I would expect the job being boring / mundane as a worst-case scenerio (although it is a significant possibility). I’ve had two different Cdn government jobs and find my current one great. Its engaging, fast-paced, high pressure, and I have a ton of responsibility. My advice to you is that if you do take the job, don’t go in there expecting to just do the status quo. Show up with a lot of energy, work hard to learn everything, get up to speed quickly, and bring and apply a lot of previous experience from other firms to your work there. Just don’t always sit back and accept the way things are done. The problem with bureaucracy is that “the way things are done” tends to just be “the path of least resistance.” While its important to follow appropriate bureaucractic channels, don’t be afraid to stand behind your work and challenge people who you think are wrong / don’t see the whole picture (once you’ve been around a little bit and have a good reputation).
JFK (I believe) said that Washington was a fusion of Southern efficiency and Northern charm. It’s true that in DC, people seem overly to identify themselves with their agencies or employers and basically tow the party line. Part of the issue is that advancement in Washington is based more on loyalty then on efficiency or intelligence. If you can efficiently execute your boss’ intent and are a loyal footsoldier or lieutenant, then you rise up (provided you have a boss that rises up too). It’s a case of the nail that stands up the most gets hammered down first. As a result, people like to talk current events, but they don’t open up as easily. And it’s a bit like the english man and woman stranded on a desert island… two years later, in which time the french and italians have had a bunch of babies, the DC-ers are still waiting to be introduced. New York is different… part of it is because while DC’s currency is political power, NY’s lifeblood is money. One of the ways you show you have money here is that you don’t give a rat’s ass about what other people think, so people are much more in your face. To outsiders, it comes across as brashness, but in fact it is easier to make friends in New York than in DC. Who’da thunk it?
marcus phoenix Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Part-time Crook Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Yeah I say take it too. > > > Are you being facetious or is that your honest > opinion? Lol, it was facetious at first, but honestly I wish I could have flexible hours and a solid job security. Besides the couple of times I’ve been to the DC area I definitely liked it.
Part-time Crook Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > marcus phoenix Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Part-time Crook Wrote: > > > -------------------------------------------------- > > > ----- > > > Yeah I say take it too. > > > > > > Are you being facetious or is that your honest > > opinion? > > Lol, it was facetious at first, but honestly I > wish I could have flexible hours and a solid job > security. Besides the couple of times I’ve been to > the DC area I definitely liked it. You from NYC?
No, but lived in CA and MA for a couple of years. To me, the flex hours would be great since I have children.
Part-time Crook Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > No, but lived in CA and MA for a couple of years. > To me, the flex hours would be great since I have > children. YEah per their website you can also work 4 ten hor days per week. The pay is about the same, a bit less.
BTW the feds are offering 63K versus the 65K plus bonus I am making right now. Is that enough to live comfortably in DC? If I get promoted to Gs 12 in one year I will end up around 77K.
Wow, you’d be taking a pay cut to move to D.C. from PA? Yeah, 63k is plenty to live comfortably for a single person in his/her 20s, but wow. I mean, I guess you’re compensated with opportunity, but geesh.
kkent Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Wow, you’d be taking a pay cut to move to D.C. > from PA? Yeah, 63k is plenty to live comfortably > for a single person in his/her 20s, but wow. I > mean, I guess you’re compensated with opportunity, > but geesh. Well my bonus is around 10 percent and there were no raises last year. Lots o people have told me that they too have taken paycuts but eventually (esp if I get bumpped to the next scale). I live in the burbs of Philly BTW. Then again I may be off base.
kkent Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Wow, you’d be taking a pay cut to move to D.C. > from PA? Yeah, 63k is plenty to live comfortably > for a single person in his/her 20s, but wow. I > mean, I guess you’re compensated with opportunity, > but geesh. Well my bonus is around 10 percent and there were no raises last year. Lots o people have told me that they too have taken paycuts but eventually (esp if I get bumpped to the next scale). I live in the burbs of Philly BTW. Then again I may be off base.
If your current bonus is only 10% and you have a decent chance to pull in 77K next year, plus the other benefits you already mentioned, sounds like a no-brainer to me.
No stress working for Feds…35 hour work weeks…every other day off…nice pension/benefits…I wish I had my dads job everyday
NSteen1987 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > No stress working for Feds…35 hour work > weeks…every other day off…nice > pension/benefits…I wish I had my dads job > everyday Well its 40 hrs a week…but no more. But they do max out salary wise at around 170K.
MY GFs dad is maxed out at GS 15…wont say what Fed Dept he works for…but they recruited him heavily and yes he is maxed at 170k but when you max they throw extra perks at you like extra vacation time and deferred comp. E.g., he is going to thailand for 6 days and they are comping him an extra 40 hours of pay for going on this trip and paying for 5 star hotels and good food…our tax dollars at work!
NSteen1987 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > MY GFs dad is maxed out at GS 15…wont say what > Fed Dept he works for…but they recruited him > heavily and yes he is maxed at 170k but when you > max they throw extra perks at you like extra > vacation time and deferred comp. E.g., he is going > to thailand for 6 days and they are comping him an > extra 40 hours of pay for going on this trip and > paying for 5 star hotels and good food…our tax > dollars at work! Lol!
In all seriousness…my dad worked as an IT manager at ATT for 23 years…now does the same thing for the state making 20% less and he claims it was the best thing that ever happened to him. No more being on call 24/7…lots of time with family…etc…hope this helps
Yeah that’s what I figured…I’ll be starting early so maybe I will make GS-15 by my mid 30’s. Then on to executive service (SES)…
Yeah, it depends on your department. I know a guy who just got promoted to GS-15 at the age of 31-33 (in that range). I congratulated him on an extraordinary accomplishment and he was like, “well, it’s really easy in my department–half the employees are GS-15.” My mother, on the other hand, at DOT and OPM waited until she was 50 to get a GS-15 because there were so very precious few of them–a GS-15 was a full fledged upper manager, while at my friend’s department, a GS-15 was a standard employee.
Well my position caps out at 13 so I am not sure what happens after that.
NSteen1987 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > they are comping him an > extra 40 hours of pay for going on this trip and paying for 5 star hotels and good food…our tax > dollars at work! I hear the best food in Thailand is sold by street vendors and dinner costs around a dollar U.S…