Booz Allen/SAIC/L3/WarPigs Versus Gov't Intel Agency Career...Your Opinions (Reston: coupons, insurance)

[katyusha25]

Originally Posted by Denton56

My observations, and they are only that. Government offers more security, lots of leave, and good retirement. It is virtually impossible to get fired from the government and raises are usually automatic, even for not-so-great employees. Government employees usually work a pretty straight week, 40 hours, with no overtime expected. Of course they can also work flex time, 5 for 9 or 4 days a week, 10 hours a day. Not much stress, do your job, go home.
Contractors pay more, particularly in the engineering fields, and there are more options for moving around among the various contractors. If your office does not get a contract that covers your job, you may be out of a job. That can't happen in the government. There are no firings, regardless. They offer a bit less leave, and often there is not separate sick leave, it's just leave. So no mental health days to go away for the weekend, or go to the mall, unless you want to burn vacation time. There may be more stress as project deadlines approach. You may be expected to travel on your own time or work overtime when projects are due. They do not expect you to take mental health days, you are expected to be at work everyday and work when you are there although many contractors don't care if you come in later and leave later.

The biggest difference is that you can make more money with contractors but you will have less job security and less leave.

Are you referring you the gov't here (in bold) or contractors?
Sorry, I got lost!

I'm curious, what is considered "generous vacation leave" by Fed gov't standards?

Because I currently work for a defense contractor, and Lord Almighty, we get more days off than anyone I've ever seen. We get the regular holidays PLUS an extra day each for 4th of July and Memorial Day; we get 3 weeks vacation to start plus another week for the holiday shutdown between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day.

[Bigbluelandrover]

Originally Posted by katyusha25

Are you referring you the gov't here (in bold) or contractors?
Sorry, I got lost!

I'm curious, what is considered "generous vacation leave" by Fed gov't standards?

Because I currently work for a defense contractor, and Lord Almighty, we get more days off than anyone I've ever seen. We get the regular holidays PLUS an extra day each for 4th of July and Memorial Day; we get 3 weeks vacation to start plus another week for the holiday shutdown between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day.

Katy- I have only been a FED for 2yrs but my husband is with a contractor and he gets more accrued leave than I do. He gets all the holidays off AND he can work from home 1-2 days a week. I can't telework because of my agency. I think agencies vary on how good they are too!. In my agency overtime is an option and folks here do very well moneywise.

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by reeze

What you make coming out of college isn't just about who you work for. It's most importantly about what your degree is in.

Someone who's doing budget/finance may get low $40's coming out of college, but someone who's technical will get a lot more. The government has a technical GS and a regular GS schedule. In the WMA, they even offer locality pay to adjust for the higher cost of living.

Again, it's not just about the college degree, but what kind of college degree.

I have a friend who had an internship with the government, graduated with a guaranteed job with the government, and started off at $62k. Oh, by the way, the government paid for his tuition, room/board, and books. He is an electrical engineer.

Exactly! EE's, CS, and CE and among the most lucrative degrees. They are also among the most difficult to obtain, making it the old supply and demand thing. Fewer of them, more demand, hence higher pay. The poster you were referring to does not have an engineering degree or any technical degree. 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.

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by katyusha25

Are you referring you the gov't here (in bold) or contractors?
Sorry, I got lost!

I'm curious, what is considered "generous vacation leave" by Fed gov't standards?

Because I currently work for a defense contractor, and Lord Almighty, we get more days off than anyone I've ever seen. We get the regular holidays PLUS an extra day each for 4th of July and Memorial Day; we get 3 weeks vacation to start plus another week for the holiday shutdown between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day.

How much sick leave do you get? Feds get one sick day per pay period. I believe that comes out to 24 or so a year. Many federal employees have a year of sick leave accrued, those who rarely take mental health days for a drive in the country, or to play golf, or to pick up Aunt Mathilda at the airport. They start at two weeks annual leave, go to three after a couple of years, and eventually get nearly 5 weeks. Or is it 6? Plus 12 holidays. Two members of my family work for the feds, and one of them was a contractor. Another member of my immediate family, and engineer, makes a lot of money working for a contractor. (A lot for someone in his 20's)

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by scottfs

You struggle to live on 52? A buddy of mine moved here from AZ last year and makes 45 and he's not struggling. Yeah he doesn't have a ton of money, and yeah he drives his 20 year old car instead of something newer. Doesn't buy many nice things and doesn't spend a lot on entertainment. He even has enough money left to make extra principal payments to his student loans. He'd be ecstatic to get 52!

How? Have you seen the rent prices on a non-rat-trap 1-BR apartment in Fairfax County as of late? ($1,100) Add on utilities ($150), student loan payments ($250), gasoline ($100), auto/renter's insurance ($100), groceries ($250), a modest car payment ($220) (your friend is probably one of 2 people in Fairfax County driving a 20-year-old car), etc. and that $52,000 gross salary dwindles. In addition to that I will admit I also have a few voluntary deductions, including 5% of my pay into my 401k. Also, I DO socialize, on average, once a week (happy hour and/or a movie) because I'd go insane living in Reston otherwise.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by katyusha25

Are you referring you the gov't here (in bold) or contractors?
Sorry, I got lost!

I'm curious, what is considered "generous vacation leave" by Fed gov't standards?

Because I currently work for a defense contractor, and Lord Almighty, we get more days off than anyone I've ever seen. We get the regular holidays PLUS an extra day each for 4th of July and Memorial Day; we get 3 weeks vacation to start plus another week for the holiday shutdown between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day.

I get nowhere near that as a Federal employee. I accrue one day of vacation time and one day of sick leave per month (not that I'm complaining since I'm ecstatic to get even that, but the way some on here talk the Feds are off everyday). Contrary to what a certain individual in this thread may claim, your sick leave can be used for more than just vomiting. If you're having a severe "down" day emotionally or mentally then it is the RESPONSIBLE thing to do to take a sick day instead of charging a full day's work to an assignment you won't be putting 110% effort into due to your condition, wasting tax dollars in the process.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Denton56

Another great post! you seem to know alot about how this all works.

About how what all works? Care to enlighten us?

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Denton56

How much sick leave do you get? Feds get one sick day per pay period. I believe that comes out to 24 or so a year. Many federal employees have a year of sick leave accrued, those who rarely take mental health days for a drive in the country, or to play golf, or to pick up Aunt Mathilda at the airport. They start at two weeks annual leave, go to three after a couple of years, and eventually get nearly 5 weeks. Or is it 6? Plus 12 holidays. Two members of my family work for the feds, and one of them was a contractor. Another member of my immediate family, and engineer, makes a lot of money working for a contractor. (A lot for someone in his 20's)

1.) If you're going to slam we Federal employees then at least make yourself look somewhat informed, first. Leave policies apparently can and do vary by not only length of service but also by agency, since I have a friend who works at the Department of State who receives more leave than I do. I accrue leave at the rate of one day per MONTH, not "pay period", as you are stating, and I know of many contractors whose personnel receive more than one day per month as well.

2.) Moderator CutYou know...why I took an occasional drive out to West Virginia to reflect. Would you really have preferred me sitting at a desk staring blankly at a laptop and crying for 8 hours or charging my own leave time to return to work more productive the next day? A "mental health day" WOULD be an acceptable reason to use one of your sick days, as would taking your child to the doctor or having to stay home to watch them if they were sick. What do you do for a living, anyways, that makes you so envious of the Feds? Thought so.

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by Denton56

How much sick leave do you get? Feds get one sick day per pay period. . . .

Not all Feds get 1 sick day per period. You earn a # of hrs depending on how long you've been in service. Hence, someone could start out earning 2.0 hrs per pay period, upgrade to 4.0 per pay period, and eventually earn 8.0 (1 day) per pay period the longer they work for the fed govt. I can't remember the # of yrs in service it takes to earn this much; someone on the forum probably knows.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by South Jersey Styx

Not all Feds get 1 sick day per period. You earn a # of hrs depending on how long you've been in service. Hence, someone could start out earning 2.0 hrs per pay period, upgrade to 4.0 per pay period, and eventually earn 8.0 (1 day) per pay period the longer they work for the fed govt. I can't remember the # of yrs in service it takes to earn this much; someone on the forum probably knows.

Sick leave is standard for all federal employees. It is 4 hours per pay period.

The annual leave is the amount that changes.

0-3 years = 4 hours per pay period
3-15 years = 6 hours per pay period
15 and up = 8 hours per pay period