Career Rant

"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon) 09/25/2013 at 11:49 • Filed to: None

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I need to get out of the public sector. It's a dead end and I'm going to end up doing the same job for the same pay for the rest of my life if I don't. You'd think private sector businesses in the capital of Texas would have a need for folks with loads of experience in government and the public sector, above average writing skills, and the ability to manage/solve problems.

Sigh.

Here's a video of the 787. Assuage my ennui, rotary magic.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Chairman Kaga 09/25/2013 at 11:59

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Preach it brother Kaga.

I have been in the public education sector as a professional IT worker, and no opportunities for advancement, no raises, no variation...

But the private sector is getting HAMMERED by increased regulations, unemployment and under-employment is rampant, and is about to get worse when affordable care act takes it's next steps on October 1, 2013, and January 1, 2014, and is going to raise overhead for companies to employ full time staff significantly.

Part of me wants to move... the other part of me seriously thinks that is jumping out of they frying pan, directly into the fire.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Chairman Kaga 09/25/2013 at 12:00

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Austin has a weird dichotomy of being a place of tremendous growth but also gross overpopulation, so it's not a surprise that private sector gigs are tough to come by. Add in the fact that, while there's lots of startup/trendy private sector work being done in Austin, it's not nearly as strong in traditional private sector work as Dallas, Houston, or even San Antonio are. Most of the people I know that live in Austin and work in finance/accounting, for instance, have either taken a pay cut to be there or have taken positions with smaller firms. I know that when I was looking for accounting/finance gigs in Austin that there just wasn't much to be found, even with big firms; at most, their operations in Austin were related to servicing public sector clients, and the private sector work was run out of the Houston/Dallas/SA offices. But that's all just finance/accounting related.

What's your experience specifically in?

Chairman Kaga > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/25/2013 at 12:08

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True that, although knowing what I know about the reality of the ACA, and seeing the ACTUAL numbers released this morning, I have a feeling the negative impact is going to be far less than the hypochondriacs in the legislature are predicting. just a gut feeling. Not to say people won't continue to doom and gloomerize for political reasons...

That being neither here nor there, I have the same issues, which is probably why I've stuck it out in the public sector for so long. Relative stability and predictability. I have benefits. I have a salary. It's not really what I'm worth on the open market, but it's not bad. For the public sector, it's more or less fair (although it's been 5 years since I have a job description review and market adjustment). I probably should be making about 15% more, based on what I know about others in similar jobs.

And now with two small children, is it worth it to leave behind that security for higher pay? I dunno. I mainly just feel stuck in the mud. The toll is, Im sure, more of a psychological one.

Chairman Kaga > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 09/25/2013 at 12:16

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Public/media/government relations, internal communications, electronic communications, writing, editing, marketing (limited), etc. It's varied and wide-ranging, which is necessary in public sector communications, as we're usually an afterthought necessitated by FOIA regulations more than any sense of actual communications with residents or constituents. So a total jack of all trades.

Unfortunately that means I don't have a specialization, which is probably the stumbling block. People want to see the PMP certificate, or specific training in social media. That sort of thing. Generally, that's only attainable via agency experience. At this point, short of taking an internship, the only way I'll attain agency experience is to start my own. A thought that's crossed my mind more than once, but right now, with two small children, is not the time to attempt that kind of drastic career redirection.

You know that trend in films from the 80s, where the family escapes the hustle and bustle of the big city for the idyllic yet quirky trappings of the sleepy small town in Colorado or Northern California? And the husband goes back to work driving a pristine MGB as a newspaper reporter covering those rascally townsfolk while the wife stays home in their 2-story mid-century frame house teaching the kids to play Chopin on a baby grand piano that no one earning a reporter's salary could ever afford?

Yeah. Sorta wistful...

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Chairman Kaga 09/25/2013 at 12:44

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The bit I heard the other day, was that ACA was figured at ~9.5% per employee... payable by the employer.

But completely ignored the employee's family, which adds 2 to 3 times (~5$K/year -> ~10-15$K/year if family is included.) the insurance costs, far above 9.5% per employee.

That leaves companies with full time employees to do one of several negative things:

1: Cover the employee, and not the family. Family coverage would have to scrounge for individual plans or exchanges, in addition to the money withheld for the employee's plan from their pay.

2: Cover the employee, and the family, and somehow pony up the extra money as overhead cost. That cuts profitability, or compensation, or both. Most businesses don't have just piles of money un-used, waiting for this purpose.

3: Deny all insurance provisions and send all employees to the exchanges. (government's intention... a step toward true socialized health insurance when the exchanges eventually starve and drive insurance companies out of business.)

4: Demote as many employees as possible to less than 30hrs per week, so that they aren't mandated under ACA, and don't cost the company as much money... but then try and hire more work force... but that incurs more FICO/SocialSecurity, and other per-employee overhead, rather than getting productivity from a lower number of full time employees. And the 30hr/week employees are on their own to try to make ends meet, and pay for health insurance from much lower income... or try to work two jobs, if they can find ones that can co-exist.

The numbers that the government puts out almost always focus on the implication for the employee, and assume no dynamic changes in the employment rate.

The numbers almost never focus on the implications to employers, and the market forces that are going to FORCE changes in employment rates or insurance coverage rates.

There are unintended consequences that are going to come to bear... and it isn't going to be pretty.

Not to mention the implications to the health care providers.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Chairman Kaga 09/25/2013 at 14:54

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ACA sucks. I work in a small business and we pay 100% of the premiums for our employees. Our premiums for family plans have already gone up 30% and the insurance agent has no idea what is going to happen after October 1. We've talked to him a few times and he says that the insurance companies haven't been able to figure out what is going to happen yet.

Sucks about the dead end feeling you've got with your job, but things aren't any better in the private sector. Around here it's pretty much all small business and everyone is just doing what they can to keep the lights on. I don't know that big business is any better unless you're willing and able to move to North Dakota.