Booz Allen/SAIC/L3/WarPigs Versus Gov't Intel Agency Career...Your Opinions

[still_waiting]

Haha...Just for Ghits and Siggles I just applied for a position at Booz Allen that I directly qualify for. Now I've already accepted my job offer for my Gov't job and will be there pretty soon, but I was just curious to see what kind of interest (if any) I could drum up over at BAH.

[Nemesis16]

^ any luck?

[sgtstef]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

When I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in May 2009 I had the opportunity to pursue a position in the private sector in my native Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA or relocate here to Fairfax County to work for the Federal government. The starting salary here was slightly higher, but it was more than devoured by the exorbitant cost-of-living. What drove me to come here was that I have placed a great emphasis upon a healthy work/life balance over "making the big bucks." While I've struggled my first 15 months living here to pay my bills my private sector counterparts are licking their lips at new BMWs and Acuras; however, while I can be home from work everyday before 3 PM with ample time to work out, run, cook, clean, volunteer, debate politics, study, etc. many of them are expected to work uncompensated overtime sometimes as late as 10 PM or 11 PM at night (with expectations of coming in again early the next morning).

I have to agree with Reeze. Your depiction of your privitized friends is wildly exaggerated. As a contractor, if you worked until 10-11pm, even 2 nights a week, you would have a 2-3 day work week. I am not allowed to exceed my 40 hour workweek, irrespective of mission. Chess pieces have to be moved, govvies have to pick up the slack, etc.

I have been that military person being told by 4 contractors on the day most other military was on leave, at commander's call, etc, that I had to stay and work for the team.

We, too, can leave at 3pm... assuming that we came in at 7am and eat at one's desk, which is what most of us do anyway due to traffic here in the ol' DMV.

Oh, and BMW, Acura, Infinit, Benz, Hyundai-- we are ALL sitting on the Beltway from H*LL. LOL!

[Pequeño_Bonsai]

Originally Posted by Denton56

For a 23 year old college grad, without a tech degree, to be making $52,000 is very good. As I've previously stated, only 23 year old engineers make more than that.

This is absolutely NOT true. I went to a state school, graduated with a non-engineering degree during the recession, and made close to 70k in my first job as a gov't contractor WITHOUT coming in with a clearance. (Worked in NoVA, not DC.) It's really all about how you market yourself and being able to play employers against one another.

If you can work your car dealer far down, you can work your potential employer up! :-)

[Plokivos]

my curiosity in all this is, has anyone actually went from few years of entry level Government to private gov service industry?

From my conversations with few of the people working in the private gov service industry or private consulting groups is that it's just far more better working for the government for a while then going into private industry.

I don't think you have to just pick either government or private.

I would also think you would learn a lot more and gain more variety of experience in short time period in private industry than at the government.

[normie]

Originally Posted by Plokivos

my curiosity in all this is, has anyone actually went from few years of entry level Government to private gov service industry?

Of course, many people do.

[stpickrell]

Probably the better question is, how often do people come in from the outside to a government position at a mid or senior level? I got into the world of contracting and will see where I go from here (I am a UNIX/Linux administrator with 10+ years experience.)

I've refrained from applying to gov positions, the KSA's are cumbersome, it seems half the positions are the "we have to advertise it but we know full well who's getting the job" variety, and the slooooowww response time.