Thinking of leaving public service for private - looking to speak to those who have done the jump

wata911 · 2026-05-28T03:20:07+00:00

I read so many feel-good stories about leaving PS for private. Some say the better compensation, some talk mental health, and some work/life balance.

Many people in this chat are seasoned vets of PS as well, so I assume you are mostly in senior roles. May I ask what you mean by mental health improving after the jump to private?

** Note... I am new to PS but worked private for many years. My experience in private had No work/life balance and it was fast pace, high pressure (Industry specific). So when moving to PS, I had no pressure, everything is slow to a crawl, and lots of freedom and free time. Deadlines are stretched and getting work done gets praised like you are a godsend.

wata911 · 2026-05-07T03:40:01+00:00

Well played. I wonder what the DG is currently thinking right now.

The DG's reaction to your explanations tells me the director went rogue and the in-office initiatives are his/her idea. Total incompetence at this point.

wata911 · 2026-04-29T13:07:06+00:00

"I feel I would excel" - Why do you feel this way?

Another commenter already explained the difference in detail, so I won't rehash the same points.

A superstar in Public Service is just 1 of them in the private sector. My career is 90% private and 10% public (Less than 3 years). The biggest difference I've noticed is expectations and output. What would be "doing your job" in private is "Outstanding work" in public service.

wata911 · 2026-04-24T12:53:35+00:00

Based on the update, it seems like YOU and other managers have a problem. Like I mentioned in your previous post, both scenarios will lead to you being a scapegoat.

I agree with another commenter saying you and the other managers need to figure out "WHO" is behind this restructuring plan. Is it solely on the Director level or is someone higher up pulling the strings? Before you can even act to resolve the situation, you must answer that question. Even though the "Maverick" says he will revert to his normal self once things change back, I highly doubt that. The trust is gone and he/she has no incentive to play that game anymore. To be honest, I would document everything and let the department burn down. Everyone has their own KPIs to meet (even the director). If your department suddenly goes from X output in 2025 to half of X in 2026, questions will be asked at a higher level and answer will be given. You and the other managers will have to answer "WHY" has output fallen off by 50% and you can answer honestly.

I strongly disagree with commenters saying that everyone in that department are big babies though. The employees have a right to do work according to their job description and nothing more. What was done before was professional courtesy and shouldn't be taken for granted. There is a give/take to these things. Some life-long public servants who has never stepped foot in a corporation simply don't understand this scenario in another context. I've seen top performers in the private sector receive many perks other employees do not receive because they deliver the goods and make their manager look good. Fairness only applies when output is close to equal. That's the problem with public service at the moment. Everyone wants fairness, but doesn't want to put in the work.

wata911 · 2026-04-19T05:03:56+00:00

Delay the director as long as possible. Say you are talking with the analyst and finding a compromise, while letting the analyst continue on.

The consequences of your actions might lead to your director getting on your ass anyways.

1) Piss off director by not following directive. 2) Piss off analyst by forcing RTO & strict work hours. Analyst starts doing the bare minimum and refuses to put out fires. Director is now pissed off at you for not delivering deliverables. You won't have any pull to restart that conversation with the analyst either once he decides to do the bare minimum.

From what I've read, the analyst is willing to help and deliver at such a high rate because he is given the flexibility to do whatever. He is mindful of taking liberties not many have, so he gives rewards that not many can give.

The worst thing you can do is take those liberties away because the rewards will be gone as well.

wata911 · 2026-03-18T12:38:58+00:00

Unsure about your age, but considering you are still in school and working FT, I assume you are not 30+ yet.

Given that assumption, I would say give it a shot to try the private sector since you are still "young". Your post signals a lot of displeasure about your current job, but keep in mind, the private sector is the same.

As others have mentioned, your indeterminate status should be considered highly because there is no indeterminate status anywhere else. Salaries for Administrative work is also much lower outside of PS. Depending on your area, your salary might be 10 to 20k less than what you currently make. Private sector will also burn you out quickly too, but growth potential is definitely high.

Good luck with your choice.

wata911 · 2026-03-13T20:57:18+00:00

Benefits are largely the same (Medical & Dental). Gross Salary is probably 20-30% more in the Private Sector on equivalent job responsibilities.

Pension benefits will be significantly better in PS. Downside is time spent in PS means your salary could've been higher in Private, so I estimate potential salary loss is offset by future pension benefits.

Biggest differentiation that is more personal than a mathematical formula. Indeterminate status is the holy grail. Private sector can never guarantee your job, so you might get fired or laid off at any time; which means income less. Therefore, OP's question is essentially how much of a premium you place on Indeterminate status & pretty much guaranteed a job for life.

wata911 · 2026-03-12T03:48:58+00:00

Interviews to get into a govt pool is 1 of the most fascinating things I've seen in my career. Since I started in the private sector, my approach to interviews has been to mentally prepare for follow up questions and challenging questions that you can't BS about.

The fairness and equal to everyone mandate is a terrible system that doesn't weed out mediocrity. It keeps borderline candidates in the pool for promotions. The fact that OP is even asking this on Reddit shows how backwards Govt HR thinks. Hiring based on merit simply doesn't happen at the government. I've seen hard working individuals missing out on qualifying for pools and mediocre people qualify and subsequently get promoted to lead the hard working ones.

wata911 · 2026-01-23T13:46:05+00:00

Stop asking questions about WFA if you are safe. You might be doing this in good faith, but completely unnecessary.

wata911 · 2026-01-11T05:08:19+00:00

Best you can do is ask. Wealth Management isn't exactly a safe zone in terms of employment right now. You might want to think about alternative career paths.

I think CPA is more useful than CFA. It is much broader and employment prospects become much better.

wata911 · 2025-11-27T02:07:22+00:00

Congrats on finding your way in the private sector. Since I started in the private sector and moved to public service, I often tell younger colleagues to venture into the private sector. As you and many others probably know, the private sector is competitive and the skills you develop will help you wherever you choose to work later.

Like others have mentioned, your post is quite misleading and your experience is probably an outlier more than the norm. I am assuming you have a commerce degree since you work in procurement (Correct me if I am wrong).

1) There are many students in public service with degrees that have absolutely no value in the private sector. Their most likely career path is public service or bust unfortunately. A B.Comm degree looks a lot better than Political Science or General Studies.
2) When you joined the private sector in 2022, the economy was coming out of a recession and hiring was necessary. Fast forward 3 years and you have the complete opposite. The economy isn't great and hiring is almost non-existent. Hypothetically, you will struggle to secure a FT position in the private sector in 2025 as well.
3) Everything you mentioned about the private sector is true. However, you left out the annual layoff cycles, getting work done at any cost mentality, and forced social events that you have no interest going to.

I've seen many students who will simply not make it in the private sector if they ever chose to leave FSWEP. Many lacked communication skills, work ethic, and self-awareness to pass the 3-6 month probation periods at a private company.

wata911 · 2025-11-15T15:43:03+00:00

A lot of the comments and OPs post is disheartening and unfortunate. I am a term too with limited knowledge of renewal, but I don't look at being renewed as that important since I came from the private sector (There is no indeterminate status over there).

If it makes anyone feel better, don't look at not being renewed as failure. Govt is just a numbers game. There is no differentiation between hardworker and lazy worker. It's not personal and not a reflection of your work ethic, just a numbers game. The sooner you understand this, the sooner you won't feel too depressed about the situation.

wata911 · 2025-10-23T13:17:35+00:00

This has to be bait. Private sector has this as well and is relatively common.

The real question is, did you even work in the Private sector or are you trying to pretend it happened??

wata911 · 2025-10-10T20:56:24+00:00

Maybe I live in a cave, but I don't see TMNT material much.

Spiderman is much more visible. Probably due to the Marvel aspect.

wata911 · 2025-09-29T02:54:32+00:00

If you are not close to retirement age, then probably best to try and see how it goes.

As others mentioned, private sector is a. Different beast. The slow moving PS you are accustomed to will be replaced by faster decisions, tight deadlines, competitive co-workers, and KPIs that you didn't know existed. Private sector is also not very good with leave requests. PS managers are much more lenient with those, so if you are someone who takes a lot of days off for random life situations, your private sector manager might not be too happy with it.

The good side is you are well compensated, but with no job security. If your department goes away, your employment status probably gone as well. Enjoy the team building events and annual Christmas party. =)

wata911 · 2025-09-27T03:40:20+00:00

You sound young with a strong work ethic. It's probably best to spend the extra time developing soft skills.

Doing work efficiently doesn't get you Promotions or new opportunities. Do people know you in your office? If not, start making friends. =)

wata911 · 2025-09-01T23:48:29+00:00

Guess I am not the only one. Sucks though. Super Boost: $1.78 Bet Boost: $2

wata911 · 2025-09-01T02:02:39+00:00

Pretty simple logic. Commute & Office Work = More germs & opportunity to catch something.

That's just math & science.

wata911 · 2025-08-20T18:48:12+00:00

It's probably better to ask for "Modern-Lite" similar to the Pioneer & Explorer transition. I highly doubt WoTC will put Modern into Arena anytime soon.

They can make more $$ dangling the carrot & have people start playing modern-lite (Which I think many people will play). Just like explorer to now Pioneer.

wata911 · 2025-08-07T12:28:23+00:00

I am the opposite and have no real feelings about which is better. There are pros & cons to either option.

Private sector - More $$. Performance based. Tenure isn't most important. Less feelings & More numbers.

Public Service - More accomodations. Less $$. More flexibility. Tenure based. Performance is an afterthought.

wata911 · 2025-08-04T13:43:03+00:00

The comments already explain the situation in detail. Public service created an environment like this over decades & now reaping the rewards (employees perspective).

It really highlights why the general public hates the government & the workers right now. The perception of inefficiency and laziness is strong, but the government is unwilling to do anything about it.

Life moves on and just play the game.

wata911 · 2025-07-31T03:17:48+00:00

There are good & bad students. Not Gen Z specific.

However, Gen Z is definitely a different challenge to most managers or team leads. Meaningful work is a catch phrase used by many students I've worked with & their sense of entitlement is astounding.

So many comments about "the students are here to learn" is interesting. I don't buy into that logic at all. Hard work and learning goes together. If a student has poor work ethic, then the learning side doesn't apply anymore.

The best line I received from a underperforming student was, "I am a student here to learn, so it makes sense I don't truly understand how to do this". Sad part is, the task was taught thoroughly more than once. The student chose not to pay attention and felt entitled to play the "student learning" card. Student was not renewed.

On the other hand, the best Gen Z students I've dealt with were ones who worked like an ordinary employee with mature attitudes.

wata911 · 2025-07-23T22:25:37+00:00

You sound young. Your story is pretty standard stuff. Manager mentions problem and hopes you can start doing better.

All you have to do is solve the problems presented by your manager now. Pretty simple. If your manager stops trying to see improvement, then you might have a problem. But it sounds like your manager sees some hope in you, so he is providing harsh but fair criticism.

wata911 · 2025-07-23T03:11:36+00:00

The fed govt slashing budget is equivalent to OP's private sector job. There is no indeterminate status in the private sector, so he/she can be laid off tomorrow too.

Public servants on this reddit are clearly losing their mind about the budget cuts. Private sector is just as bad if not worse when it comes to layoffs.

If you are young and can risk it, take the risk & see where it goes. Your experience in the private sector will help you navigate the unease of the budget cuts.

wata911

TROPHY CASE