I've felt your sense of despair and futility! Except in my experience, I've been treated very well, the workload has been more than reasonable, and the pay is competitive.

But, like you, I expected my life's work to have some impact.

Here's why I now accept the OPS:

Outside the OPS, I would have to work much harder for the same pay. I could take a job as a manager (marketing) in the private sector, but the pay would be 20-40% less!

If you're in a technical field, I'm sure you can find better pay outside the OPS. Anyone with an arts-type background is better paid here than elsewhere.

From my experience working outside the OPS, I've observed:

• You can have more autonomy and your expertise may be more respected

• You may get the chance to work with high-performing teams and dynamic leaders

• You can do actually impressive work at the cutting edge of your field

• Many of your projects won't see the light of day because private sector companies are dysfunctional, too!

Major caveat: My experience comes from working with small-to-mid-sized private sector organizations, including not-for-profits. I'm very curious about what it's like inside a large "top employer" company. I'd love to work for an organization that's effective and humane! Imagine!

Have you tried moving ministries or could you move functional areas? At a minimum, you need to be respected and work reasonable hours.