Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:59     Subject: Coping with despair
What would you say to me - mid 40s, at a FinReg, have never liked it but stayed 10 yrs because frankly after I didn't make partner in biglaw I was done with that life and working like that to not get rewarded so it was a good enough job w a high enough salary so whatever. But now I feel like I have zero options - can't go back to biglaw but if I could even get hired (prob not) they'd want to take me in a practice area related to my FinReg which does NOT interest me. Like it doesn't interest me 40 hours a week, let alone the 60 hour/wk biglaw culture.

So now what?? The only part of my career that I really liked was about 4-5 years of biglaw associate years where I was doing something specialized - think tax litigation (just an example, it wasn't actually tax). So now I have this notion of - can I somehow pivot to doing "tax" on the business side or the law side? Obviously biglaw would never consider it but medium law, some smaller consulting firm? Is this idea completely out to lunch??

Like everyone else I just feel so down, but I feel like my peers in FinReg who aren't looking to stay will happily jump to biglaw FinReg practices and that's that. While I'm floating around not knowing what to do.
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:55     Subject: Coping with despair
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, it sucks, but it’s just putting Federal workers on a level footing with the vast majority of Americans. Why should Feds have more job security than the rest of us? Maybe it’s time for all Americans to have better workers rights, but I don’t think Feds should be some protected class. If eliminating Federal jobs leads to better efficiencies and cost savings for taxpayers, then so be it.


I know people tend to think myopically so it seems like all this so doing is making feds the same as everyone else!

Except there are actually greater reasons than any particular federal employee. All civilized countries have civil service protections to avoid the installation of loyalists. There is a reason we take an oath to the constitution not the President. We ensure continuity of government, not blind leadership to an authoritarian regime and corruption. Please read up on countries where the federal workforce has been purged and notice that the majority of developed countries have laws to ensure a strong government workforce.

https://www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/how-civil-service-purges-have-played
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:53     Subject: Coping with despair
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, it sucks, but it’s just putting Federal workers on a level footing with the vast majority of Americans. Why should Feds have more job security than the rest of us? Maybe it’s time for all Americans to have better workers rights, but I don’t think Feds should be some protected class. If eliminating Federal jobs leads to better efficiencies and cost savings for taxpayers, then so be it.


Why did you feel the need to post this on this thread? You are either an idiot, insensitive, or both. Run. Along.
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:53     Subject: Coping with despair
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, it sucks, but it’s just putting Federal workers on a level footing with the vast majority of Americans. Why should Feds have more job security than the rest of us? Maybe it’s time for all Americans to have better workers rights, but I don’t think Feds should be some protected class. If eliminating Federal jobs leads to better efficiencies and cost savings for taxpayers, then so be it.


Except it doesn't do this. It makes everything worse.
Federal services make your life better. I know that's unpopular to say, but it's true. And they are the reason the U.S. is an economic and scientific superpower.
Providing fewer services, or doing them poorly, or paying contractors extra to do them, or letting things get really bad before we acknowledge that they were needed but now we have to start from zero ... none of that is a "cost savings".
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:52     Subject: Coping with despair
Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry. I try not to despair because I know it will give Russ Vought an erection. I can’t let him win.


You are also hilarious.
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:51     Subject: Coping with despair
Anonymous wrote:How do you cope with despair when: your missions are trashed; the alliances that underpin U.S. status and relative global peace are shredded; your dedicated, hard-working colleagues are fired; your own position is uncertain; and a group of goons with no understanding of what they are destroying for short-term gain takes over? I am struggling and still want to stay put here for the long haul. How are you all coping?


Honestly, by accepting some of it.

I loathe Trump and his minions. I wish we weren't living through this time. But I'm coming around to accepting that the country I thought I grew up is gone, or well on its way. For me, framing my formative adolescent/adult years as the anomaly instead of the norm, helps.

Draw your personal lines, uphold your own beliefs and morals, and move forward. That's how I'm doing it.
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:51     Subject: Coping with despair
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What skills do you have that aren't tied to fake DC jobs


Op is a highly educated professional that can get a job easily. And that is exactly why you hate OP.


This. So much this. A lot of what is going on is rooted in envy.
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:49     Subject: Coping with despair
Take care of yourself and family. Exercise, listen to audiobooks (when doing chores, driving, commuting etc), read and yes to chocolate
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:47     Subject: Coping with despair
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, it sucks, but it’s just putting Federal workers on a level footing with the vast majority of Americans. Why should Feds have more job security than the rest of us? Maybe it’s time for all Americans to have better workers rights, but I don’t think Feds should be some protected class. If eliminating Federal jobs leads to better efficiencies and cost savings for taxpayers, then so be it.


Why would you think it would create better efficiencies and cost savings for taxpayers? Contrary to popular belief, most federal workers are working at jobs to do things that Congress has directed the government to do. How’s all that stuff going to get done? The federal jobs piece is kind of the minor piece of what’s going on - the real issue is what won’t happen without people doing the work.

Sure, make it more efficient to fire low performers, most Feds are on board with that (although it actually isn’t impossible now) but this is just taking a ton of expertise on incredibly complex issues and throwing it out the window.


But you’re missing the point: why should Feds have better job security than the private sector? Answer: they shouldn’t. And since they have essentially been unfireable for decades, there are surely many we can do without.


You should be asking why private sector job security isn't better. It should be better, and it used to be.
No federal employee wants private job security to be bad, yet private sector is always trying to drag federal employees down instead of demanding better for themselves. It's the worst kind of self-sabotage, justifying harm to others because you've been harmed.
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:43     Subject: Coping with despair
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, it sucks, but it’s just putting Federal workers on a level footing with the vast majority of Americans. Why should Feds have more job security than the rest of us? Maybe it’s time for all Americans to have better workers rights, but I don’t think Feds should be some protected class. If eliminating Federal jobs leads to better efficiencies and cost savings for taxpayers, then so be it.

Tear 'em down instead of building it up. Way to build a better country.


lol some people are so sick. The resentful posts that are like “well the private sector sucks so the federal sector should suck too!” are astounding.
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:41     Subject: Coping with despair
I've lost 10 lbs since 1.11. I cope by not eating.
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:40     Subject: Coping with despair
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, it sucks, but it’s just putting Federal workers on a level footing with the vast majority of Americans. Why should Feds have more job security than the rest of us? Maybe it’s time for all Americans to have better workers rights, but I don’t think Feds should be some protected class. If eliminating Federal jobs leads to better efficiencies and cost savings for taxpayers, then so be it.

Tear 'em down instead of building it up. Way to build a better country.
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:38     Subject: Coping with despair
Anonymous wrote:You need to do therapy, or self-talk your way out of your despair.

First, recognize that this represents a blip in history. You and me, and the events we are living right now, are not that important in the big scheme of things. Even if we disappear, and all the important programs that have created the USA as we know today, disappear as well, life goes on.

Second, the Trump/Musk administration won't have it that easy, OP. They can try to launch all kinds of stuff, but our judiciary is standing firm. When things land at the Supreme Court, those justices, even the ones Trump appointed, aren't going to decide everything his way. Precedent shows that a portion of the conservative justices are pretty independent minded! The Democrats are in a rout these days, but they will rally. Everyone who has suffered at the hands of this administration (meaning most people, because we're seeing inflation rise again, farmers may not get their USAID subsidies, red states are realizing that the fed crackdown is affecting them too) will not vote the way MAGAs want. The midterms might bring about a change of power in the House and Senate. You can maybe think of ways to be useful for that...

Third, become selfish. Take care of your own health and that of your kids. Circle the wagons on your own wellbeing. You can't be an empath right now. The way you power through is by shutting out some of the news and just living your life one day at a time.



What great advice. So this and exercise, dogs/cats, exercise, and chocolate. I have also been sitting in bed doom scrolling, but only do that if you want to feel worse…
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:35     Subject: Coping with despair
They are targeting people who are smart enough to see where they’re going to try and steal from the American people, and use the government for their own purposes. Come on America. Is this that hard to see???
Anonymous
Post 02/12/2025 20:32     Subject: Coping with despair
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, it sucks, but it’s just putting Federal workers on a level footing with the vast majority of Americans. Why should Feds have more job security than the rest of us? Maybe it’s time for all Americans to have better workers rights, but I don’t think Feds should be some protected class. If eliminating Federal jobs leads to better efficiencies and cost savings for taxpayers, then so be it.

How does this lead to cost savings when Trump is proposing a $5 trillion deficit increase with his tax cut? Firing every single federal employee would save only less than a fraction of that. Something doesn’t add up.