Feds... do you plan on staying forever?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I could take this place for that long. The morale is SO BAD.

Amen.

I started when I was 24. But if they don't screw us over anymore (hahahah hoooo good one!), I'll be 64 when I have 40 years in. Which, if I can actually afford it, isn't that bad.

I have a coworker who has 42 years in. Her motivation is zero. I don't want to be like that. But I also won't get 80+% of my salary, so I'll probably be less motivated!

[Anonymous]

I guess it depends on what DH does- we are both feds, but his job is in legislative affairs and is basically tied to the DC area. We both started in 2001 at the ages of 25 and 27.

I'm not crazy about my job, but at times it can be very fulfilling, and it offers very flexible working conditions at the moment. It's enough to keep me there indefinitely as due to the nature of DH's job, I'm the default parent and our family needs that flexibility.

[Anonymous]

Forever. I am 35 and been a fed for 11 years (at 3 diff agencies). Hope to stay in my current job until I retire.

[Anonymous]

I've been here 15 years, I will probably stay until the end. (Retirement - not death). I've got the long view - My boss changes ever 4-8 years, some have been amazing and some have been really horrible. My director supervisor is asleep at the wheel and will probably retire in 4 years and I will take over her job.

I get paid well, have good hours and best of all - I'm making a difference. I work with some great people and some assholes (like most jobs).

[Anonymous]

I got here at age 37. It's a job that is mundane and the pay and commute is not worth my time. The morale sucks and my job is not easily transferrable to private industry.

I'm not staying another 20 years, I'd kill myself first.

[Anonymous]

Dispiriting to have to work with such morons, but there it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dispiriting to have to work with such morons, but there it is.

Exactly! It was so dispiriting I couldn't take it anymore. Not just the morons, of which there were plenty, but the people who just didn't give a f*** and basically collected a paycheck for just showing up. I eventually left and have never looked back.

[Anonymous]

I sympathize with your boredom. However I have worked for a series of companies in the private sector which have weathered (or even succumbed) to financial difficulties and done massive layoffs -- consequently I've been laid off several times. I've always landed on my feet, although once it took a while. Still it's tough having to start over several times and sometimes a rung or two lower on the ladder. I'd love to have stayed with one employer for a long time where a reputation and working relationships matter over the years and where experience is valued, not something you have to hide on a resume to appear younger.

[Anonymous]

I have 7 years under my belt and I'm 31. My goal is to put in 10 more years and retire at 41. To do so we will need to keep living off of my salary and saving my husband's salary, which is more than mine. I figure fifteen plus years of contributing to the pension will help. I make over 150k and I am maxing out the 401k plus have the match. I have to say that my job drives me crazy and I get sick of the BS. However, the work can be interesting, the pay is great considering the stability and I like my coworkers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have 7 years under my belt and I'm 31. My goal is to put in 10 more years and retire at 41. To do so we will need to keep living off of my salary and saving my husband's salary, which is more than mine. I figure fifteen plus years of contributing to the pension will help. I make over 150k and I am maxing out the 401k plus have the match. I have to say that my job drives me crazy and I get sick of the BS. However, the work can be interesting, the pay is great considering the stability and I like my coworkers.

But you can't retire at 41, you will not have hit the MRA (minimum retirement age). You could look at early retirement, but even that requires 25 years of service (and decreases your annuity by a %.)
http://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/eligibility/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 7 years under my belt and I'm 31. My goal is to put in 10 more years and retire at 41. To do so we will need to keep living off of my salary and saving my husband's salary, which is more than mine. I figure fifteen plus years of contributing to the pension will help. I make over 150k and I am maxing out the 401k plus have the match. I have to say that my job drives me crazy and I get sick of the BS. However, the work can be interesting, the pay is great considering the stability and I like my coworkers.

But you can't retire at 41, you will not have hit the MRA (minimum retirement age). You could look at early retirement, but even that requires 25 years of service (and decreases your annuity by a %.)
http://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/eligibility/

I have a dumb question related to that. Is it possible to do 10 years early career, transfer to private sector for some odd years, then 15 more years in government and get your years of service that way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 7 years under my belt and I'm 31. My goal is to put in 10 more years and retire at 41. To do so we will need to keep living off of my salary and saving my husband's salary, which is more than mine. I figure fifteen plus years of contributing to the pension will help. I make over 150k and I am maxing out the 401k plus have the match. I have to say that my job drives me crazy and I get sick of the BS. However, the work can be interesting, the pay is great considering the stability and I like my coworkers.

But you can't retire at 41, you will not have hit the MRA (minimum retirement age). You could look at early retirement, but even that requires 25 years of service (and decreases your annuity by a %.)
http://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/eligibility/

I have a dumb question related to that. Is it possible to do 10 years early career, transfer to private sector for some odd years, then 15 more years in government and get your years of service that way?

I don't see why not. years of service are years of service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dispiriting to have to work with such morons, but there it is.

Exactly! It was so dispiriting I couldn't take it anymore. Not just the morons, of which there were plenty, but the people who just didn't give a f*** and basically collected a paycheck for just showing up. I eventually left and have never looked back.

you must have worked at my agency. Had something happen today that just made me think to myself, "how much longer can I suffer like this?" Below is just one example of my daily working day.

Sent an email where I had cc'd someone and that person instead of just seeing that I only put them on it as a FYI, proceeded to add their 2 cents which in turn caused multiple emails going back and forth between 6 different people for a good 2 hours. I wanted to email them and say "WTF, you were only FYI'd on this and it didn't require a response from you" but alas, I didn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess it depends on what DH does- we are both feds, but his job is in legislative affairs and is basically tied to the DC area. We both started in 2001 at the ages of 25 and 27.

I'm not crazy about my job, but at times it can be very fulfilling, and it offers very flexible working conditions at the moment. It's enough to keep me there indefinitely as due to the nature of DH's job, I'm the default parent and our family needs that flexibility.

But don't you have a great coworker? Isn't that the best part of your job?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 7 years under my belt and I'm 31. My goal is to put in 10 more years and retire at 41. To do so we will need to keep living off of my salary and saving my husband's salary, which is more than mine. I figure fifteen plus years of contributing to the pension will help. I make over 150k and I am maxing out the 401k plus have the match. I have to say that my job drives me crazy and I get sick of the BS. However, the work can be interesting, the pay is great considering the stability and I like my coworkers.

But you can't retire at 41, you will not have hit the MRA (minimum retirement age). You could look at early retirement, but even that requires 25 years of service (and decreases your annuity by a %.)
http://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/eligibility/

I have a dumb question related to that. Is it possible to do 10 years early career, transfer to private sector for some odd years, then 15 more years in government and get your years of service that way?

Yes.