Fed Job at 43?

[Anonymous]

I found a paper pusher job for you but it's in Japan.

https://www.usajobs.gov/job/811890800

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. I appreciate the genuine responses. I’ll take a look at higher ed as well. I think the question of why Big Job to something slower pace is easily explained with having a young family. Kids are ES. IME no one thinks it’s strange for working moms to say “I need better work life balance in a stable field”.

Professional skill sets are concentrated in economic development. Think project design, implementation, evaluation and management of $500M+ portfolio. I genuinely like completing complex analysis and research, it sounds like an analyst or IC role could be a fit.

I was really good at what I was doing, so I kept getting promoted, kept getting new projects, and ended up C-Suite accidentally. i had a reputation for being able to mentor and develop staff, people who worked for me ended up leapfrogging into leadership roles and performing exceptionally well. I’m not some magical manager, I just hired well and invested a lot into staff PD.

Knowing what I know now, there are ways to work well without ending up in charge of everything. That doesn’t mean being lazy.

Trader Joe’s wouldn’t work because working with the public directly is one of the most stressful things you can do. Consultant is a similar no, I’m not interested in client management, it’s one of the big things I’m trying to get away from.

To the poster who said I’m at least 45 which means 50….my age is literally in the title of the post. Bizarre.

It sounds like OP was already a paper pusher? Strategy and evaluation, she was just someone throwing out ideas and someone else actually did the work. She is probably hot, so should go into sales before she gets too old. Medical devices she is at sweet spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m 45 and largely have this kind of job…I make twice that. If you have a college degree you can too.

Perfect. I have a BA & BS and a grad degree.

The big thing for me not being in charge of anything. I need to move a piece of paper across a desk twice a week? 10 pieces of paper? I can listen to a podcast while I do it? Great.

Your comment just reads as clueless and obnoxious. Yes, you could be a GS-9 Management Analyst but you'll be doing actual work. It won't be super stressful managing lots of employees, significant national programs, etc but you'll actually engage in work throughout the week. Sounds like your not looking to do work though. I certainly wouldn't want to hire someone with this attitude.

[Anonymous]

Become a teacher.

[Anonymous]

Go do HR or FOIA if you can get hired

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Until recently a dual income household, both with Big Jobs. It was terrible for whole family, gave me significant- hopefully temporary- health issues. DH now has the Big Job and I am figuring out what’s next. I’m considering federal jobs. I’d want something where I could be a worker bee and not be responsible for leading a team or supervising anyone. Work life balance, pension, and retirement healthcare. I’d be plenty happy with a job that I never though about outside of the office getting paid $60k with regular increases, all of my salary would go to retirement and 529 anyway. Does this seem reasonable for a fed role?

What employers provide "retirement healthcare" except federal government? Do state and local governments and universities provde that?

Some county and state governments do. Montgomery County retired teachers get health insurance, I believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at the fed but also higher ed. Some universities after a # of years will cover a % of tuition for undergrad for your kids. Some will cover the entire cost if you child attends their institution. Doesn’t pay same as Big Job but might be a good idea if your kids have a minimum 4-5 years until college.

or even city/state/county government too.

OPs goal here is to phone in a job for 7 years, then quit and benefit from Federal health insurance at 55. She has plenty of money from BigJobs, she wants subsidized insurance for minimal effort.

Can you get federal insurance if you retire at 55?

Also, OP is 43 and would need to work for 12 years to get to 55.

No. She would have to be 57.

[Anonymous]

Is it reasonable to want to mommy track yourself? Absolutely. Do employers seek to hire people who make it clear that's what they are doing? Not really.

[Anonymous]

I just started a Fed position in my mid-50s and I love it. I would say I’ve I served the kind of positions you are looking for and they are called “Office Manager” and “Executive Assistant, at least at my agency. Most of the OMs seem to be vets, but maybe you could network your way to an interview through LinkedIn (after applying through USAjobs). The EA roles look more stressful but are still way more W/L balance than I saw in my private sector career. Good luck and I would say the hardest part will be getting an interview so apply broadly and work any connections you have!

[Anonymous]

The challenge is going to be that you want limited public contact. That definitely limits your options at agencies like SSA and IRS. Program manager or data analyst jobs do exist in federal, state, and local government...I would also be sure to look at school districts, health systems (hospital and fqhc), and housing authorities. But many of them are going to want people with subject matter experience. You could look at think tanks, trade associations, and other places that have research jobs.

[Anonymous]

US Army Corps of Engineers seems very laid back. I knew a guy who would sleep at his desk, since it faced a window.

[Anonymous]

I'm 49 with 5 years of service. I became a fed after working in related non-profit jobs. I really like my federal job (and I'm s supervisor!). Sure there is some bullshit; leadership can be capricious etc. but overall its interesting work and I care about the population we serve.

Overall, I am very happy with my compensation as a GS-15. I hit the minimum pension this year and basically ill be at 20 years at age 64, basically in time to retire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The health insurance isn't free when you retire BTW. It just means you can take whatever you had with you into retirement. You pay the same premium as if you were working. Same benefits copay/coinsurance, etc. You can pair it with Medicare, but not for free, you have to pay a reduced Medicare premium and the two will coordinate benefits.

Yes, it’s the same premium as when you were working but you pay with after-tax money so it is more expensive in reality.

And OP will have to work at the $60K job for 14 years to get that, and at that point her pension will only be about $6K/yr, which probably won’t even cover the health insurance. OP may be wearing rose-tinted glasses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I appreciate the genuine responses. I’ll take a look at higher ed as well. I think the question of why Big Job to something slower pace is easily explained with having a young family. Kids are ES. IME no one thinks it’s strange for working moms to say “I need better work life balance in a stable field”.

Professional skill sets are concentrated in economic development. Think project design, implementation, evaluation and management of $500M+ portfolio. I genuinely like completing complex analysis and research, it sounds like an analyst or IC role could be a fit.

I was really good at what I was doing, so I kept getting promoted, kept getting new projects, and ended up C-Suite accidentally. i had a reputation for being able to mentor and develop staff, people who worked for me ended up leapfrogging into leadership roles and performing exceptionally well. I’m not some magical manager, I just hired well and invested a lot into staff PD.

Knowing what I know now, there are ways to work well without ending up in charge of everything. That doesn’t mean being lazy.

Trader Joe’s wouldn’t work because working with the public directly is one of the most stressful things you can do. Consultant is a similar no, I’m not interested in client management, it’s one of the big things I’m trying to get away from.

To the poster who said I’m at least 45 which means 50….my age is literally in the title of the post. Bizarre.

It sounds like OP was already a paper pusher? Strategy and evaluation, she was just someone throwing out ideas and someone else actually did the work. She is probably hot, so should go into sales before she gets too old. Medical devices she is at sweet spot.

NP. I realize you're trying to be funny, but your comments about her work show you don't know what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I appreciate the genuine responses. I’ll take a look at higher ed as well. I think the question of why Big Job to something slower pace is easily explained with having a young family. Kids are ES. IME no one thinks it’s strange for working moms to say “I need better work life balance in a stable field”.

Professional skill sets are concentrated in economic development. Think project design, implementation, evaluation and management of $500M+ portfolio. I genuinely like completing complex analysis and research, it sounds like an analyst or IC role could be a fit.

I was really good at what I was doing, so I kept getting promoted, kept getting new projects, and ended up C-Suite accidentally. i had a reputation for being able to mentor and develop staff, people who worked for me ended up leapfrogging into leadership roles and performing exceptionally well. I’m not some magical manager, I just hired well and invested a lot into staff PD.

Knowing what I know now, there are ways to work well without ending up in charge of everything. That doesn’t mean being lazy.

Trader Joe’s wouldn’t work because working with the public directly is one of the most stressful things you can do. Consultant is a similar no, I’m not interested in client management, it’s one of the big things I’m trying to get away from.

To the poster who said I’m at least 45 which means 50….my age is literally in the title of the post. Bizarre.

It sounds like OP was already a paper pusher? Strategy and evaluation, she was just someone throwing out ideas and someone else actually did the work. She is probably hot, so should go into sales before she gets too old. Medical devices she is at sweet spot.

NP. I realize you're trying to be funny, but your comments about her work show you don't know what you're talking about.

I’m a developer who works on autonomous vehicles. I hear a lot of strategy and fluff talk from “leadership” — it changes every six months as people change. OP may be more effective, but she seems really full of herself for someone who pushes out mission statements and Gannt charts. She is welcome to come back and show what concrete contribution she makes and how translates to a Federal mission.