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> The main question I have is why the agencies are able to pay such low salaries, sometimes even in urban areas, no bonuses, etc. I grew up in DC and have a bu

by CPLX 7y ago

> The main question I have is why the agencies are able to pay such low salaries, sometimes even in urban areas, no bonuses, etc. I grew up in DC and have a bunch of friends that went to work for the Federal Government. Not in these types of agencies, but nonetheless instructive I think. The incentives at these places are completely different. Pay is somewhat low at start but it's rock solid stable and grows predictably and can get pretty respectable over time, the level of stress and unpredictability can be very low, the promotions are on a schedule, and vacation time and flex time can be pretty attractive. It's not for me, I would go crazy in that culture, but I have some friends that are really happy to have a job they can check into, do what they're told to do, and go home.

Loughla 7y ago
Having worked in a government job (not tech, but still government) this is it in a nutshell. It was nice having a job that I could go to, do my work, and go home without worrying about what might be happening at the office. It was the best position I've ever had for work/life balance. The time off was extraordinary, the health insurance was stupid good, it was super stable, but the pay was 1/2 to 2/3 what I could make in private industry. When I had small children, it was the perfect job, just due to the flexibility in time off and lack of real on-going stress.
dlphn___xyz 7y ago
government shutdown / furlough proves that that gov jobs arent stable.
- 0xffff2 7y ago
  Government employees got back pay, so as long as they're financially stable to start with they experienced no lasting consequences as a result of the shutdown. (Unfortunately the same isn't true for government contractors who were unable to work due to the shutdown.) The last shutdown was also a historically unprecedented event. While shutdowns had occurred before, they were never on the scale of the latest one.
astura 7y ago
I have a friend who worked for around 20 years in various companies in the private sector and then moved to government. She took a pay cut but she is so incredibly happy now, the quality of life improvement was more than worth it to her. In the private sector she'd have to login at night while on vacation to do work.

by CPLX 7y ago

Loughla 7y ago

Having worked in a government job (not tech, but still government) this is it in a nutshell. It was nice having a job that I could go to, do my work, and go home without worrying about what might be happening at the office. It was the best position I've ever had for work/life balance. The time off was extraordinary, the health insurance was stupid good, it was super stable, but the pay was 1/2 to 2/3 what I could make in private industry. When I had small children, it was the perfect job, just due to the flexibility in time off and lack of real on-going stress.

dlphn___xyz 7y ago

government shutdown / furlough proves that that gov jobs arent stable.

0xffff2 7y ago
Government employees got back pay, so as long as they're financially stable to start with they experienced no lasting consequences as a result of the shutdown. (Unfortunately the same isn't true for government contractors who were unable to work due to the shutdown.) The last shutdown was also a historically unprecedented event. While shutdowns had occurred before, they were never on the scale of the latest one.

astura 7y ago

I have a friend who worked for around 20 years in various companies in the private sector and then moved to government. She took a pay cut but she is so incredibly happy now, the quality of life improvement was more than worth it to her. In the private sector she'd have to login at night while on vacation to do work.