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Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hitman619
Medical Insurance is just as good in the Private sector
They quit teaching Real World Economics when i left school in the 80's so most people don't know how to invest.
Ive worked both and I'll admit, Ive made more money in the Private sector, but Ive also had to work 10x as hard.
I'll stick with the Public Sector till i retire
My medical insurance (and vacation time) was always better in the private sector than in state government. Can't speak to Federal Government.
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Rightwing media preaches that the Fed Gov't pays so much, part of their long-term plan to villianize (and defund), that it has become exaggerated about gov't pay. In reality, most fields pay better in the private sector. Even those working executive level positions will have to be content never making more than about $160,000/yr.
True. The beliefs people have about Federal pay and benefits are ridiculous. Mostly a collection of anecdotes and half truths without the context. Like pay. The averages used in the typical hit piece are skewed by what jobs are included. Of course I make more than the kid flipping burgers. But let that kid go to college, get a degree in physics, a couple of advanced degrees, spend 35 years working his way up in a high tech field and he'll be making more too. When you get down to it, a true apples to apples comparison of education, experience, duties, and responsibilities, unskilled labor is slightly over paid compared to market in the government but professional work is highly underpaid compared to market.
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If I had to go back and do it over I would fight for a govt job, I am now trying to compete for the very very few GS9-GS11 jobs in my area as an outsider trying to leverage my engineering experience, but I have no vet pref and am not a prior fed and did not get on as part of the opm program so im basicly screwed, I also have a house and a family so im not just going to up and move.
What's your education and experience? And what jobs (series and duties) are you applying for? Are you willing to move out of the area to where the jobs are? Let's take a look and see if we can give pointers.
TL;DR... weigh the options between gov't and non-gov't. There are variables you can't account for, like market conditions, marriage/divorce/kids, funding, but at least try to make an informed choice with all the info you've got.
It varies per job, region, etc. within both gov't vs. non-gov't jobs.
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I have an uncle that IIRC retired about 8 years ago after decades and decades of federal service. He collects about $800 a month from his pension? I hear others who've retired are pretty much millionaires between decades of advancing the gs scale, proper savings, putting money into the federal equivalent of their 401K program. Many are not millionaires, but they have a solid retirement already funded.
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These days, it's not as good as vs. the past, but IIRC, you still get 1% of your salary per year of gov't service. For those that served in the military, that counts!
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OTOH, folks have turned down or left gov't service. One case I heard was a man was told the next time he'll get promoted is 7 years, minimum, if at all. Some left because there are more restrictions placed on gov't employees.
On the flipside, I know folks who have been treated very well in non-gov't work, but also know (and read plenty online) of folks who get canned in despicable ways (someone on Quora mentioned despite decades of excellent performance, when he got a major illness, they company denied him the use of their health insurance!)
before my series was put on special pay then a hybrid series some of us actually made less per hr on OT than regular pay. yeah, no thanks.
A lot of professional positions wind up making less on OT than regular pay. I'd much rather get comp. And they don't even like to approve that anymore.
Of course I'd leave for significantly higher pay, the only advantage for me is being able to bid and transfer when I get bored.
The insurance and benefits arent the best I've experienced. I miss free tshirts, jackets, (cake on Fridays!) etc., and the occasional cash bribe to stay for OT, I received at both of the last corporate environments I worked in.
Here when there's a staff shortage, we're not asked, we're forced. At least we still get 1.5 for that.
Facing that problem now, younger workers don't want to work for the fed, or leave soon after. Many articles written on the topic
Benefits? What benefits? I got the same or better in private. Pension is overrated, learn to invest with the higher salary and you come out even or ahead
Part of working for the fed is a lot of the mission driven goals instead of profit driven
From half the posts on CD, they seem to think the grass is greener, then the ones working in the system realize the grass is still the same
Medical Insurance is just as good in the Private sector
Quote:
Originally Posted by timberline742
My medical insurance (and vacation time) was always better in the private sector than in state government. Can't speak to Federal Government.
this will vary from industry to industry as well as different types of government.
The health coverage gap decreased after the ACA was passed. I suspect it will grow again. Private industry has tended to have caps on benefits, higher deductibles, harsher exclusions for pre-existing conditions, and a longer list of exclusions. The minimum standards enforced as part of the ACA did away with these things.
In the field of education, private non-profits (Harvard, NYU, USC, Bowdoin, ...) tend to be pretty generous with vacation and health care. The for profit schools and many of the religious ones tend to be less generous.
My Experience of non-governmental, non-education industry was also the time that I had poorer health care and less vacation. Your experience may differ.
A lot of professional positions wind up making less on OT than regular pay. I'd much rather get comp. And they don't even like to approve that anymore.
At least with comp time, since it is their way of paying for time worked, if ct expires, opm pays it out at the OT rate. it isnt like annual leave which expires and goes away since al is a benefit and not compensation for working
they let us pick which to use, al or ct, so people like to use al first because ct pays out if it is unused. if used, then they still enjoy the day off all the same
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