I've had job instability for my entire working career, including my time as a fed. (Bonus to the no health insurance in my 20's and no FMLA for child birth).

Anyhow, I took the first DRP and my agency offered it until the end of Dec. Second DRP was only until Sept. I did in fact file retirement papers, met with HR and then was told to not expect to hear from them unless 1. there was an issue and 2. not until after Sept 30 as they were focusing on those folks first. So I am sitting and waiting.

(Side note - if the shutdown happens it will be interesting to see what happens with my DRP salary. Honestly, I have been planning for it to be cut off at any time anyway so have been arranging my life around that assumption.)

Anonymous wrote:I really don't have much sympathy here. I assume these are Gen X or Boomer people. As a Millennial, I have had to change jobs, navigate bad job markets, and deal with job uncertainty all my life, and it's just part of it. I'm not sure who these "job for lifers" are, but I look at you as weak, sad, and entitled.

Millennials are queens of job hopping, never being committed to anything but their own narcissism.

They come into jobs ignorant and full of themselves, mess up or do nothing and as a result find other job because they are pushed out and onto the next sucker.

The 1st thing I look for before I burn resume… millennial job hoppers, no thanks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't have much sympathy here. I assume these are Gen X or Boomer people. As a Millennial, I have had to change jobs, navigate bad job markets, and deal with job uncertainty all my life, and it's just part of it. I'm not sure who these "job for lifers" are, but I look at you as weak, sad, and entitled.

Mind boggles at the entitled "set for life" mentality of younger than Boomers people.
I thought that mindset retired with that cohort.
Professional people who don't develop and maintain networks, maintain self reliance... it's like the 80s.

Look, some of us would be happy to get a new job in the private sector, but there is almost nothing available right now thanks to the idiotic actions of our government. Check out the job search threads.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't have much sympathy here. I assume these are Gen X or Boomer people. As a Millennial, I have had to change jobs, navigate bad job markets, and deal with job uncertainty all my life, and it's just part of it. I'm not sure who these "job for lifers" are, but I look at you as weak, sad, and entitled.

Half of GenX has had basically the same job market as you -- dot.bomb which you missed, the GFC (which hit us mid-career) and then did NOT benefit from the roaring job market of the 2010s because we were too old to job hop in tech. Oh and houses exploded just like for you where we could not afford housing.

I've always had job uncertainty, it's been a thing since the 80s, and I've been moving from job to job every 5 years. I went into gov in my 40s because I know ageism is very strong, and my company was shutting down and it seemed like a solid plan for the coda of my career.

https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/05/08/why-gen-x-is-the-real-loser-generation

+1 and try getting kicked off your parents’ health insurance at age 22 (in the best case) or not even having 12 weeks of FMLA for child birth.

Reading this and other fired fed threads, I think my takeaway is that some feds lived in a culture or mindset of learned helplessness. Not all. Some are feisty and used to scrapping to get their due in a hostile or discriminatory workplace. My bet is the latter will do better, having maintained their home backup employment records, updated resumes, and contacts.

BTW "entitled" when I used it in some responses above eg 12:05 referred to the "I don't have to maintain my records, resume, or develop and nurture contacts" position some seem to be finding themselves in.

I was a fed on and off, starting as a equivalent of a GS 9 NTE and ending as a GS15 who quit because managing people who would not do their assigned work and said to my face, " I can retire in 2 years and it would take you longer than that to get rid of me so live with it " was not my cup of tea. That was a large agency. Working on the Hill was better. People hustled and/or were committed and passionate.

Anonymous wrote:I really don't have much sympathy here. I assume these are Gen X or Boomer people. As a Millennial, I have had to change jobs, navigate bad job markets, and deal with job uncertainty all my life, and it's just part of it. I'm not sure who these "job for lifers" are, but I look at you as weak, sad, and entitled.

I dgaf about your sympathy. I suggest you look up the words "weak", "sad", and "entitled" as they doesn't mean what you think it does. Those of us who are "job lifers" as you put it have put in many (over 25) years. I've done my time (from GS-11 up to SES), done it well, and am "entitled" to the payments and things that flowed from my job and which I and the government agreed to. I've worked for it.

While you're looking up words, also check "jealous", "petty", and "ignorant", which is you. And which is not my problem.

+10000000000000000000000000

Government contractor
Hill staffer
Hill staffer
Tech company that got acquired
Venture firm that got dotcom busted
Fed
Nonprofit

The only certainty in life is change get used to it or lose

Only in government is 40s nearing retirement.

Especially if someone knows what the real job world is like, dropping the job readiness survival ball because one thinks a government job is forever is incomprehensible to me. Government agencies and contractors have had huge layoffs over the last 40 years. History is useful.

Anonymous wrote:I really don't have much sympathy here. I assume these are Gen X or Boomer people. As a Millennial, I have had to change jobs, navigate bad job markets, and deal with job uncertainty all my life, and it's just part of it. I'm not sure who these "job for lifers" are, but I look at you as weak, sad, and entitled.

Half of GenX has had basically the same job market as you -- dot.bomb which you missed, the GFC (which hit us mid-career) and then did NOT benefit from the roaring job market of the 2010s because we were too old to job hop in tech. Oh and houses exploded just like for you where we could not afford housing.

I've always had job uncertainty, it's been a thing since the 80s, and I've been moving from job to job every 5 years. I went into gov in my 40s because I know ageism is very strong, and my company was shutting down and it seemed like a solid plan for the coda of my career.

https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/05/08/why-gen-x-is-the-real-loser-generation

Anonymous wrote:I really don't have much sympathy here. I assume these are Gen X or Boomer people. As a Millennial, I have had to change jobs, navigate bad job markets, and deal with job uncertainty all my life, and it's just part of it. I'm not sure who these "job for lifers" are, but I look at you as weak, sad, and entitled.

Being older than you, the GenXers and Boomers have had to navigate the very same job market conditions. But soon, you will realize that once you pass a certain age threshold, things go from uncertain and challenging to near impossible, even in the best of conditions. With healthcare coverage tied to full time work, in most cases, and health issues becoming more of an issue for people in their late 40s and up, this can be very, very scary. You don’t have to have sympathy, but there’s no need to be an a**hole about it.

Anonymous wrote:I really don't have much sympathy here. I assume these are Gen X or Boomer people. As a Millennial, I have had to change jobs, navigate bad job markets, and deal with job uncertainty all my life, and it's just part of it. I'm not sure who these "job for lifers" are, but I look at you as weak, sad, and entitled.

Mind boggles at the entitled "set for life" mentality of younger than Boomers people.
I thought that mindset retired with that cohort.
Professional people who don't develop and maintain networks, maintain self reliance... it's like the 80s.

Anonymous wrote:I really don't have much sympathy here. I assume these are Gen X or Boomer people. As a Millennial, I have had to change jobs, navigate bad job markets, and deal with job uncertainty all my life, and it's just part of it. I'm not sure who these "job for lifers" are, but I look at you as weak, sad, and entitled.

Thanks for stopping by. No one is asking for your sympathy. It’s worth sh*t.

I really don't have much sympathy here. I assume these are Gen X or Boomer people. As a Millennial, I have had to change jobs, navigate bad job markets, and deal with job uncertainty all my life, and it's just part of it. I'm not sure who these "job for lifers" are, but I look at you as weak, sad, and entitled.