I graduated this past summer with my MSE and BSE in electrical engineering in a dual enrollment program. I have no engineering work experience since I took such heavy loads during school and also went to school during the summer. I have been offered a job at the local air force base and a local gov't subcontractor.
I am being offered more money to work for the base, but all of my professors are telling me not to go into gov't work. My question to all of the EE in this group is will it really hurt me that much to work for the gov't for two years until I begin competitive pay raises? I will start at GS9, then move to GS10 in six months and then to GS11 six months at the end of my first year. I will then be at GS12 at the end of my second year.
Will the stigma of gov't work really hurt me that bad if I only stay there two years? At least I will have two years experience and will have job security for two years. I know you can make more money in the private sector, but nothing is guaranteed. Are my professors right?
"SQ 240" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@mb-m28.aol.com...
Your professors are experts in their opinions. What are they telling you to do? Hang around and get PhDs so you can teach, like them? It all depends on what your career goals are. If you get a job at the base, absolutely love what you are doing, and decide to stick with it the rest of your career, who cares what "stigma" it might have? I've observed that (and feel free to correct me on this) once someone is in a "government" position (read: a government contractor, or directly employed by the government) they tend to stay in that area. Stigma or not, don't believe that you can't learn anything working for the government; they ain't a bunch of dummies that put them there satellites and rocket ships in space. I wouldn't worry about the money, because you will earn enough in either place to get by, and IMHO your first 3-5 years are worth more in experience than cash, anyway. I, too, have heard that going into government work is like contracting leprosy; it leaves you a marked man in the eyes of private employers. Whether or not that's true, I don't know. The only government work that I did was during my internship, and that was enough to realize that I didn't want to start out my career as a government employee. I spent the summer watching other employees read novels, take naps, and do crossword puzzles at their desks. It was not the place that I was going to gain a solid understanding and some real experience in my field, but they paid me well enough to watch them goof off that it paid for my last year of school. Now that I'm married and a bit more established, the stability, the regular hours, and the abundant vacation/holiday time does have a certain appeal. When I finished up my BS, I was offered a position with the Navy in southern California. I believe their offer was slightly below average, and the cost of living in that area would have effectively reduced my salary by probably 25-30%. However, they were also offering to pay tution to grad. school, you started out with 3 weeks a year vacation and just about every holiday that anyone has ever thought of. Work hours were fixed at 40 hours/week. Then again, the government is actually hiring engineers, which is more than can be said about a lot of private employers; sometimes you have to go where the jobs are. Which would look better on a resume: two years of government work, or two years of burger-flippin' waiting for a job in the private sector?
Your professors have their heads up their ass. Many of the ones I encountered in college were sheltered and egotistical. In an economy like this and if you haven't been offered other more preferable jobs... I'd take it. Hell you can always look for better stuff while you are working there. And it is easier to find better jobs when you are not desperate for $$ while looking. As for the stigma of government work... WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. There is no stigma except what is in the minds of those self-import professors. Sure wish I'd get an offer for the government. I can't even get beyond second base.
The professors are not the only ones talking about a stigma. I have heard similar talk of gov't work from some of the private sector companies that have interviewed me. I have been denied the jobs I want (DSP, audio design, antenna design, EMC) due to my lack of experience, so I am either looking at going into gov't work be it at the AFB or subcontracting work through the privately own companies.
Either way I am looking at taking a job that I do not want until I can get myself a place with a company doing the work I want to do. It might just be the AFB in my town, but throughout the town it has a stigma of a work environment in which people are paid to play solitaire all day.
I don't see where there is much difference between directly working for the gov't or doing subcontracting work for the gov't.
You don't have to be one of those playing solitare all day long. You could be one of those go-getters who make those people look bad and move up. Gain as much experience as possible all the while you are looking for more desireable work.
The job I've had for the past 7 years has allowed me to stay at home most of the time. (Home officed) I don't do much of anything except get up late, put off work I know I can get away with putting off and knocking off early. Many days I don't do ANYTHING. I've never been happier on a job. I was extremely bitter and frustrated while working in 'high tech' (more like sigh tech) But its all going away soon. Being sold. But MAN it has been an incredible 7 years that I will always cherish. It has been like retirement.
There may be a little more deadwood with the government than "civilian" (it can be difficult to fire folks) but there are plenty of shart engineers working for the government.
Because of "contracting out" the government types tend to be higher on the program management and "systems" work than on detail design work but all types of GOOD engineers do work for the government.
Experience seems to be key, so I'd look to do whatever it takes to get experience or find one of those rare companies that recruits on college campuses (there are still some that will take entry level engineers). I would also try to take a job that requires a security clearance, preferably a Top Secret, assuming you don't mind being fingerprinted and are a US citizen. Once you have this, and a few years of experience, you will be very marketable. And the jobs in the defense sector that require clearances typically won't be outsourced (and they're usually on the cutting edge of applied technology).
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