Anonymous wrote:I left after 12 years. I just couldn't stand it anymore. I worked with a lot of incompetent people who didn't give two shits about the work they did. The work was boring & most supervisors were insufferable. Our agency has poor management that is widely unliked. I had no interest in being promoted bc I would have had to deal with so much bureaucratic bs, not to mention, manage people people who didn't think they should have to do any work. And my pay would have been the same. I SAH for now. I may go back to work (not to the govt) one day.

Anonymous wrote:I left after 12 years. I just couldn't stand it anymore. I worked with a lot of incompetent people who didn't give two shits about the work they did. The work was boring & most supervisors were insufferable. Our agency has poor management that is widely unliked. I had no interest in being promoted bc I would have had to deal with so much bureaucratic bs, not to mention, manage people people who didn't think they should have to do any work. And my pay would have been the same. I SAH for now. I may go back to work (not to the govt) one day.

Anonymous wrote:I am GS-15 in my mid 30's have been Fed for over 10 years now. I plan to be a Fed for at least another 20 years. At times it is demoralizing, and frequency of management reporting is soul robbing but I have family to care for and mortgage to pay.

After I retire, I will become a high paid contractor.

Don't mean to sound ungrateful. Feel very blessed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love this thread, but have ? for those who have left or plan on leaving sometime in your 50s--what are you doing for medical benefits? i am trying my best to save as much a possible for retirement so I can leave in my late 50s, but not sure how the medical benefits work in retirement under FERS. Thanks.

If you are in your fifties and your spouse isn't a Fed, you would be insane to resign and not wait to retire. Health insurance for life. My DH just retired and we still have minor kids and their health insurance is covered until they are eligible to get their own -- in their twenties. They'll be covered if he should die. He also retired under FERS with enough years in (he went to a service academy, so he's been a fed since he was 18, but switched to FERS in the 80s and bought out his military time) that he gets a guaranteed check of 65k+ (plus whatever COLAs retirees get) for life. That's not even touching the thrift savings or social security that he'll get. It's not enough for us to live on alone here, but it's a nice cushion if life circumstances change and no one is able to work. I'm younger, but I'm also a FERS fed who started when I was very young and I'll get the same deal. We may not be making quite the same as many of the people on this board and didn't when everyone else was flush around us, but we also aren't panicked about our old age.

Does his post retirement health insurance also cover you, the spouse for the duration of life. Or, do you have your own policy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I started as a general engineer as well.
I am now operations research. The good news is that their will be an increase vacancies and in particular your series will be harder to fill/eliminate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your job series?

I was a GS-15 by the time I was 29 but had to take promotions outside of current Fed agency.

Anonymous wrote:I'm starting as a GS-7 right out of college. My track has potential to a GS-13. I plan to at least stay that far, if it doesn't take a huge amount of time. Do you think that is possible in 10 years? Then, I will think about private sector.

I am in series 0801. I have a feeling when I get to the 12-13 range I will have to take promotions outside of my agency, because of seniority and budget reasons.

I'm not sure how I feel about operations research. A bit too math heavy. I would rather do something chemistry-heavy. Why do you say there is an increase in vacancies in our field?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love this thread, but have ? for those who have left or plan on leaving sometime in your 50s--what are you doing for medical benefits? i am trying my best to save as much a possible for retirement so I can leave in my late 50s, but not sure how the medical benefits work in retirement under FERS. Thanks.

If you are in your fifties and your spouse isn't a Fed, you would be insane to resign and not wait to retire. Health insurance for life. My DH just retired and we still have minor kids and their health insurance is covered until they are eligible to get their own -- in their twenties. They'll be covered if he should die. He also retired under FERS with enough years in (he went to a service academy, so he's been a fed since he was 18, but switched to FERS in the 80s and bought out his military time) that he gets a guaranteed check of 65k+ (plus whatever COLAs retirees get) for life. That's not even touching the thrift savings or social security that he'll get. It's not enough for us to live on alone here, but it's a nice cushion if life circumstances change and no one is able to work. I'm younger, but I'm also a FERS fed who started when I was very young and I'll get the same deal. We may not be making quite the same as many of the people on this board and didn't when everyone else was flush around us, but we also aren't panicked about our old age.

Anonymous wrote:Love this thread, but have ? for those who have left or plan on leaving sometime in your 50s--what are you doing for medical benefits? i am trying my best to save as much a possible for retirement so I can leave in my late 50s, but not sure how the medical benefits work in retirement under FERS. Thanks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a FERS generation Fed who retired in 2013 after 26 yrs because early out/buyouts were offered due to sequestration effects (bad government in action, forced by Congress (primarily Rs), into which Obama got suckered (stupidly).

It's hard for me to see how anyone who came in recently or within the last 10 years will want to put up with the dismissive and disrespectful shit that too many want to heap on federal employees.

Perhaps when their tax refunds come slowly and their social security checks get slowed down and their VA benefits and service go down the shitter as a result of the service and personnel cuts that have started, and which will continue, they will understand that it's easy but ignorant to just blame all the country's woes on paying Feds a reasonable (and hardly exorbitant despite ginned up numbers to make it look that way) salary.

+1 When I attend the awards ceremonies at my husband's agency, I am so proud of him and all the other amazing work done by the Fed Govt. It's a shame that story isn't told to the broader public. I met an idiot at a VC event who was shocked when I told him my Dh is a government scientist. "The government has scientists?," he asked.

I would think that ethical rules apply to contacts with headhunters too, perhaps.

The government scientists at my husbands agency are fleeing in droves. He is a recent fed who wanted to stay until retirement, but those headhunters who are contacting him monthly are looking very tempting after the debacle last year. They even have a class at his agency that they need to take when leaving for the private sector--so there are no ethics problems. It's full for the next 6 months.

Anonymous wrote:I'm a supervisory 15 just counting the minutes. Staff acts like babies, some don't want to work, and the management administrivia is soul-crushing. I keep thinking I can make it better or fix it but then something else happens that just sucks the heart out of me. Between upper management shenanigans, congress, and immature staff it's just awful.

I am trying to plan my escape.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a FERS generation Fed who retired in 2013 after 26 yrs because early out/buyouts were offered due to sequestration effects (bad government in action, forced by Congress (primarily Rs), into which Obama got suckered (stupidly).

It's hard for me to see how anyone who came in recently or within the last 10 years will want to put up with the dismissive and disrespectful shit that too many want to heap on federal employees.

Perhaps when their tax refunds come slowly and their social security checks get slowed down and their VA benefits and service go down the shitter as a result of the service and personnel cuts that have started, and which will continue, they will understand that it's easy but ignorant to just blame all the country's woes on paying Feds a reasonable (and hardly exorbitant despite ginned up numbers to make it look that way) salary.

+1 When I attend the awards ceremonies at my husband's agency, I am so proud of him and all the other amazing work done by the Fed Govt. It's a shame that story isn't told to the broader public. I met an idiot at a VC event who was shocked when I told him my Dh is a government scientist. "The government has scientists?," he asked.

Anonymous wrote:I am a FERS generation Fed who retired in 2013 after 26 yrs because early out/buyouts were offered due to sequestration effects (bad government in action, forced by Congress (primarily Rs), into which Obama got suckered (stupidly).

It's hard for me to see how anyone who came in recently or within the last 10 years will want to put up with the dismissive and disrespectful shit that too many want to heap on federal employees.

Perhaps when their tax refunds come slowly and their social security checks get slowed down and their VA benefits and service go down the shitter as a result of the service and personnel cuts that have started, and which will continue, they will understand that it's easy but ignorant to just blame all the country's woes on paying Feds a reasonable (and hardly exorbitant despite ginned up numbers to make it look that way) salary.