[Anonymous]

Howdy, just curious on hearing some thoughts and feedback. Right now I’m a Federal Government employee and I’m giving serious thoughts to going back into the private sector.

Basically a lot of what you hear about the Government is true. People are really lazy and it’s really easy to get away with doing almost nothing. The pay is actually pretty decent. I make 50K today and that’s scheduled to increase to 61K in September when I’ve completed my first full year and an automatic scheduled promotion goes into effect. Work Life Balance is great. I can show up at any time from 6am to 9:30am and leave 8 and a half hours later (lunch) from 2:30pm to 6:00pm and days almost never go above 8 hours. I’m allowed to Telework up to four days a week (I tend to TW Mondays and Fridays only). That’s all the good news.

The bad about the position is pretty straightforward. I’m bored out of my mind. I’m not being challenged at all and there’s not enough work to go around. My annual appraisal went really well and I brought up the fact that I feel bored and under-utilized and my supervisor was basically “you’re doing extremely well and that’s not uncommon to hear so don’t worry about it.” But I HATE sitting there with nothing to do. On TW days I tend to sit there making myself available with the TV on… While some people would love this situation, it’s not for me. I need to be challenged and busy.

This position was great while studying for the CPA exam since it was low stress and work never came home with me. That let me focus on the exam. My supervisor got her CPA recently so she knew what I was going through and was very accommodating letting me study on my TW days and getting me Leave to use for exam days. But now that I’ve passed and have my license I’m wanting something more fulfilling.

I don’t think Big4 is for me. I’m older (38) and with my school, certification and prior experience I don’t think I need to go that route to do the “spend 2 to 5 years in Big 4 so I can get an industry job.” I’m not really interested in working 60+ hour weeks either despite what I just said about being bored right now. I’m looking for a happy medium somewhere in between.

At any rate, I already know I’m going to start looking around but just decided to toss this out there and see what other’s thoughts are. I already know enough to say nothing to my current team and management about my plans.

Thanks!

[Lion_of_the_Rock]

You won't see the pay and work life balance that you have now if you move into the private sector.

Maybe start a small business on the side?

I'd definitely stay where you are and enjoy the money, time at home, TSP, health insurance, and generous time off. But, that's just me.

Grass is always greener.

Good luck!

BEC - 78
AUD - 75
REG - 74, 79
FAR - 75

You have to buy a ticket to win the raffle.

[iloveaccounting220]

Whoaaaaaa…you are getting over 20% raise just because you have been there for a year??? i thought that government pays lower compared to private? You will never find that high of a raise in private. It sounds like you got a really good thing going. What kind of things are you currently doing now? Maybe have a chat with your boss and see if she can throw some more challenging stuff your way. When is your next scheduled pay increase after this one in September? If you are getting another good pay raise in 2016-2017, then i would stay and tough it out. You got the dream job most people want! The ability to work from home and the flex time is what all of us dream for. Enjoy your work life balance with your family. If you go into private, you will be more stressed. The raises wont be as nice and they arent as flexible with work from home or work day hours.

BEC - 76 (1/24/15)
REG - 82 (4/13/15)
AUD - 89 (5/31/15)
FAR - 78 (8/16/15)

Starting right now I'll be strong
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care if nobody else believes
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

[Missy]

Honestly I'd stay put and look for other ways to challenge yourself. Get a part time gig that's challenging or start a side business. Your benefits, are likely better in gov't and obviously the hours are better. If you're willing to put in 50+ hours a week do 40 of them where you are and get something else in addition. If you ever decide you only want 40/week you just lose the side job and your the. Trust me as you get to 50+ there's nothing appealing about a 50 hour week.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[fuzyfro89]

It really depends on if you are willing to work harder (likely longer hours) in order to find something more interesting or fulfilling in private industry.

Unless you stay in public, it's not meant to be a career destination, but a great place to start. Unfortunately, most places in the accounting world are deadline driven… simply because that's our work product. Whether it's tax, accounting, financial reporting, internal audit, or something similar, we have lots to do.

There are some companies out there which advertise very good work life balance, so there are some companies which use that as a selling point to get people in.

My advice would be to look casually while you still have a job for something you find more interesting. You will likely work more than a strict 40, but if you can find something that's regularly <50 hrs, then I'm sure you could feel better about your career than you may right now.

Think hard about what you want and what you may or may not be willing to give up to get there. Things to ponder:

– If you got an “interesting” job, would you be willing to work ~45 hr/wk and have some work follow you home (maybe an hour or two every few days in the evenings, and likely on Sundays as well)?

– Would you be happier working a bit longer/harder and even on your “off” time compared to your current job?

[ScarletKnightCPA]

The government paying less than private is mostly myth. This assertion mostly applies to the highest manager level work, around c level.

Far: 76 (Wiley Test Bank)
Aud: 77 (Wiley Test Bank)
Reg: 61, 76 (Wiley book, Wiley Test Bank)
Bec: 86 (Wiley Test Bank)

MBA in progress

[Anonymous]

Without a doubt my “problem” is a good one to have.

First of all about the pay: Yes there is a HUGE misconception that Government pay sucks. I was brought in under a program where I gain an automatic increase from a GS 9 to a GS 11 after a year. That's where the big increase comes from. After that I will get annual increases in the 1K to 2K range. Not nearly as good but they're automatic and you don't have to beg for them. If I stuck it out in Government, I should be able to get to a GS 12 within the next 3 years whic is 73K a year. In my region it's doubtful I can get beyond a GS 12 easily so I'm looking at maxing out around $95K by the time I retire (that's the Government for you, I can see exactly what I'll be making 20 years from now). So honestly the pay is pretty good. I always say that the ceiling is a lot lower for Government workers but it doesn't suck by any means.

With that out of the way, my biggest problem is just the boredom. I volunteer for everything I can and let people know I'm available to help out but there is still only so much work to go around. It doesn't help that the Government over hires. Basically they have determined that each team needs to have X number of people on that team. So they will hire up to X. Unlike the private sector which actually could use X plus 2, we could get by just fine with X minus 3.

You're right. I'll be 40 soon and I do appreciate my time away from work. I really don't want 50+ hour work weeks but at the same time I'm bored out of my skull. I know a lot of people would kill to be getting paid as well as I do for the hours I “work” and the fact that I can work from home this much. Even thought I've expressed concerns and been told “oh you're doing fine, don't worry about it” I still feel guilty having, literally, nothing to do some days.

Anyway, I put in one application for a private industry auditor position. I figure if I even get an interview I can go from there. I'm not in a position where I need to take the first job that comes my way so if I don't like what they say I can just walk. I also know that I don't want to do Big4. That's a young man's game and it's not for me at this stage of my life and career.

Anyway, just thinking online and wanted to hear what others think since a lot of people here are in or have been in similar situations.

[ocarina]

I'm a government employee on the state level and feel you when it gets slow or you think long and hard about possibly never changing positions until someone dies. I've found that we really should enjoy what we have. People in private are NOT having it any easier. I think you should try a side business or a hobby to get yourself distracted as work isn't meant to be this exciting and fulfilling thing under an employer. Do you know how cool it would be if you got a great side business going that could probably make for extra income or a great retirement? Maybe even possibly becoming your main gig if it went well? You have the CPA, a steady job, & all that flexibility!! You're in a great spot!

I have a friend who's been in public for 8 years! She's done big 4, medium firms & small firms. After all those years (she's only 31) she's decided to move on with her life. Guess where she's trying to go? University accounting job! She'll have a much better balance of life and time to do things instead of sulking every Sunday night because she has to go to work on Monday. Grass is always greener!

FAR - 78
AUD - 82
REG - 79
BEC - 78

Study Materials: Becker Self Study, NINJA Notes, NINJA MCQ for review
Started March 2015 and finished December 2015 all on first attempt. Licensed CPA Jan 2016.

IT Auditor/CyberSec Consultant in Public Accounting
Future goals: Learn IT Network infrastructure, obtain CISA & CISSP

[Anonymous]

One interesting thing is that my part of the Government probably has one of the largest concentrations of Master Degrees and CPAs outside of an actual Accounting firm. On my floor alone I can think of 10 CPAs right off the top of my head.

[Anonymous]

Fellow fed here. I'm in my late twenties and with much less experience to my credit, I don't plan to ever give up the “government lifestyle,” if you will. As has been mentioned, working a pretty set 40 hours a week is fairly uncommon in private and with things like flex schedules, it's a pretty good gig. I use the afforded time outside of work to tutor and turn that into weekend spending money and to cover other hobbies. Are you in an area where perhaps you could find a different, possibly more challenging or fulfilling fed job?

[Anonymous]

I agree with others. your government job is good. The current and end salary are not bad either. The benefits are really good for the federal. It would be hard to find a private/public to match these benefits/hours.

[msgolds]

I made the jump from Fed Gov to private industry a few years ago, and it was a HUGE shock, especially once I got into Consulting. I was basically thrown into the fire and forced to adapt real quickly. In a Consulting environment, almost every hour of every day is billable, and you can expect to travel and work weekends frequently. I eventually burned out and I recently made the switch to Corporate Accounting, which is much better in terms of work-life balance (if not compensation).

That being said, my particular Fed Gov experience (Federal Contract Audit) was so specialized, that my company regularly bragged to clients that they had someone with my experience on staff. My current position is with a Government Contractor, and my Federal background is one of the reasons I got an offer significantly above average for the position I am in.

BEC - 90 PASSED
FAR - 84 PASSED
AUD - 93 PASSED
REG - 84 PASSED

I DID IT!!!!

Using Becker Self-Study

"If we were put here to carry a great weight, then the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."

[Anonymous]

I am a state worker, and also looking to escape. My job has all the positives mentioned above, with the exception of pay. The pay sucks. My goal is to get out for 15-20 years (I'm 35 now) and maybe come back closer to retirement to get away from any long hours and to get at least some pension.

[Anonymous]

@Ajones19 I believe you won't get much pensions when you start your government career at 50-55 since gov. pension payments depend on years of service

[Valleygrl68]

I'm new to this forum, hello everyone! I know this is where I need to be hanging out for any hope of passing the exam, I'm a bit older than most pursuing the CPA (mid 40s) and kind of landed here after a long career in the Big 4, first as an admin and transitioned to client facing and worked my way up to Senior Consultant. Left to work for a smaller firm and it's not as intense but not the balance I see my clients experience.

AngelWatch, I'm coming from the opposite angle of trying to make the transition from private industry to fed. I've been applying via usajobs since I obtained my accounting degree last summer and the couple of times I got rated “best qualified” they only interviewed veterans….so it's been slow going. I'm sure my resume is more appealing to private industry but I'll be darned if I pay $800 for someone to “federalize” my resume, yes that's what someone tried to charge me!!

And yes, it's strictly for a better work/life balance, less craziness when I start prepping for the CPA exam, etc…and the telework flexibility. All of my fed clients rarely come in the office, maybe twice a week but us Consultants have to be there or be square…lol….every new client brings new challenges and I've never been bored all these years but it has taken it's toll.

I'm sure you can find your happy medium, folks are hiring like gang busters for CPAs in private industry!

[Author]

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