I am in mid thirties and recently became citizen. I want to move to government job for the job security. I have been through layoff before and it’s such a devastating situation to be in and would rather take less money but feel secure in a job that I can have until retirement instead of having to constantly be worried about being laid off, competition and performance. My TC is 120k so I may not lose big bucks by leaving corporate job. Any advice, direction or perspective is appreciated.
Govt job is great. My immigrant relatives in DC have easy jobs and stable lives. At many agencies people don’t work Friday’s
Where do they work? Tech job?
Some swe at nih, nrc, another patent examiner at Uspto. Not all are engineers some are non tech analysts
For your kind of need government jobs are best. Also you can move internally within different agencies.
How is the stress? How challenging is day to day work?
Lowest stress level you will find in tech industry. Many agencies allow WFH. Also laid back culture. First couple years you will have to win your leaders trust and prove yourself so they will check whether you get online on time and remain online during work hours.
It depends. The pace is slower and you will basically be fighting red tape. A lot of colleagues who are really underperforming but also a sense of purpose. 120k will probably be the max you ever make. Tons of job security after year 3 (even before you’d have to be a total goof to get fired). I left a government job because I needed more intellectual challenge and more competent colleagues, not to mention tripling my salary, but really just depends on your personality.
Thank you! I would stick to corporate job if I can make 3 times the TC but I’m never going to get there because for that you need to be a lead engineer at big tech or at high level management position. I know my limitations and won’t get there because of my introverted personality and lack of great communication skills due to english being my second language.
@HaroldWren which govt job were you in?