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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have been at the top of the GS-13 for a while now. I have been promised that a new job will be created at the GS-14 for a while now too, but whatever.

[b]For the past 4-5 years [/b]that I've been at Step 10, I have received outstanding ratings and have been awarded $2500-$3500 each time since I couldn't have a merit raise.

I'm pretty happy to see the 2020 pay tables that someone recently posted here! That helps.

-- Signed, an outstanding yet increasingly apathetic fed worker who probably should have moved on years ago

[/quote]

So you have been at the top of the scale for your grade for 4-5 years, and haven’t secured a new position at a higher grade? Whether one is promised to you or not, you have to seek out opportunities, even if it means leaving your agency or going out of your comfort zone. What is stopping you from moving on, especially if you are such an outstanding performer?

Perhaps you have weighed the benefits to a Fed career (pension, stability, reasonable health insurance costs, etc.) and decided to stay. If so, there is no shame in that, but you shouldn’t be apathetic - you’ve made that choice. Your agency, your team deserves an employee who is fully committed to the mission.

If you feel you are under-compensated for the value you bring, by all means look elsewhere. Just know that many private sector firms also operate with pay and structures, and it generally takes much more effort and proven results to move to the next level. The grass may be greener, but isn’t always.

- - Signed a Fed who continues to outperform because it is my work ethic, and I am grateful for the perks I enjoy now that I didn’t have in the private sector.

[/quote]

Hey, I'm the PP you responded to (not the person above). I get it. I thought that I wrote my post in such a way that my self-awareness would be obvious. Yes, I've been at top of grade with outstanding ratings and bonuses for 4-5 years. Yes, I know that I could have moved on (it's in my signature!). That's why I put those details in there. And yes, I am now lacking motivation. I appreciate your rah-rah attitude, gratitude and work ethic. I used to have all that too. I just wanted to write something realistic, from me to the OP. Not to discourage him/her too much. But this is where you might end up if you don't look out for yourself or examine your choices.

I work for a great agency with incredibly talented colleagues. My complaints are not special. What stopped me from moving on is that I really loved my job and coworkers, and then I was having kids and I appreciated the flexibility that I was given as a reliable performer. But now I guess I'm in a midlife crisis kind of thing, where I am questioning greener grass, outside the box of getting a new employer. It all feels like indentured servitude to me right now. 
[/quote]

I get it.  I'm a capped out 15 with 15 more years to go.  I wouldn't leave at this point now that I have 15 years in and on my way to a $60-70K pension, but at the same time, I often think, "is this all there is?"  I try to remind myself that I have a stable job, decent pay, good benefits, health insurance in retirement, pension in retirement, etc.  For Feds, I think it's very much about delayed gratitude because so much of the benefits are really reaped at the end of our careers.[/quote]

To answer your question, yes, this IS all there is”... golden handcuffs.[/quote]

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