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Why dis it turn out to be bad?

alexjplant 2y ago
Because it's often a lie (at least in my experience). When I worked in defense contracting people loved trotting out stuff like "the work is stable", "you can't get fired from a government job", etc. all while dealing with furloughs, government shutdowns, geographic consolidation of work to different states, contracts changing hands, companies being acquired, etc. Employment in the US is at-will and nobody is going to guarantee you a job, especially these days, and employers at the lower echelons of the industry are very fond of selling the dream of "stability" by sowing fear of the unknown to prevent attrition while building a culture of malaise and low compensation. I'm not saying that one should work exclusively for seed-stage crypto startups that sell blockchain-verified probiotic dog food or anything, but at some point you should critically examine whether it makes sense to be someplace that's 10 years and tens of thousands of dollars behind the curve just because it's "stable" when it so obviously isn't.
- redserk 2y ago
  Defense contracting is not a government job. You work for a private organization that provides services to the government. Big difference.
  - alexjplant 2y ago
    ...where did I say that it was? They're both in the same space (figuratively and sometimes literally) and both of them have the same problem insofar as they aren't as bulletproof as they're made out to be. You can, in fact, be fired from a government job and things like the government shutdown circus and BRAC are real.
    - redserk 2y ago
      My apologies if I misinterpreted. I assumed it was tied together with this: > When I worked in defense contracting people loved trotting out stuff like "the work is stable", "you can't get fired from a government job" It's truly a shame that the employees who keep the government glued together -- be it via direct government employment or contracting -- are subject to unnecessarily turmulous conditions because of one political party's antics.
      - alexjplant 2y ago
        _My_ apologies for not making the distinction more explicit - reading it in hindsight it is a bit ambiguous. In an ideal world the government would operate a little more sanely but I'm not holding my breath.
SkyPuncher 2y ago
You’re likely better off getting a job that pays better, but being laid off more frequently. If the layoffs never happen, you’re in a massively better position. If they do, the extra income still puts you ahead of staying at a stable, but poorly paying job.

Because it's often a lie (at least in my experience). When I worked in defense contracting people loved trotting out stuff like "the work is stable", "you can't get fired from a government job", etc. all while dealing with furloughs, government shutdowns, geographic consolidation of work to different states, contracts changing hands, companies being acquired, etc. Employment in the US is at-will and nobody is going to guarantee you a job, especially these days, and employers at the lower echelons of the industry are very fond of selling the dream of "stability" by sowing fear of the unknown to prevent attrition while building a culture of malaise and low compensation. I'm not saying that one should work exclusively for seed-stage crypto startups that sell blockchain-verified probiotic dog food or anything, but at some point you should critically examine whether it makes sense to be someplace that's 10 years and tens of thousands of dollars behind the curve just because it's "stable" when it so obviously isn't.

redserk 2y ago
Defense contracting is not a government job. You work for a private organization that provides services to the government. Big difference.
- alexjplant 2y ago
  ...where did I say that it was? They're both in the same space (figuratively and sometimes literally) and both of them have the same problem insofar as they aren't as bulletproof as they're made out to be. You can, in fact, be fired from a government job and things like the government shutdown circus and BRAC are real.
  - redserk 2y ago
    My apologies if I misinterpreted. I assumed it was tied together with this: > When I worked in defense contracting people loved trotting out stuff like "the work is stable", "you can't get fired from a government job" It's truly a shame that the employees who keep the government glued together -- be it via direct government employment or contracting -- are subject to unnecessarily turmulous conditions because of one political party's antics.
    - alexjplant 2y ago
      _My_ apologies for not making the distinction more explicit - reading it in hindsight it is a bit ambiguous. In an ideal world the government would operate a little more sanely but I'm not holding my breath.

SkyPuncher 2y ago

You’re likely better off getting a job that pays better, but being laid off more frequently. If the layoffs never happen, you’re in a massively better position. If they do, the extra income still puts you ahead of staying at a stable, but poorly paying job.