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Private Sector vs state employment

Posted on 4/16/24 at 6:41 am
Posted by shellbeachspeckzzz
nunya
Member since Jan 2024
255 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 6:41 am
OT, what are you guys' thoughts?
Posted by Corinthians420
Iowa
Member since Jun 2022
9353 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 6:42 am to
Anyone that works for the state department loses all rights to bitch about government spending.
Posted by Commandeaux
Zachary
Member since Jul 2009
7506 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 6:42 am to
I work for the State of Louisiana...It's like I'm retired.
Posted by Geauxld Finger
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2005
32020 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 6:50 am to
State - less pay, less work, awesome retirement

Private - better pay, more work, longer hours, worse retirement
Posted by Suntiger
BR or somewhere else
Member since Feb 2007
33556 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 6:57 am to
I’ve worked in both. The “lazy state worker” is a bad meme. I worked much harder and longer hours working for the state. And there are plenty of brothers-in-law and kids and other people in private industry who are either dumb, lazy or corrupt.

The main difference is pay and stability. Government usually doesn’t have the turnover when the economy is bad, but doesn’t pay as much either. For instance, there were no raises for state workers for 6 years of Jindal and 2 years of JBE.

State work also has more bureaucracy where private business is often arbitrary and up to the whim of one or two people.
Posted by AUCE05
Member since Dec 2009
43009 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 6:59 am to
State employment. You will thank yourself at retirement
Posted by zippyputt
Member since Jul 2005
6061 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:00 am to
I worked for a brief time in State Gov and so did other family members. All left as soon as possible. All agree that you could eliminate 30 to 40 % of the workforce and accomplish the same work if it was run efficiently like a private business.
Posted by Lsupimp
Ersatz Amerika-97.6% phony & fake
Member since Nov 2003
82280 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:00 am to
Are you a loser or a winner? Do you pick up the tab or wait for others to get it? Are you a go getter or lazy AF? Do you have ambition or go through the motions? Do you vote for Democrats? Do you support mandatory reeducation for whites? Do you like efficiencies or bureaucracies? Profit or bloat?

It just all depends on what kind of person you are.
Posted by StringedInstruments
Member since Oct 2013
19252 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:06 am to
quote:

Anyone that works for the state department loses all rights to bitch about government spending.


Posted by Piebald Panther
Member since Aug 2020
500 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:08 am to
State work: low pay ceiling, shitty bureaucracy, but stable pay, Cadillac health insurance and good retirement.

Private: pay ceiling higher but you only eat what you kill, health care is astronomical if paying on your own, stability fluctuates. If your disciplined retirement can be fine.

State work is a lot of riding out shitty pay to get to 30 years.

Private is hustle and anxiety to get bigger payoffs
Posted by whodatdude
Member since Feb 2011
1435 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:12 am to
Second this, but to an extent. While it can be true, stability really does vary based on the budget cycle

For everything else, I agree. Many state positions work for far less pay than the private sector and can do a lot more work due to budgetary/positional constraints. I do think it can depend on what type of government worker you're talking about (civil service vs unclassified).

To me, the main benefits for working in state government is the healthcare and the pension.
Posted by Boston911
Lafayette
Member since Dec 2013
2070 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:14 am to
Private sector, ESOP company 30+ years, will retire much much better than any state worker,,,,MUCH MUCH Better
Posted by shellbeachspeckzzz
nunya
Member since Jan 2024
255 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:14 am to
that is what everyone tells me.

Can you explain it to me in monkey terms what the retirement is like?
Posted by shellbeachspeckzzz
nunya
Member since Jan 2024
255 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:17 am to
its an engineering job for CPRA. im young and just trying to figure out my life right now.
This post was edited on 4/16/24 at 7:20 am
Posted by Jcorye1
Tom Brady = GoAT
Member since Dec 2007
73200 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:17 am to
I worked for both the state and now private sector. State doesn't really have better benefits anymore, people underrate some of the talent at the state but overall it is less talented, state has better hours, worse pay, and like 10% the talented people build these weird fiefdoms and consolidate power.
Posted by Jcorye1
Tom Brady = GoAT
Member since Dec 2007
73200 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:19 am to
quote:

Many state positions work for far less pay than the private sector and can do a lot more work due to budgetary/positional constraints.


This is laughable if you're talking anything requiring degrees or certs.
Posted by shellbeachspeckzzz
nunya
Member since Jan 2024
255 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:20 am to
what if the state job you are looking for requires a college degree and some sort of licensure after?

i.e. engineer
This post was edited on 4/16/24 at 7:21 am
Posted by Suntiger
BR or somewhere else
Member since Feb 2007
33556 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:25 am to
quote:

State work: low pay ceiling, shitty bureaucracy, but stable pay, Cadillac health insurance and good retirement.

Private: pay ceiling higher but you only eat what you kill, health care is astronomical if paying on your own, stability fluctuates. If your disciplined retirement can be fine.

State work is a lot of riding out shitty pay to get to 30 years.

Private is hustle and anxiety to get bigger payoffs


Agree with most of this. Health care isn’t as good since Jindal raided the OGB reserves. It’s more like the Toyota Camry of health insurance.
Posted by kywildcatfanone
Wildcat Country!
Member since Oct 2012
123769 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:26 am to
quote:

Private Sector vs state employment


Working for any govt pays more and you get a pension. It shouldn't work that way, but it does now.
Posted by KamaCausey_LSU
Member since Apr 2013
15382 posts
Posted on 4/16/24 at 7:27 am to
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.)

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