It doesn’t matter what your political views are—a functional government is integral to our nation’s growth and prosperity, and the only way it can work is through its people. But just like any other job, there are advantages and disadvantages to working for the government.
What are the pros and cons of working for the government?
Pro: You can make a difference.
Con: Enacting change may not be easy.
Pro: You will have competitive pay and good benefits.
Con: It is not a ‘get rich’ job.
Pro: Government jobs are available everywhere and are not going away.
Con: When the government shuts down, you cannot work.
Pro: You can have a flexible schedule and federal holidays off.
Con: The hiring process is rigorous, and advancement is hard.
Pro: You can find challenging, interesting work for your interests and skills.
Con: Leadership is constantly changing.
While there are many pros and cons to working for the government, each one can make or break your career and working experience. Read on to find out more details into government employment and find it out if it is right for you.
Pro: You can make a difference.
Whether you’re working at in a local government or in Washington, D.C., you can make a difference in both American lives and people around the world. Jobs that are considered government employees include any first responders like firefighters, police officers, and correctional officers; United States Postal Service carriers, teachers, librarians, border patrol agents, auditors, city engineers, and more. All those jobs are important in their own right, and you can find one that caters to your skill set easily.
Con: Enacting change may not be easy.
While you can enact change, the process isn’t an easy one. Government notoriously moves slowly, so you may not see change immediately. You may hit walls in regulations, rules, and that stereotypical “red tape,” and that could be frustrating if you want change, and you want it fast.
Pro: You will have competitive pay and good benefits.
Government salaries are, on average, competitive with both the private and non-profit sectors of the workforce, and the benefits packages rival private sector packages. Health care and retirement plans both exceed private sector opportunities, but it’s important to remember that if the government slips into a recession, you may lose benefits.
When it comes down to benefits, you can receive the Federal Employees Retirement System benefit as a federal employee. According to the FERS pension, you can receive 1 percent of your salary per year you work when you retire. If you work 20 years in a government position, you can earn 20 percent of your salary for the rest of your life. That annuity is based on the average of your three highest years, not your salary on retirement.
You may also be eligible for student loan repayment through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program if you work in local, state, or federal government. If you meet the criteria, your loans could be eliminated.
When you retire, you will also be able to keep your government health insurance.
Con: It is not a ‘get rich’ job.
Although it’s comparable, many federal positions have a pay ceiling. Salary growth and cost of living adjustments also take a long time to get approved, and raises are not frequently given. In addition, higher positions are paid less than similar positions in the private sector.
How much can you earn as a civil servant?
Pro: Government jobs are available everywhere and are not going away.
Depending on what you want to do, you can find a government job in any community in the country and even abroad. These jobs are also extremely stable—private companies can go in and out of business, but the government is always necessary and will always be around, regardless of its success.
Con: When the government shuts down, you cannot work.
The American government has endured shutdowns before—like the longest American shut down in December 2018 to January 2019—and during that time, federal employees were prohibited from working. If you’re working for the federal government, and sometimes state and local governments, you could be faced with a period when you are not working and not getting paid. An important thing to remember is that government shutdowns are all too common—since 1980, there have been ten shutdowns, varying from about four hours to our most recent at 35 days.
Pro: You can have a flexible schedule and federal holidays off.
In the modern age, many government jobs are shifting towards telework or remote work, leaving more options open for people wishing to work for the government. Vacations, sick leave, and federal holidays off work are also a benefit.
Hours are also consistent, meaning you don’t always get overtime. That opens you up to having a decent work-life balance that some in the private sector don’t get.
Con: The hiring process is rigorous, and advancement is hard.
The hiring process for many positions takes a very long time and you will have to go through many different interviews, exams, and questionnaires before you can even be considered for the position.
Trying to get promoted is also a process—because there are so many hoops that many organizations or departments have to go through, getting that promotion is going to be much harder than it would in a private company.
Pro: You can find challenging, interesting work for your interests and skills.
It doesn’t matter what your interests or skills are, you can find a federal job for you. While you can do this work in a private sector job, the fact that you can make a greater impact on your community can bring a different weight and challenge to your everyday life, whether you’re working as a teacher or as a correctional officer.
Con: Leadership is constantly changing.
Working in government means your bosses or your boss’s boss could change every two, four, or eight years. Although not every government job is political, elections may affect you, whether you work in a Congressional office or as a local firefighter.
Depending on what you want out of your career, these advantages and disadvantages could help you decide. While any job has its pros and cons, it’s important to understand which cons you can live with and which pros are the most beneficial before you start your journey towards getting a government position.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Do private or government jobs pay more?
The common misconception is that private jobs pay more, but government jobs are comparable to those in the private sector. Frequently, government jobs have better benefits like retirement packages and health insurance, but private positions typically have more upward mobility.
Do federal employees get paid once a month?
Regardless of their pay scale, all federal employees are paid on a biweekly basis.
How many vacation days do federal employees get?
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, employees who have been working for the government for three years earn 13 days of vacation a year. This increases to 20 days to those working up to fifteen years, and 26 days after an employee works 15 years. 30 days of annual leave is permitted to be carried over to the next year.
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Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.
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Civil servants are some of the hardest working, most generous people I know. I have been passionate about all types of civil service career paths for years now and enjoy sharing everything I continue to learn about them.
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