So we are all taking this PE exam, etc. For most people at least in the Facilities (MEP) scene, a PE is important. Now having said that, for the Government, unless you are going to apply for a supervisory position or a GS13 (not a technical GS13) it dont matter squat whether or not you have the PE. I know from 1st hand experience. The Government does indeed offer a much better benefits package than does private industry it seems (the pay may be a little lower but benefits are better- from health insurance, to life insurance to 401K contribution. I took a private industry job recently and left a 83,000 position expecting this job to be more financially rewarding. It's not. I think my cocoloco head will consider going back to under Uncle Sam's wing- that BIG wing. What do you think?
I've worked in both federal service and private industry and will give you my 2 cents. My intent is not to paint either with a broad brush. This is just my individual impression which may be totally uncharacteristic so take it for what it's worth.
I spent the first 5 years of my professional career with the federal government and then made the switch to private industry for purely financial reasons. The initial pay hike was substantial and for many years whenever someone asked me if I missed my old job I'd reply, "Every day except pay day."
However, as I've matured (wife, kids, mortgage, etc...) and as my industry evolved (off shoring, downsizing, etc...) I've come to a few realizations:
#1. My old job was important, fulfilling and steady.
#2. The starting salary was low but the raises were predictable and cost of living increases came each and every year, so even though I was climbing slowly at least I never fell down a rung in terms of relative annual salary.
#3. There was far less competition since "years of service" trumped everything. This did impact productivity but certainly cut down on the office politics and backstabbing.
#4. The stress was far less. (This is a relative assessment. There was stress but it was productive not superficial and destructive.)
#5. I was actually encouraged to use all of my vacation time. Imagine that!
#6. Retirement and health benefits were roughly analogous to what is offered in private industry assuming you manage to hold your private job long enough to retire, which is a huge assumption.
#7. When I compare my present salary to my counterparts in similar federal service with roughly the same number of total years of experience that I have now then the salary gap is trivial.
#8. In short, I was a bit impatient. Had I stuck around the monetary compensation would have eventually come but I wouldn't have enjoyed the same years of savings I've managed to accumulate in private industry. Though one does learn to live on what one earns so that may not be an entirely fair statement.
#9. Chasing profit for a private company (unless it's your own) is often not as fulfilling as the government work I was doing.
#10. Once you resign from federal service it can be difficult to get back in.
If I could go back in time and advise my younger self I'd probably say "There’s much more to life than money. Engineers don't get rich anyway. Just seek out stable, meaningful work. Oh, and quit using those darn credit cards!" ;-)
