Who here has a government job?

[ringmastery]

Do you like it?

[GOPisEvil]

1. I do. It has it's good and bad.

I work in State government. If you can, try to be a Federal employee. They get raises every year (at least a COLA). We get squat when there's no money.

[Mrs. Venation]

4. I Work For The Federal Government

We do not get COLAs; the amount of any annual salary increase is decided by the President and Congress and it can be more or less than the increase in the cost of living. Ronald Reagan gave us nothing one year, and a 1% increase another year.

I am in the IT field, and I like what I do. I am stuck with a cold-hearted boss, though. The political stuff doesn't usually make it down to the rank and file workers, but sometimes some id10t comes up with a new way to screw some government employees without even kissing us first.

If a secure and stable job is more important to you than making lots of money, I recommend a job with the federal government.

[GOPisEvil]

5. I knew it was usually something...

...our legislature meets every two years, and if there is no money for raises, it's two years until we can even get the chance for a raise. It sucks on ice, but at least I have a job. Plenty of folks who bolted state gov't for more money in the private sector are out of work now.

[TXlib]

8. SLACKER!

*ducks*

[GOPisEvil]

9. Hey! Everything gets done around here!

I make sure of that! :D

[demnan]

2. I'm a contractor and I support government projects

I've worked in this field practically all my working life. It has its advantages and drawbacks.

I've also worked directly for the Federal Government once and for the Legislative.

Working for the Federal Government can be extremely boring if they don't give you enough to do, it depends on what you do really. It call also be exciting and fullfilling. There is also the political battles to consider but that is true anywhere.

[Xithras]

3. Bad pay, limited chances for promotion, but highly stable.

It's certainly different from working in the private sector, and everything works at a much slower pace. This is a good thing when you're trying to reduce stress. This is a bad thing as you watch your brilliant ideas about helping people get obliterated by four years of committee meetings and bureaucracy.

I personally plan on going back to the private sector when the economy improves, but there are people who love this kind of work. My suggestion is to try it...you'll either have a job for life, or you'll rip your hair out in frustration and quit in two weeks :)

[geniph]

6. Sort of - I work for a public school district

which makes me sort of a state employee. It's a different mindset for people used to private industry; you don't negotiate your salary or raises, or any of that; it's all graven in stone. There's usually not much in the way of advancement, and one is usually much more constricted as far as purchasing and such goes (have to purchase from the list of approved vendors, not find the cheapest price for products and services). You usually don't get to work with the latest and greatest stuff, and the bureaucracy can smother you - but it is very stable, secure work. The retirement and other benefits are fairly good. On the other hand, there's no employer-matching for savings plans (government employees usually can't take advantage of 401k's), and everyone's salary being public leads to weird political wranglings for some people (since everyone knows everyone's salary, some people get their noses weirdly out of joint).

[adriennel]

7. contractor, yes!

I'm a contract librarian with the federal government. The work does ebb and flow somewhat erratically. In the library field, they pay really well (I'm making A LOT more money here than I did at the University.)

[Penndems]

10. I worked for the USG for twenty years

For the most part, I enjoyed it. Of course, there are some people who are real screwballs and other that are members of Mensa, bureaucrats and public servants, so we're certainly an eclectic bunch. The pay wasn't bad, benefits were great and the working hours long (they -- the benefits -- were a lot better before Reagan came along and politicized Federal employees). Believe it or not, we used to have our own department store (GEM) and our own insurance company (GEICO). Ah, those were the days! :)

I have close friends and colleagues going back to when I first came on board in 1977, and I've been witness to quite a few historical events.

Overall, a memorable and exciting experience for me.

(edited to include content)

[ROC]

11. I was a federal employee for 37 years.

The work was good for the most part. The pay and benefits were great. The worst times were when political heads caused trouble - Reagan and Clinton produced bad times in our agency because of their appointment choices.

[skippysmom]

12. I do

I work for a federal grant that's administered by a state college.

Pluses: good pay and benefits (compared to the nonprofit work I was doing before), lots of vacation, holidays, etc. (4 weeks to start, plus 13 holidays, including a couple I'd never heard of -- Bunker Hill Day anyone?), job security, favorable hours (37 1/2 hours per week and that's it).

Minuses: not being able to have a 401K (though we can get 403bs and 457s, which I believe are comparable), not having enough work to do (hence my presence on DU), bureaucracy a go go (getting a check takes forever), and lots of entrenched people who have their little niches they like to lord over people.

Overall: it's a good job, but not in my field, so most likely I will be looking for a new job when this grant is up in a year and a half.