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This is another reason to plan on working until 65. Jobs like ours that provide retirement health insurance until you turn 65 and are eligible for Medicare are increasingly rare.
I don't plan on working to 65--62 would be acceptable but 60 is the goal. Since they give you $X for every year of service toward paying your premium, if you stay 20+ years, it's generally enough to cover it, and that's staying on the employer's excellent program; therefore you can retire early and still have coverage to 65.
Be careful putting money into your GF's house, especially if you're not planning to marry. If something happens to her, you could be left homeless, possibly thrown out by her kids. It happened to my elderly neighbor after his lady friend died. Thankfully he did have his own house. His GF would have been horrified at what her daughter did to my neighbor. He loaded up his car a few times to move back home. On his last trip, he got out of the car while carry stuff, went to step up his concrete steps, fell. It landed him in the hospital. He stayed with me for a month when he was discharged. We had moved away. His only son died, he only had a niece who refused to take him in.
I'm sorry the hospital didn't work out. It's probably why the government job looks to be working out. Had you not contacted the hospital to see about going back, the government job probably wouldn't have materialized like it has lol Murphy's law lol
When you finally start the government job, make sure you do not lose sight of why you're taking the job, for the benefits that you will reap in 25 to 30 years when you retire. This could be the last place you ever work, it is the long haul type of job.
Keep in mind that if you decide to take some college classes for some type of degree that the government will pay off your loans in 10 years of making payments. It's called the public service loan forgiveness.
I hadn't started at the hospital yet.
The personal stuff is a good bit off if it happens. Even if we fall apart, I'd rather live in Asheville anyway.
I signed the background check documentation yesterday and am just waiting to hear back.
The long haul thing is what I was thinking of when I applied. Even if I move on from this county, I could potentially move around within the state of NC. This is something I've been looking toward for at least several years now after watching friends and people I know in government do much better over the long-term that most people in the private sector, unless you're really well-compensated.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlwaysBeachin
I don't plan on working to 65--62 would be acceptable but 60 is the goal. Since they give you $X for every year of service toward paying your premium, if you stay 20+ years, it's generally enough to cover it, and that's staying on the employer's excellent program; therefore you can retire early and still have coverage to 65.
That's the case here too. I could be retired in my early 60s with full medical and pension. There's nowhere else I could get a deal like that other than the government.
My dad had been working in a physical job, and quit last May at age 63. Mom retired at 62. Him quitting ended their medical insurance. If you can avoid that type of thing, you want to.
Last edited by Serious Conversation; 12-20-2022 at 01:58 PM..
The personal stuff is a good bit off if it happens. Even if we fall apart, I'd rather live in Asheville anyway.
I signed the background check documentation yesterday and am just waiting to hear back.
The long haul thing is what I was thinking of when I applied. Even if I move on from this county, I could potentially move around within the state of NC. This is something I've been looking toward for at least several years now after watching friends and people I know in government do much better over the long-term that most people in the private sector, unless you're really well-compensated.
I felt the same way. I have nieces, nephew in their 50's. One has a law degree and passed the bar by 25 and was a partner at 29; one went to Yale and has an advanced engineering degree; another has a PhD after a Master's in Engineering and is a professor. Okay, so, they had financial backing from their parents. They only maybe don't have financial backing for the next few years because dad is maybe finally retiring at 78. But, they should also have an inheritance.
Me. I put myself through college later in life. Got a degree with a high GPA in Biz Admin with an Acctg. Major (something that guarantees work). Worked like a dog for seven years in Corporate America. But, I did mostly feel exploited (though grateful for all the excellent experience). I went through the same analysis you did and came to the same conclusion.
It might be hard to stick it out over the long run; but, it is probably worth it as you won't go beyond a certain minimum amount of income in retirement and if things go really well you would have more options.
Please remember that not to listen to what people say about government. They have performance standards and they can and will fire you. You are on probation so work your arse off (and work hard anyways so you can move up the ole ladder."
Private sector becomes more brutal year after year. I feel somewhat fortunate that I work for a F100 MNC that does a lot of work for the government and tech sectors. It is somewhat insulated from the instability I've faced in smaller orgs that are running on razor thin margins with skeleton crews.
From what I've gathered, the fed is a beast to break into. I have a friend who works with one of the big agencies, and barely scraped by during the interview phase, in large part due to his military preference points. I've tried applying and getting an interview, and it's the only process that has made me fell like a complete rube even though my record is spotless and I have good experience. State and county seem to have much easier barriers to break through. However, I've found government agencies to be very insular and incestuous. They don't like outsiders, and many within have a disdain and distrust of those on the corporate side. I went through an interview this past summer with a contractor for another agency related to active military healthcare. They were unfriendly, somewhat hostile at times, unwavering, and incredibly dull people. I'm pretty sure they did not like me, because they saw me as some outside threat. Of course, they completely ignored the fact that maybe I was looking for a little relief from the corporate grind myself. Oh well, C'est la vie.
I felt the same way. I have nieces, nephew in their 50's. One has a law degree and passed the bar by 25 and was a partner at 29; one went to Yale and has an advanced engineering degree; another has a PhD after a Master's in Engineering and is a professor. Okay, so, they had financial backing from their parents. They only maybe don't have financial backing for the next few years because dad is maybe finally retiring at 78. But, they should also have an inheritance.
Me. I put myself through college later in life. Got a degree with a high GPA in Biz Admin with an Acctg. Major (something that guarantees work). Worked like a dog for seven years in Corporate America. But, I did mostly feel exploited (though grateful for all the excellent experience). I went through the same analysis you did and came to the same conclusion.
It might be hard to stick it out over the long run; but, it is probably worth it as you won't go beyond a certain minimum amount of income in retirement and if things go really well you would have more options.
Please remember that not to listen to what people say about government. They have performance standards and they can and will fire you. You are on probation so work your arse off (and work hard anyways so you can move up the ole ladder."
Best of luck to you. Good decision!
Unless I was in a tech company, the government salaries really aren't lower than the standard corporate IT positions that I'm familiar with. North Carolina isn't particularly well known for cushy government benefits either, though this particular county is pretty left-leaning.
Hospitals are among the worst I can think of. You get the pay of a "non-profit," but with fewer benefits than you'd find at a typical for-profit corporate employer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by modest
Private sector becomes more brutal year after year. I feel somewhat fortunate that I work for a F100 MNC that does a lot of work for the government and tech sectors. It is somewhat insulated from the instability I've faced in smaller orgs that are running on razor thin margins with skeleton crews.
From what I've gathered, the fed is a beast to break into. I have a friend who works with one of the big agencies, and barely scraped by during the interview phase, in large part due to his military preference points. I've tried applying and getting an interview, and it's the only process that has made me fell like a complete rube even though my record is spotless and I have good experience. State and county seem to have much easier barriers to break through. However, I've found government agencies to be very insular and incestuous. They don't like outsiders, and many within have a disdain and distrust of those on the corporate side. I went through an interview this past summer with a contractor for another agency related to active military healthcare. They were unfriendly, somewhat hostile at times, unwavering, and incredibly dull people. I'm pretty sure they did not like me, because they saw me as some outside threat. Of course, they completely ignored the fact that maybe I was looking for a little relief from the corporate grind myself. Oh well, C'est la vie.
When I hired in back in 2016, the culture was far, far different than when I left. I think remote work did feed into the negative culture problems - if you never see these people in person, it's very easy to be extremely rude and professional. The lack of staff has gotten worse and worse. When you look for a job on their website, the grade isn't advertised, the pay isn't advertised, and the fact that the jobs are remote often isn't advertised. They want experts, but are not willing to pay/benefit appropriately to attract outside employees, so they're constantly using contractors. I don't see this changing.
I'm just waiting on the background check to clear at this time.
Private sector becomes more brutal year after year. I feel somewhat fortunate that I work for a F100 MNC that does a lot of work for the government and tech sectors. It is somewhat insulated from the instability I've faced in smaller orgs that are running on razor thin margins with skeleton crews.
From what I've gathered, the fed is a beast to break into. I have a friend who works with one of the big agencies, and barely scraped by during the interview phase, in large part due to his military preference points. I've tried applying and getting an interview, and it's the only process that has made me fell like a complete rube even though my record is spotless and I have good experience. State and county seem to have much easier barriers to break through. However, I've found government agencies to be very insular and incestuous. They don't like outsiders, and many within have a disdain and distrust of those on the corporate side. I went through an interview this past summer with a contractor for another agency related to active military healthcare. They were unfriendly, somewhat hostile at times, unwavering, and incredibly dull people. I'm pretty sure they did not like me, because they saw me as some outside threat. Of course, they completely ignored the fact that maybe I was looking for a little relief from the corporate grind myself. Oh well, C'est la vie.
What you are not cluing into is no matter how qualified you were someone else was more qualified (at least on paper).
What you are not cluing into is no matter how qualified you were someone else was more qualified (at least on paper).
What does this have to do with how unprofessionally they treated me in the interview? If you don't want me to interview and consider me for the position, then don't waste my time. Most certainly don't bring me in just to treat me with disdain as a "corporate outsider", or whatever bizarre reasoning there was for their behavior. I make more now than what they were willing to pay for that role w/ better benefits, so I'm qualified enough for a much better job. It worked out for the best. Most government bureaucracy just screams mediocrity IMO. When I worked for a quasi-governmental public health agency, it was mostly just people doing their best to stay under the radar and collect their check. It was one of the most inefficient, incompetent organizations I had ever been a part of. Career pathing was almost non-existent, too. Part of the problem was they couldn't afford talent or resources, and relied heavily on those who just wanted to be part of the cause.
I get that it works for some who are looking for slow and stable, but my experiences with them have been dismal at best. I was even offered a job long ago from the city and county. I passed on it ultimately, because I knew that I'd fare better in the private sector. And so far, that has be 100% true outside of the stability factor. Moving around in the private sector has allowed me to buy multiple homes, pay down student loan debts, and essentially propel my adult life forward. Keep in mind, I'm talking about run of the mill government agencies and jobs, not top officials or glamour agencies like NASA.
People complain about insularity, incestuousness, and other types of problems in government organizations. I've worked for many large organizations, all of this type of thing happens.
I doubt a county government is any worse than a local hospital system or a major defense contractor, in that regard.
A lot of us have worked in US Corporations, municipalities and federal government. There are pluses and minuses to everything. Pick your poison.
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