re: Private Sector vs state employment

If you want an easier, lower paying job. State employment. Leave policies, retirement benefits and consistent market adjustments are boons as well. The early 1/2/3 job title advancements are attractive as well but then often your career will stagnate being stuck behind public sector lifers.

If you want a higher earnings potential, likely faster paced, more volatile job, then private sector is a better option. Also a lot easier to leave a company when you're paying social security and a personal IRA/401k than it is to leave a state pension based job. Depending on field, private may also have better WFH policies and more freedom with working hour flexibility.


If you can, right now, I would go private before hiring on at LDWF, DENR, LDEQ, LDAF, LDOTD, CPRA.

Side note: one thing that isn't often mentioned with state employment is that while it is hard for the state to fire you, the focus and direction of your department is completely out of your control and up to the sitting governor and his appointees. (CPRA under Landry is a clear example of this.)