Are Federal Workers Overpaid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work with a lot of feds and know that they could be paid more in the private sector.

Every now and then a fed bugs and and I play my favorite game: How much money is this specific person wasting?

http://php.app.com/fed_employees/search.php

Have fun.

I DO wish there was an equivalent for the private sector.

Ugh, why did you do that to me? I'm an AUSA working my butt off, and I really didn't need to know that my friends from law school who work 9-5 at the Post Office or FDA are making more money than me. I hate being a non-GS employee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work with a lot of feds and know that they could be paid more in the private sector.

Every now and then a fed bugs and and I play my favorite game: How much money is this specific person wasting?

http://php.app.com/fed_employees/search.php

Have fun.

I DO wish there was an equivalent for the private sector.

Ugh, why did you do that to me? I'm an AUSA working my butt off, and I really didn't need to know that my friends from law school who work 9-5 at the Post Office or FDA are making more money than me. I hate being a non-GS employee.

But you are an AUSA and will be able to cash in on that when looking for another job. AUSA vs PO or FDA experience? You probably win big compared to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lawyer just out of school at my old firm made $165K. I left the firm took a pay cut of over $100K and make
$136,771 -- the maximum amount I can make for my position as a GS-14. If I move to a GS-15 position I can make a maximum of $155,500. I already knew I was under paid in comparison. But I'm O.K. with the salary because the hours and quality of life is better.

What I find annoying is that people still believe I somehow make more than my private sector counterpart just because someone with a HS degree makes more in the federal government than her private sector counterpart.

That cannot be a GS-14 stepped all the way out. A GS-14, Step 6, at my agency makes the amount you quoted, $136,771 (btw- this is without the year end bonus, and mid year bonus)...and we go up to a Step-10. We also don't have to be lawyers--just scientists.

Jeez - where do you work? I'm a scientist and NO ONE at out agency at the working level gets a mid-year or year-end bonus.

[Anonymous]

I don't see how the govt. can afford to pay a snot nosed 26 year old fresh out of law school, never used a copy machine before associate $160k with a $20k/yr bonus. But get thee to BigLaw and you'll find this everywhere.

I call BULLSHIT on this one. 160K with a $20K signing bonus is senior executive service type pay, no way it's going to a "snot nosed 26 year old fresh out of law school."

I started my first year as a GS-11 at 56K and that was only because I had a year of clerking under my belt. If I was coming fresh out of law school I would have been a GS-9.

[Anonymous]

Ivy league under grad plus PHD with 10 years experience in my field, and I am a GS 12. Underpaid compared to many, many folks with much less education, but (sadly) probably mid range for my non-profit, humanities oriented field--though I know of folks who have my job in a few institutions who make bank, but it is very unusual. Anyway, I definitely don't work for the gov't for the money, but it's my field that is low paying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't see how the govt. can afford to pay a snot nosed 26 year old fresh out of law school, never used a copy machine before associate $160k with a $20k/yr bonus. But get thee to BigLaw and you'll find this everywhere.

I call BULLSHIT on this one. 160K with a $20K signing bonus is senior executive service type pay, no way it's going to a "snot nosed 26 year old fresh out of law school."

I started my first year as a GS-11 at 56K and that was only because I had a year of clerking under my belt. If I was coming fresh out of law school I would have been a GS-9.

I think PP meant that kind of pay for someone starting out in BigLaw, not in government service.

[Anonymous]

I don't see how the govt. can afford to pay a snot nosed 26 year old fresh out of law school, never used a copy machine before associate $160k with a $20k/yr bonus. But get thee to BigLaw and you'll find this everywhere.


I call BULLSHIT on this one. 160K with a $20K signing bonus is senior executive service type pay, no way it's going to a "snot nosed 26 year old fresh out of law school."

I started my first year as a GS-11 at 56K and that was only because I had a year of clerking under my belt. If I was coming fresh out of law school I would have been a GS-9.

??? I read the first poster as saying the government can't afford to pay those salaries and bonuses but they are the norm at BigLaw. I don't think anybody is claiming that first-year fed lawyers are getting $20K bonuses - nobody in fed service is getting bonuses like that.

[Anonymous]

Public employees should be paying the Government to work for the Government. If you're a Federal employee, you're lazy, and you can't get a job elsewhere and are dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public employees should be paying the Government to work for the Government. If you're a Federal employee, you're lazy, and you can't get a job elsewhere and are dumb.

First, you are obviously too stupid to be trusted to use a computer since you triple posted your ignorant and bilious rant.

Second, in the agency I just left after 26 yrs. of a 33 yr. career (legal), we routinely turned down dozens of associates and even partners who wanted to escape from BigLaw firms for our GS-15 positions but couldn't pass the test of having sufficient real-world specialized experience in our field.

Outside of the obvious substantive, factually-based issues, you're obviously just an ignorant and angry second-rate (perhaps third rate?) loser who probably hasn't been able to find a suitable job in federal or private employment, hence your idiotic and petulant verbal diarrhea.

In my case, leaving federal service for the corporate or private world would have meant a raise of 30-300+%.

[Anonymous]

Maybe, for those with little education. Not for the professionals and those with multiple degrees. But it's like insurance, rounding out the pool with diversity, some pay more, some receive more.

[Anonymous]

I am a former consultant in a technical field and took a cut to take my gs 13. I work very hard and bring a skill that is hard to attract on the Fed space. I took the cut because as a consultant, I had travel, little stability and I was working many, many hours over my 40. I still have 60 hour weeks occasionally, but with small kids, I just can't do it constantly, even for the higher income. Yes, there are some perks as a Fed but I had better time off accrual, paid "work" dinners, happy hours and lunches, lavish travel for training and conferences, more exposure and

[Anonymous]

Sorry, mobile typing ended my previous post... I was going to say, "and more opportunity for growth."

So yes, some folks are lazy but if you are committed to providing a service for your country and you obey the rules, you are working just as hard. There is no play hard trade-off, though.

When the kids are older, back into the private sector I go...