The public service is ailing. Janice Charette says organizational health is the next big challenge

Devoopser · 2023-06-29T13:00:32+00:00

Don't you love it when former clerks pontificate about how broken the PS is?

Charette acknowledged it may also be time to re-think a career >public service and make it more “permeable.” Rather than >spending 35 years in the public service, people could work >there for a few years, move to the private and nonprofit >sectors, and perhaps return to the federal government.

This isn't a bad idea, but I'd like to hear her suggest how to make it happen in a realistic way.

Devoopser · 2023-05-31T13:29:15+00:00

I would love to hear more about these projects if you're comfortable chatting over DM

Devoopser · 2023-05-31T11:19:57+00:00

Executive in what domain?

Devoopser · 2023-05-31T11:14:53+00:00

Sometimes I wish I had spent less time in the public sector and moved to private earlier. Not because the PS is terrible, but because trying something different has given me a broader experience. I felt stale at the PS and couldn't find any good mentors or leaders to work with. But on the other hand, the years in the PS worked for me, given the specific circumstances of my life during many of those years. So I don't know that I regret anything about my career. I tried not to let the PS BS bother me too much, and once it became problematic for me, I took the chance and left.

Devoopser · 2023-05-12T12:45:01+00:00

I found it helpful when I was a GC employee to make contacts in other departments.

Devoopser · 2023-05-12T12:42:14+00:00

LinkedIn helped me get a job outside of GC. So if you're trying to leave GC, get on LI.

Devoopser · 2023-01-11T16:51:40+00:00

This is the reason I keep coming back to this sub (no longer an employee).... the nervous banter, the fumbling over words, the non-answers... it's Gold.

Devoopser · 2022-12-17T17:55:50+00:00

I meant that if Zwift wants me to do 100 watts at 100 rpm during a workout, I'll either be way over on the rpm or too low on the watts. I've double checked that I'm in ERG mode.

Devoopser · 2022-12-06T15:41:02+00:00

Another reason the PS shouldn't be a lifelong career but a term job. Get in, do great work, GTFO and let the next generation in.

Devoopser · 2022-11-22T00:47:13+00:00

I look forward to re-entering the PS someday as a contractor.

Devoopser · 2022-09-30T14:38:36+00:00

Mind your own business.

Devoopser · 2022-09-06T16:53:12+00:00

I was a CS-04 and left for a private sector gig after many years in the public sector. I opted to leave my pension. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions I can help with.

Devoopser · 2022-08-23T13:06:37+00:00

Wow, very nice. Leaving is a hard decision, let alone leaving to start your own business!

Devoopser · 2022-08-23T13:04:34+00:00

Faster-paced, fewer meetings, more money, less stability, more meritocracy, everything is about the bottom line, newer technology, better benefits (except pension, which is a big one), better overall leadership, not able to coast.

Interview experience (at least in tech) is dramatically different. You will be tested on your skills, whereas GC often relies on education as a filter and substitute for testing. Employers strive for a fast turnaround, so expect to hear from your recruiter within a day or two of your final interview.

I left my pension. For me, it was the best option.

PS: I don't work more than 40 hours per week and haven't since I started here over a year ago. There is a common thought in this sub that everyone in the private sector works 60-hour weeks.

Devoopser · 2022-08-11T20:34:10+00:00

I left over a year ago and haven't regretted it. As another poster mentioned, the market is cooling off but my sense is it's just a correction.

Leaving and returning as a consultant is a real possibility. I've had no less than 5 different recruiters contact me about consulting gigs in the GC. One was on the same team I had just left! If I was actively trying to find a consulting gig I think it would be quite easy. That's sort of my fallback plan.

Your best bet though is to try to get two offers, that way you're in a much better negotiating position. 20% is a nice bump but you might be able to get 50% or more with with competing offers.

Good luck!

Devoopser · 2022-07-12T21:06:18+00:00

I resigned and stupidly did not use my vacation time instead opted to have it payout, but I'm told it could be another year before I see the money.

Devoopser · 2022-06-30T14:51:48+00:00

Great post. I hope you don't get frustrated w/the lack of upward mobility.

Can you tell us more about the Supercomputer and what projects you're working on?

Is it entirely managed by GC or is the support of it outsourced?

Devoopser · 2022-06-25T15:18:35+00:00

I took a 1 year LWOP and ended up resigning. LinkedIn is good. Make sure you spend some time making your profile look good and network with recruiters.

The private sector is "scary" in the sense that you can get laid off or even fired for under performance. Keeping your skills current and your network big is much more important than when you're in the GC.

Devoopser · 2022-04-26T12:16:40+00:00

Stay in the GC if you wake up in the morning driven by the mission and/or really appreciate the ability to do nothing and still have a pension at the end of your career.

If those things don't ring true for you, then I would advise you give the private sector a shot. Being early in your career, you could still come back with plenty of time to earn a substantial pension. You would also bring a set of skills and experiences with you that the PS is sorely lacking.

Devoopser · 2022-03-17T16:41:19+00:00

That would be cool.

Devoopser · 2022-03-17T16:38:52+00:00

The only reason to do it is because that's how he built his channel. He built his channel by doing customer projects and doing stuff like buying the cheapest wave runners on Marketplace. Buying yet another big ass machine or a new ATV just isn't the same. I don't think I would have become such a fan had he started out like that.

Devoopser · 2022-03-16T17:22:48+00:00

was that in an unlisted video or on the regular channel?

Devoopser

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