Reply to Federal job vs contractor job in mid-40s

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I've worked in the corporate sector and as a federal contractor for most of my career, and may have the opportunity to take a government job for the first time.  A close friend is recruiting me for a position within his agency and he seems confident that I have a good shot at the position.

On one hand, as a single 46 year old mom with kids, I love the idea of having a stable fed job with a pension.  But the stability and pension are the only advantages that I'm seeing.  At my current job, I'm paid slightly more (guessing the fed job would be 15-20K less), and the commute is better, but the main reason I hesitate to take a fed job is being forced to stay within the government just to get a pension.  I enjoy working and hope to work for 15-20 more years, but I'm ambitious and hard-working, and the idea of being stuck in a bureaucracy isn't that appealing.  I like the option of being able to move around to different positions and challenges with different people (in a new job) if I want to.

So here's my question:  given my preference for dynamic, challenging environments, but then my need for stability/retirement income as a single mom, would it make sense for me to consider this fed job?  Would the pension be worth it at my age?  I know age discrimination is real, but I also know that corporations and private firms desperately want women in leadership positions, so I also think being an older woman can be an advantage.  Appreciate advice from anyone who's been on either side of this decision.  [/quote]

I'm now a 50 yr old Federal employee but spent nearly half my career as a contractor at a large consulting company. You can have both a dynamic, challenging environment and the stability, flexibility, and a retirement income as a Federal employee. In your case, your salary maybe less, but all the other benefits (vacation, sick leave, lower health care costs, TSP, pension, etc) often make up the difference. And in terms of a dynamic/challenging environment, I often see that it is up to the individual to decide how they perform their job. They can just follow the same old routine but even mundane tasks as a Fed can be improved in some way. Processes can be better, faster, more efficient. Hopefully, your boss would be in a position to want someone to always look for these improvements and support you to make changes. It's not always the case, but at least in my agency, staff are encouraged to take on as many challenges that they can....there are the slackers though that are fine with the status quo. Depending on your agency, it may take time to change, but I've noticed as more of the boomers are retiring and Gen X is taking over, things are moving at a faster pace. [/quote]

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