Public vs. Private Sector?

yusing asks: "Public sector or private sector? Which would you rather work in? What are Slashdot reader experiences like? What are the differences in work environments? What are the frustrations of each? This person chose private sector after working in public. This article argues that the public sector should be expanded. There are definitely political considerations in this choice (bigger/smaller government for example) but I'd like help deciding which would be more appropriate for me. Where can I find quality reading to help me decide?"

Job security

[Jesus IS the Devil]

Many have chosen public/governmental because you are very unlikely get get laid off. After all, there's no end to taxpayer money.

And then once you're in and want to switch jobs governmental agencies will give you preference over someone who's not working in the public sector. This is why a friend of mine is looking to land an airport screener job. He doesn't really want to do that for the rest of his life. He just wants to get in and later on move to some computer position elsewhere.

Thanks but no thanks

[Lil'wombat]

I worked in government contracting for the department of defense. It was not a pleasant experience. As a consultant, you had to allow your books to be audited by the DOD and you were limited to a 7% profit margin. I imagine the same applys for government employees - here's your salary and the best raise you can expect is a cost of living adjustment.

Easy choice...

[toupsie]

If you don't want to judged on your work performance and get away with all sorts of employment misconduct, by all means, take a civil service job. Its almost impossible to fire a Government employee compared to an employee in the private sector. That's why Government is completely inefficient (idiots survive easily) and why President G.W. Bush does not want typical civil servants running the Homeland Security Department.

Completely different beasts

[jht]

Working in the public sector (I assume federal, rather than state) gives you very good job security, reasonable pay, strong benefits, and the potential to retire young with a nice pension - allowing you to either live frugally and well or take another job afterwards with extra gravy courtesy of the feds. State governments are generally similar, but the workers are more prone to layoff if the budget crashes.

Public sector employees, though, often have fewer opportunities for advancement, no ability to get things like bonuses, and less flexibility in some of the "little things" you might encounter (like flex time , for instance). Also, if your boss is a moron in the private sector there's a chance they might get canned. If your incompetent boss is a civil servant, it's likelier that they'll stick around and make you miserable.

In the private sector, there's more opportunity for talented people to advance rapidly, more competitive and flexible pay scales, and in many cases, a workplace that's open to change.

But the downside is little to no job security, a less generous retirement plan (at most companies), and less time off.

So you need to decide what's more important to you. If you like stability, and/or aren't supremely confident in your abilities, then you can perhaps get on a career path with the feds and have a nice, solid, middle-class life. You'll probably get to keep working there through thick and thin so long as you're not a total screwup.

But if you think you really have the ability to go be a star, stick to the private sector. If you're really good, there's at least a chance of getting the appropriate reward. Just keep your resume up-to-date.

Your career is what you make of it, reguardless

[Matey-O]

I'm comfy in my stable IT based state job. I have seen the typical stereotypical government worker in BOTH sectors.

While there are some backwards, misdirected, IT shops in the state, OURS isn't one of 'em. I'm proud of the work and accomplishments my fellow cow-orkers and I have pulled off on a small budget and not enough people.

I appreciate the stability, and the pay has actually jumped up to equal the lower pre-dotcom network admin salaries. I appreciate the 40 hour work weeks, and the flex-time/place work environment. But I also know that my position is a unique one and there are a WHOLE LOT of state jobs I wouldn't want to have. ...but there are a bunch of those jobs in the PRIVATE sector too. The grass ain't greener on the other side, it's pretty much painted dead grass there too.

Will I be the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs this way? Nope. But I'll have plenty of time to watch my kids grow up and _assist_in_that_process_.

I've learned reciently that being rich ain't all that. I'm pretty happy with slightly more money than I need to live on comfortably.

I prefer private sector

[bobdehnhardt]

Having worked in both public (DoD, DoI) and private sectors, I must say that I greatly prefer private.

The public sector is not as stable as one might think. New administrations tend to undo what previous ones did (even if they are the same party - the transition from Reagan to Bush caused a number of shakeups). RIFs and reassignments are dictated by the political climate and public opinion. And if the majority in Congress happens to be of a different party than the Prez, and Federal budget gets delayed, you don't get paid (and retroactive pay is not guaranteed).

Private sector is far more volatile, but the opportunities are also greater. I'll accept the higher-but-manageable risks of the private sector.

it's whether you spend or make money

[jcupitt65]

My girlfriend works in the private sector (magazine publisher), I'm public sector (research scientist). Her joke is that her job is to make money, my job is to spend it.

She likes private, because it's fast moving and you have to actually do stuff. I like public, because I have lots of money to spend on toyz, not many deadlines, and a lot of freedom.

She's paid 3x more than me though :-(

WRONG question

[ellem]

The RIGHT question is:

How the Hell am I ever going to get a job?

Re:Public sector downsides...

[Scratch-O-Matic]

the US Army was the least screwed up of any organization I've worked for

Man, it's nice to hear someone say that. I spent 10 years in the Marine Corps, and while I experienced my share of bafoonery, all in all I'd say things ran pretty friggin well...most people worked hard and most bosses took care of their people.

...my experience says mostly that there is little difference in work environment.

I'm self employed now, but my wife works for the federal government. She's been enduring some really stupid stuff lately, and has talked about leaving for a private sector job. I said fine, if you want to leave then leave, but regardless of where you work, your boss will always be a knucklehead and your co-workers will always play politics (not that I'm so negative, but those are the complaints that bubble to the surface over time, and can start to outweigh the good.)

Not as much difference as you'd think

[david_thornley]

In my experience, there isn't enough difference
to justify saying "private only" or "public
only". In the public sector, you've got a lesser
chance of losing your job, and you won't get rich.
Everything else is up to the people and the
politics.

Yes, I've worked with people who should never have
been promoted in the public sector, and were
essentially unfireable. I've also worked with
people who were unfireable due to office politics,
or because they got the company started with
massive code-and-test efforts to get mostly
usable (although undocumented) software.

I've seen both private and public shops where
the bosses were power-hungry idiots in it for their
own ego, and where they were good guys and worked
hard at letting people do their best. Ditto with
shops where you couldn't get anything new and
shops where you could get new stuff and experiment.

So, I'd suggest that you keep your mind open, and
learn about each individual workplace, assuming
you can get a choice in this job market. Avoid
workplaces where there are large numbers of Dilbert
cartoons on the walls, since they are probably
there for a reason. Avoid workplaces where there
are none, since then management probably had to
ban them.

I would like to work...

[ChozSun]

... period.

I cannot stand these story post about "Ideal work environments" and "If you have a choice..." bullshit.

Here is a good /. to throw out there:

"If you could get a job, would you be the best damn ___________er that company has ever seen, public or private?"

Sonova!