Tell Your Story: GS-15s Considering Quiting their Federal Government Jobs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you that made the leap, have your hours changed? With elementary school kids, its nice to know I can rely on a 40-hour-a-week schedule. Of course sometimes I work late, but not regularly.

I’m 43 and starting to consider this change. I’ve been a 15 for a decade and the pay stagnation is starting to feel limiting. NO desire for SES. I have the benefit that I love my agency and coworkers. And I have a ton of outside-work commitments with the kids so I really rely and appreciate the predictable schedule.

Also - any thoughts on at what age it’s too late to make the leap? E.g. Would I still be marketable at 48?

This is exactly me--also capped out as a 15 w/15 years in and I think this is one of the reasons why I've been feeling so aimless at work lately and am just going through the motions. The pay is comfortable as a dual income household, but yes it's low comparatively, but I have flexibility, a predictable schedule, a short commute, lots of outside of work commitments and activities for myself and w/my kids and can be home or at school in a moment's notice, but I just don't have any major professional goals at 45 which is sad and I just don't think I can coast for the next 15 years. I have zero desire to be SES (seems miserable). I toy with the idea of the private sector, but then I worry about job stability and hours--despite the relatively low pay, federal govt does offer stability for the most part.

This is basically me, though I am a 14, as to get a 15 at my agency, you need to be a supervisor. (Maybe at some point I will do that, but I don't have the bandwidth at the moment, and the pay isn't worth it). I have been lately working lots of hours and work stress is bleeding into my life. We are short staffed and spread thin-- it takes years to learn the subject matter. Also worry about job stability, working with jerks, and hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who left, So do you give up the retirement and healthcare?

My DH left federal service at age 50 after 20 years. He moved to a private sector job. The health insurance premiums were more expensive at his new job, but we just switched to the health insurance for me job (which we should have done years ago because this plan is more generous that CareFirst BCBS FEP program.)

As we understand it, my DH still gets credit for the 20 years that he put in, in terms of his future pension. So I don't know what you mean that he "gives up the retirement?"

he gave up his health insurance PP. That's one of the main reasons people put up with govt pay for decades.

At a certain point of low salary, is it worth it? If you still plan to work until age 65 you can get Medicare after that (which is what every private sector worker has to do).

1) you can plan to work to 65, but it’s more likely to avoid layoffs if you are in gov service — they value experience over youth. Also your health could prevent you from working and you retire early — if you don’t have Medicare yet that is rough.

2) the Fed health benefit takes the place of Medicare Part B and is amazing, so even at 65 it’s a great benefit

Granted if the lay difference is large enough that would allow you to self fund these gaps; I think $60k year would bridge the loss of health insurance carryover, for example. To insure against layoff, you want to be paid in multiples, like 2x or 3x your current salary. Only lawyers doctors and maybe some tech can pull that off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who left, So do you give up the retirement and healthcare?

My DH left federal service at age 50 after 20 years. He moved to a private sector job. The health insurance premiums were more expensive at his new job, but we just switched to the health insurance for me job (which we should have done years ago because this plan is more generous that CareFirst BCBS FEP program.)

As we understand it, my DH still gets credit for the 20 years that he put in, in terms of his future pension. So I don't know what you mean that he "gives up the retirement?"

he gave up his health insurance PP. That's one of the main reasons people put up with govt pay for decades.

At a certain point of low salary, is it worth it? If you still plan to work until age 65 you can get Medicare after that (which is what every private sector worker has to do).

1) you can plan to work to 65, but it’s more likely to avoid layoffs if you are in gov service — they value experience over youth. Also your health could prevent you from working and you retire early — if you don’t have Medicare yet that is rough.

2) the Fed health benefit takes the place of Medicare Part B and is amazing, so even at 65 it’s a great benefit

Granted if the lay difference is large enough that would allow you to self fund these gaps; I think $60k year would bridge the loss of health insurance carryover, for example. To insure against layoff, you want to be paid in multiples, like 2x or 3x your current salary. Only lawyers doctors and maybe some tech can pull that off.

+1

Some feds can retire at 50 if they have enough time overseas or work in law enforcement.

A lot of people don't find the whole career game to be fulfilling and view their job as simply a means to an end. These types are obviously better off in a slacker fed job. And most of the people responding are not representative of most feds I've worked with over the years. They simply don't have a skill set that would command a high salary in the private sector. Even a lot of fed tech nerds can't keep up with the changes in tech and really aren't that competitive in the private sector.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who left, So do you give up the retirement and healthcare?

My DH left federal service at age 50 after 20 years. He moved to a private sector job. The health insurance premiums were more expensive at his new job, but we just switched to the health insurance for me job (which we should have done years ago because this plan is more generous that CareFirst BCBS FEP program.)

As we understand it, my DH still gets credit for the 20 years that he put in, in terms of his future pension. So I don't know what you mean that he "gives up the retirement?"

he gave up his health insurance PP. That's one of the main reasons people put up with govt pay for decades.

At a certain point of low salary, is it worth it? If you still plan to work until age 65 you can get Medicare after that (which is what every private sector worker has to do).

1) you can plan to work to 65, but it’s more likely to avoid layoffs if you are in gov service — they value experience over youth. Also your health could prevent you from working and you retire early — if you don’t have Medicare yet that is rough.

2) the Fed health benefit takes the place of Medicare Part B and is amazing, so even at 65 it’s a great benefit

Granted if the lay difference is large enough that would allow you to self fund these gaps; I think $60k year would bridge the loss of health insurance carryover, for example. To insure against layoff, you want to be paid in multiples, like 2x or 3x your current salary. Only lawyers doctors and maybe some tech can pull that off.

+1

Some feds can retire at 50 if they have enough time overseas or work in law enforcement.

A lot of people don't find the whole career game to be fulfilling and view their job as simply a means to an end. These types are obviously better off in a slacker fed job. And most of the people responding are not representative of most feds I've worked with over the years. They simply don't have a skill set that would command a high salary in the private sector. Even a lot of fed tech nerds can't keep up with the changes in tech and really aren't that competitive in the private sector.

Well most Fed tech needs are over 40, so tech companies ageism make that moot anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a GS-15/10 with cyberpay. $220k is certainly good money, but it was far from my earning potential. I might have been okay to continue at that earning level indefinitely except for:

1) A pretty painful work environment with a lot of focus on empire building rather than mission.
2) A high concentration of low EQ and/or low skill coworkers who we can't get rid of.
3) Inflation cutting into my pay and an increasing delta between my comp and earning potential.
4) No real upward mobility.

At a certain point, it all became too much and I bailed to industry. More than doubled my pay, reduced my stress, improved my career opportunities, and gained all the flexibility and accountability of a well-funded private sector firm. I'm very glad I made the move, but many govies wouldn't be successful in the transition.

Yeah cyber is a pretty nice thing and you lucked into timing -- it will likely be oversupplied with labor within a decade with all the people chasing the degree. Its generally not a high barrier to entry like law/medicine, nor has prestige gating with MBAs.

Well, I certainly agree that I was lucky with timing. I don't agree with your market analysis, though. Cyber is currently short several hundred thousand qualified personnel in a wide variety of positions whereas there seems to be a glut of lawyers. It should be a good market for another 20 years at least, and even then, it's not exactly easy to waltz into the field - technology is always changing and it requires constant re-skilling at both the individual and industry levels. People get weeded out quickly.

Are you technical, project manager, or manager? What are your typical duties? Did your federal experience transfer over?