[freudling]

If you had to choose for a career, which one would it be?

Sector: Business and Admin.

[passmaster16]

Being a government contractor myself, as well as working in the private sector previously, I've found that private sector is generally faster paced. Normally there is more money to be made in the private sector but with that comes more stress. Government work tends to be more laid back. Some of the perks might be a little better vs private sector but not always. This is my second government job with my first actually being a federal employee. All in all it isn't too bad, but it can get frustrating with the time it takes to accomplish things. My biggest problem is that we work with people that spend their whole careers with the government...between 20-30 years at times. And its hard for us to present fresh ideas when we have to go up against people who do not know anything outside government operations.

Obviously there are exceptions to everything I just said, but those seem to not be too frequent.

[Railroader]

More money in the private sector. More job security in the gov't.

I'd go with job security.

[passmaster16]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

More money in the private sector. More job security in the gov't.

I'd go with job security.

Not necessarily true now. Yes, on a whole if you are a federal employee, you are safer than most. But with government contracting and budget cuts, your job can still be eliminated. When I was a federal employee, I saw folks with 15-20 years of service cut because of cosolidation of human resources, business, and training depts. Those individuals were offered alternative positions but they had to relocate. So that is the only difference, private sector will get rid of you with no recourse but the government will try to find you another job but that doesn't mean its a job you want in the location that you want.

It's not the same as it used to be.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by passmaster16 

Not necessarily true now. Yes, on a whole if you are a federal employee, you are safer than most. But with government contracting and budget cuts, your job can still be eliminated. When I was a federal employee, I saw folks with 15-20 years of service cut because of cosolidation of human resources, business, and training depts. Those individuals were offered alternative positions but they had to relocate. So that is the only difference, private sector will get rid of you with no recourse but the government will try to find you another job but that doesn't mean its a job you want in the location that you want.

It's not the same as it used to be.

But you still have a job. That's my point.

[passmaster16]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

But you still have a job. That's my point.

Because I was lucky. At this job, two of our contractors got cut a few months ago. My point is people that go into gov't with an expectation of loyalty need to consider that even the gov't is changing its ways and cutting back. I started my career in the private sector and most likely I'll end up back there again. I prefer the fast paced environment and the compensation that goes along with it. At this point, I don't even bother factoring in job security because I don't feel any more secure in this position as I did in the private sector.

[Atheist]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

But you still have a job. That's my point.

Albeit a potentially sucky one. I spend 15 years in Washington DC as a private consultant (software engineering). During that time I worked on both private and gov't contracts. Personally I found the private sector work more fulfilling. Some of the gov't work had the "cool" factor (I did work at U.S. Customs and ATF and an agency that specializes in intelligence) but it took FOREVER to get anything accomplished. Some days I just wanted to strangle people. The simplest requests could take weeks to complete... the same thing in the private sector could sometimes get resolved with a single phone call.

It all depends on what you want out of your job. If it's a steady paycheck and not much stress... go with the gov't. If you want to be challenged on a daily basis, stick with the private sector.

At least that's my experience.

[turtle777]

I would probably go nuts in a gov't job.
I'm far too impatient. Maybe I consider it for when I'm dead

-t

[macroy]

As stated above, its hard to get anything done. However, depending on what you do (I was systems accreditation - IT Security stuff) - you may have everything spelled out for you in terms of compliance and guidance. Most of the fun stuff is left up to the contractors (thus, I enjoyed my job). However, the feds get to go home early.

Also - while the government benefits are typically better (health, pension etc).... the perks are non-existant. No free meals from vendors, no free trips sponsored by vendors, freebies etc.... From an IT stand point, that's a lot of freebies missed. Not sure about the other line of works.

From a pay standpoint - I think the two equal out in the long run. You get more up front in Private sector. But gov has good pensions (my in laws are collecting six figure pensions).

Thus:

Pay - I say equal in the long run. Unless you are an entrepreneuer - but then you wouldn't be asking this question.
Perks - Private
Challenges - Private
Stability - Government
growth - Private (unless you are very specialized)

Just my .02.

Oh - and if you don't have a gov job lined up..... that in itself is a nightmare... unless you know someone.

[SVass]

If you are in science or engineering, then it depends on where you work! You can find challenging assignments in both sectors. Pay is equal as said above in that expenses may be higher in a higher paying job. If you save and invest wisely, then that will bring long term financial success.

If you want power and adulation, then run for political office or marry Britney. sam

[SpaceMonkey]

I work at a non-profit research think-tank that's very connected to the government, so I get the worst of both worlds!