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Are you leaving the Fed Gov completely, and walking away from a pension?
I think going to another department in the Fed Gov will be much like going to another company. They are so huge that each department could be light years from the other. You might have been in an awful department. However, the other one might be awful or might be better. Just like the new job you accepted....it might be great and it might be awful.
So, tell us about what you love about the city you are leaving...and what you think you will like/dislike about the new city you are moving to? Do you have to sell a home and uproot? Is there any excitement about the new city?
No, I am not leaving government completely. And we don't get pensions anymore. The Baby Boomers who have worked in gov't since the 1980s are the last group to retire that way. Sad fact, I am in my 30s and don't expect to ever be able to retire in the traditional sense. OPM has now started working on flexibilities to keep us working past the age of "normal" retirement. The days of the pension are over. But I digress...
Yes, it could be different in the other department, but it is part of the same largely dysfunctional organization with the same leadership. Its the only game in town in the city I am in-- not very much in the way of other federal opportunities. I would take a 10-25K pay cut for a similar job in the private sector here. As a federal employee you take your salary with you no matter what the location, though the cost of living can cause a bit of variance on top of your base pay.
I am going back to DC, where I spent most of my career. I figure if I take the promotion, I have lots more opportunities there if it turns out to be an equally difficult environment.
I don't mind living in DC but the lifestyle is a lot different than where I am now. The weather is worse, the cost of living higher. But its a trade off. I honestly have a hard time enjoying the lifestyle here because work is so awful and it preoccupies me. But I know what I am getting in to and am very familiar with the city and surrounding areas.
Just an update-- I politely declined the counter offer, citing family. My mom passed away in April and I am still dealing with lots of fallout with settling her estate. She lived in the suburbs outside of DC. I could have kept up the back and forth if my work environment was more stable and rewarding, but as it is, it gives me a good excuse.
Even though you are a GS employee, there are ways: Recruitment bonus. Retention Bonus. Trust me, they can find $25,000.
Glad you took the high road and accepted the new job. Employers who want to keep valued employess, especially when the employee has indicated an interest in serving the company in other ways, step up to the plate proactively. If they miss the boat on that, then then respond quickly and forcefully when an employee says they are taking a position at a different company: $25,000 raise. Immediately. You mean a LOT to us and we don't want to lose you.
Offering a lateral position (that you previously were denied) for the same money as a response is truly lame. Good on you for putting it behind you and taking the better carreer opportunity. You should have been honest with them and said you were not sure of your career track, rather than saying it was for family medical reasons.
Leave...a counter offer isn't going to change being unhappy. You accepted an offer from a new company, don't backslide and burn a new bridge. If you really mattered to the old company they would have tried to offer you a position where you would be happy BEFORE you began searching for a new position. Heck their counter offer wasn't even equal to the new pay!
Sorry to hear about your Mom passing away. You are making the right decision. If your job was so unpleasant that you wanted to leave it will not magically become better because they have been given notice.
It is also good every so often to try new things. Good luck.
If the work environment is bad, get out of there. If you liked the place, I'd say the opposite, just because you already have that job and don't have to move.
Edit: The counteroffer point is a good one, though. I've been through that, and it doesn't play out as good as it sounds. In a lot of organizations, the best way to advance, is to leave, then return a year or two later, but much higher up. That's just how some companies work.
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