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I currently work for the govt as an IT analyst, making 100k/yr. I started off maxed out and haven't received any raises, cost of living adjustments in 10 years. Anyone make the move from public to private and have any regrets?
What are you INSANE?! Government jobs are far more secure than private sector jobs, while yes, you can potentially earn more, you have very little job security, not to mention most companies will expect you to be on call 24/7 at the beacon call. For me, stability and quality of life are far more important than earning more money. I personally know someone that traded there Manger level IT job from a company were his position was very secure to another company with higher pay and a lot more stress. The company went under and now he’s looking for another job. People who earn higher salaries tend take longer to find another job, 6 months or more is average, hope you have a good chunk of saving set aside. I got laid off from a nice comfy government contractor job last year and there's not a day that goes by that I don't miss it. I would seriously re-consider before giving up all that job security, you might find that more money isn't worth the increased level of insecurity and stress.
NO DON'T DO IT!!!!! BELIEVE ME I HAVE EXPERIENCE IN THIS!!! I worked for the government and had a high level position. I was able to retire in my late fifties and have a pension as much as some people work full time for!!!! My husband got bit by the private sector jobs and left government. He will have to work until he is 66, has no pension other than Social security and what he saved in his 401K. He has been laid off and had to change jobs a number of times since leaving government and has been unemployed for stretches of time. Do not do it!!!!
Thanks for the info. I agree that we have a bit more stability, but these days nothing is guaranteed. The plus side right now is flexibility, scheduling, and benefits. I work 40 hours a week and get to spend time with my family. I just wish that they'd compensate more or at the very least acknowledge my work. There are no performance reviews, no COLs for the last 7 years, and no moving up. Its a thankless job but I guess someone's got to do it. Maybe it'll pay off 20 years down the road.
I was a Fed employee and was forced to leave due to the furloughs. I started out low but in a few yeas was going to be making decent money for the position, compared to the private sector. The benefits were much better in the gov't world than where I was (although the industry I was in wasn't good for that at all). I now work in the private world, new industry making more money, but I work a lot more hours. That is the huge plus side of government work, at least where I was. I worked 40 hrs a week and that was all. Some guys worked more, but they received OT for it. Private world can't offer these hours/flexibility and they aren't as stable. If I was a bit higher in my GS grade when the furlough came around I would have been able to stick it out, but I simply had to leave because I could not afford to stay. I regretted leaving after taking on the new job; however, I have since left that job for a new industry and am happy where I am (benefits just as good as gov't, minus the fact that I will need to work more hours). It's really up to you. 10 years in is a good amount. Government jobs aren't easy to come by, so make the best decision for you.
Most private companies only work their workers 40-45 hours a week. Many software devs I know only work 35 hours a week, on top of flexible hours and ability to work from home some, if not all days. But I agree on the benefits - federal employees get some awesome benefits.
It wouldn't hurt to at least interview at other places, and see what the pay and working hours would be like. If you can get a 25%+ pay raise while still not having to put in any more hours, go for it. But government jobs do tend to have more job security, so there's that to consider as well. Given your career, I doubt you'd have any problems finding another job if you got laid off in the private sector.
I was in the same situation last year... been working in state government IT for 8 years. Very laid back environment, low stress, but simply was not growing technically and had no clear path of advancement... or any path of advancement for that matter. Had not had a raise in 5 years, very stagnant. Decided to interview and am now working for a large financial company. My total compensation was about a 25-30% increase including benefits. And surprisingly, the company I work for now has an employer-funded pension... in addition to matching up to 6% of 401k contributions.
I'm settling in with the new company now and happy where I am. Very glad I decided to look for other opportunities. With some patience and persistence, you should be able to find something much better than your gov job.
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