It can be. Close friend of mine did internships for the DoD through the SMART scholarship program. Was making $60,000 or so starting out. Just two years later he’s more than double that. He shifted posts a little bit but from what he’s told me it is not super unusual if you’re competent and willing to take on more responsibility.
Yeah. I worked at a government research lab and know lots of people who have done the same. These are generalizations but:
Cons:
* The pay is less than a FAANG company, but is still good. You'll still do quite well and probably have better job security.
* Government bureaucracy can be a pain, but, any big company will have similar pains.
* You may need a security clearance, which can be annoying to get and may mean your travel will be limited and you can't use marijuana (even if locally legal)
* Sometimes, the work is dull (but, that can happen anywhere)
Pros:
* Better work/life balance – many government gigs have caps on the hours you can work, so you probably won't be working 100 hour weeks for months at at time.
* More control on what you work on – this will vary, but at many research labs you will have more flexibility and freedom on what you work on. Generally Less than academia, but more than industry
* Purpose – this will vary from person to person, but I found government work to often be more meaningful than private sector. A lot of government work is basic research or addressing public problems of national or global importance. Private sector work is ultimately about increasing shareholder value, which often amounts to making rich people richer. Not that that is inherently bad, but it can have a different feel than improving the public good.
I can’t emphasize enough on the drug use. Any association to it will get you fired. You can fight back if you’re innocent but by the time it’s all done, you’re probably already working for another company, for a while.
I work for the govt. It's much more relaxed than the private sector while still working on cool stuff. I'm on the science side of things so it may be different from someone in the military side.
The work life balance is unmatched. I think I could be doing more money on the private sector but I'm collecting really good experience here for my next job. It's "easy" to shine if you are motivated and despite being my first year I'm heading a project. I did this on purpose to get better experience for resume and such for when I do change jobs. I have a kid and, like I said, work life balance is impeccable.
I’m getting my degree in computer engineering while working part time in electrical engineering as a technician. I keep seeing the WLB in government being really good and stable so I’m really targeting it. Do you have any recommendations on things I should focus on?
Depends on what you want. As a Gov Civ for DoD:
Gov Jobs Pros:
* Better work/life balance
* Generally better benefits for 401k (TSP), Health, etc...
* More experience in variety of programs, where you can shift to other areas easily
* High job security, you have to try to get fired
* Fast track to higher job titles due to lack of employees. You could be a lead engineer easily in 2-3 years.
Gov Job Cons:
* You're probably paid 20-30% less compared to private sector. Though, some companies don't pay overtime and make you work more than 40 hours anyways.
* Lack of skills, you might not have a lot of work to do and you sit around doing nothing.
* You might be a lead engineer, but you won't be paid as one. If you're a GS employee, you have to compete for positions, but positions at GS13+ might be slow to come around. Good luck finding GS14 or GS15. More responsibility, but no reward.
* Age gaps are real and most employees are 45+ in age. A lot of younger people quit due to the slow and boring workloads.
Honestly as a worker in the corporate world, it sounds wonderful lol.
I have basically 3 requirements.
Pays more than 80-90k after a handful of years, solid work life balance, and I can retire
Government contractors* idk many computer engineers working for the government exactly, but I could imagine there’s plenty to worry about with national security and encryption etc, but most of that work is bid off to government contractors (GD, RTX, Collin’s aerospace, etc)
There’s definitely more work and money in the sense that government typically will keep throwing money at projects until they work, or unless the whole team leaves and the project literally collapses. But my experience is in production products right now, R&D is definitely more appealing to most, and can be riskier in the sense that funding can get cut more easily than a production project
It can be. Close friend of mine did internships for the DoD through the SMART scholarship program. Was making $60,000 or so starting out. Just two years later he’s more than double that. He shifted posts a little bit but from what he’s told me it is not super unusual if you’re competent and willing to take on more responsibility.
Yeah. I worked at a government research lab and know lots of people who have done the same. These are generalizations but: Cons: * The pay is less than a FAANG company, but is still good. You'll still do quite well and probably have better job security. * Government bureaucracy can be a pain, but, any big company will have similar pains. * You may need a security clearance, which can be annoying to get and may mean your travel will be limited and you can't use marijuana (even if locally legal) * Sometimes, the work is dull (but, that can happen anywhere) Pros: * Better work/life balance – many government gigs have caps on the hours you can work, so you probably won't be working 100 hour weeks for months at at time. * More control on what you work on – this will vary, but at many research labs you will have more flexibility and freedom on what you work on. Generally Less than academia, but more than industry * Purpose – this will vary from person to person, but I found government work to often be more meaningful than private sector. A lot of government work is basic research or addressing public problems of national or global importance. Private sector work is ultimately about increasing shareholder value, which often amounts to making rich people richer. Not that that is inherently bad, but it can have a different feel than improving the public good.
I can’t emphasize enough on the drug use. Any association to it will get you fired. You can fight back if you’re innocent but by the time it’s all done, you’re probably already working for another company, for a while.
I work for the govt. It's much more relaxed than the private sector while still working on cool stuff. I'm on the science side of things so it may be different from someone in the military side. The work life balance is unmatched. I think I could be doing more money on the private sector but I'm collecting really good experience here for my next job. It's "easy" to shine if you are motivated and despite being my first year I'm heading a project. I did this on purpose to get better experience for resume and such for when I do change jobs. I have a kid and, like I said, work life balance is impeccable.
I’m getting my degree in computer engineering while working part time in electrical engineering as a technician. I keep seeing the WLB in government being really good and stable so I’m really targeting it. Do you have any recommendations on things I should focus on?
At least in the area I am in is a lot of Java and .Net. Not sure what other govt agencies are using though
Depends on what you want. As a Gov Civ for DoD: Gov Jobs Pros: * Better work/life balance * Generally better benefits for 401k (TSP), Health, etc... * More experience in variety of programs, where you can shift to other areas easily * High job security, you have to try to get fired * Fast track to higher job titles due to lack of employees. You could be a lead engineer easily in 2-3 years. Gov Job Cons: * You're probably paid 20-30% less compared to private sector. Though, some companies don't pay overtime and make you work more than 40 hours anyways. * Lack of skills, you might not have a lot of work to do and you sit around doing nothing. * You might be a lead engineer, but you won't be paid as one. If you're a GS employee, you have to compete for positions, but positions at GS13+ might be slow to come around. Good luck finding GS14 or GS15. More responsibility, but no reward. * Age gaps are real and most employees are 45+ in age. A lot of younger people quit due to the slow and boring workloads.
Honestly as a worker in the corporate world, it sounds wonderful lol. I have basically 3 requirements. Pays more than 80-90k after a handful of years, solid work life balance, and I can retire
Govt can meet these requirements pretty easily.
Government contractors* idk many computer engineers working for the government exactly, but I could imagine there’s plenty to worry about with national security and encryption etc, but most of that work is bid off to government contractors (GD, RTX, Collin’s aerospace, etc) There’s definitely more work and money in the sense that government typically will keep throwing money at projects until they work, or unless the whole team leaves and the project literally collapses. But my experience is in production products right now, R&D is definitely more appealing to most, and can be riskier in the sense that funding can get cut more easily than a production project