your time while nothing was happening. It was the best part of the day for gov workers.

And most work was easy to do, you could do it in an hour what people budgeted for all day. Everyone thought they were working really hard, of course relative to other people.

would have stayed much longer but he got eligibility for social security and left the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The biggest difference is the P&L factor. (That's Profit & Loss.) Most private sector employers operate on an employment-at-will basis. If the company you are working for has a bad year or restructures, you could be out pretty fast. Government workers don't have to think about revenue as the source of their salary as long as the government keeps collecting taxes. You loose that job security when you go to the private sector.

+1 My husband works for a multi-billion dollar company and they just laid off a bunch of people who had worked there for multiple years. The company is doing well overall and their stock is through the roof, but this particular part of the company was not doing well, so there were lay offs. Apparently, they have 45 days to find something else in the company before being completely let go.

[Anonymous]

I'm 32 did consulting for 5 years and then gov now for 5 years. Best decision I have ever made. Private side benefits/vacation being cut. Rates being cut no raises to speak of....

Sure gov might not be the best for type A overachievers but I'll take the work/life balance, not worrying about proposals/recompetes and actually having coworkers instead of competition any day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a close relative that worked in private sector for 35 years, retired and then was able to go back to work at GSA for another 6 years.

He said it was the easiest job he ever had.

He would go in at 6 and be out by 3 every day. Everyone left by 3:30. No one did anything early in the morning that was for breakfast or gym or reading paper, real work started about 8:30 or so, everyone took time for lunch. The whole going in early was to get there and do your time while nothing was happening. It was the best part of the day for gov workers.

And most work was easy to do, you could do it in an hour what people budgeted for all day. Everyone thought they were working really hard, of course relative to other people.

would have stayed much longer but he got eligibility for social security and left the area.

Ask him what his job title/series was.
I am always curious to know what kind of positions these are. I did not luck up with one with such ease and autonomy. I LIKE spending my day at work being busy and working but no one around me has it easy like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 32 did consulting for 5 years and then gov now for 5 years. Best decision I have ever made. Private side benefits/vacation being cut. Rates being cut no raises to speak of....

Sure gov might not be the best for type A overachievers but I'll take the work/life balance, not worrying about proposals/recompetes and actually having coworkers instead of competition any day

Are you an IT person?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know how old OP is but a lot of Feds go thru this phase early 30s when they finally realize (and understand) what they are in for.

Not the OP, but I am in my very early 30s. I really think it takes a certain personality to get a fed job and sit there for 35 years. A personality that I clearly don't have. My job is so soul sucking that I feel desperate to escape.

My job is soul sucking as well. I've been a fed for 9 years, also in my 30s and quite frankly it sucks horribly. But it's just hard to walk away from the stability. Dh makes good pay but he works a commission job so I'm hesitant to leave my job as a result. I had a boss who used to constantly talk about how she couldn't wait to retire for years and I believe that is the case for a lot of feds sadly at least the ones I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know how old OP is but a lot of Feds go thru this phase early 30s when they finally realize (and understand) what they are in for.

Not the OP, but I am in my very early 30s. I really think it takes a certain personality to get a fed job and sit there for 35 years. A personality that I clearly don't have. My job is so soul sucking that I feel desperate to escape.

My job is soul sucking as well. I've been a fed for 9 years, also in my 30s and quite frankly it sucks horribly. But it's just hard to walk away from the stability. Dh makes good pay but he works a commission job so I'm hesitant to leave my job as a result. I had a boss who used to constantly talk about how she couldn't wait to retire for years and I believe that is the case for a lot of feds sadly at least the ones I know.

I think a typical fed goes thru the following stages:

stage 1: new fed (out of school) - thank god! i have a real job... serving the people, setting the policy...etc.

stage 2: early 30s: F*ck! i need to get out. this is NOT what i thought the job was...

stage 3: 40s (after 20 years of service) - hey look at my kids, they are doing well... i need to support them. i can't go now... wow. look at my TSP, it's growing well... early out only 5-10 years away

stage 4; 50s (near or over 30 years of service) - huh? what is today? i am dying here. i need to get out... no brain cells left...

stage 5: people find you dead in your office and no one noticed for 3 weeks.

sad i know.

[Anonymous]

It seems like only a couple of people have chimed in with actual, personal experience in going from federal government to private.

I'm federal and my DH is private. Like many, he also has that impression that feds don't really work much. He warns that if I ever made the switch, I'd be expected to work more hours and such. I know he doesn't think I could cut it. But, his work-life-balance is just as good a mine, I think. We take the same amount of vacation and neither of us have to work much outside of usual business hours.

The primary differences I see is that he does have to account for his "billable hours." I get a few additional holidays off (but he always gets the Friday after Thanksgiving off, and I don't) - and he has less office closures due to weather. But, he got paid paternity leave. He gets bigger bonuses and has fancier holiday parties. I do seem to have better health and retirement benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on if your moving from a union job to a non-union job. Being in a union is vastly different than non-union. Union is much more seniority based while non-union is much more performance based.

Correct. Something that Feds have no idea about. You can't run to your union rep in the private sector.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like only a couple of people have chimed in with actual, personal experience in going from federal government to private.

I'm federal and my DH is private. Like many, he also has that impression that feds don't really work much. He warns that if I ever made the switch, I'd be expected to work more hours and such. I know he doesn't think I could cut it. But, his work-life-balance is just as good a mine, I think. We take the same amount of vacation and neither of us have to work much outside of usual business hours.

The primary differences I see is that he does have to account for his "billable hours." I get a few additional holidays off (but he always gets the Friday after Thanksgiving off, and I don't) - and he has less office closures due to weather. But, he got paid paternity leave. He gets bigger bonuses and has fancier holiday parties. I do seem to have better health and retirement benefits.

You left out that you have a job for life and he doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on if your moving from a union job to a non-union job. Being in a union is vastly different than non-union. Union is much more seniority based while non-union is much more performance based.

Correct. Something that Feds have no idea about. You can't run to your union rep in the private sector.

I was a fed attorney for about 15 years. Sorry no union. I'm in private sector now and don't work as hard as I did for the feds.