Stay or leave for New opportunity

gadav478 · February 2019

Hello everyone.

In bit of a situation and am in need of some advice.

Current role is IT Specialist in the Operations Center of a US Agency.

Started within the last 6months. In a nutshell, Role has no hands on, just monitoring if you want to call it that. I do more work in Microsoft Office than anything, 90 percent. I set up conferences call too, yay. I basically report what happens so management can report what happened. I was brought on thinking I would be configuring equipment and gaining valuable experience. The job is cleared and I'm in interim status. The work environment is rough, and there isn't enough work to go around.

Got offered another position as a contractor as a Senior Network technician for the same Agency, different location, different division. I would be working with all contractors, very few military and/or federal employees. Upside is experience with Juniper and Brocade, routers switches firewalls. A lot of it is experience I dont have but need. Salary is comparable, upgrade in clearance to TS once Secret adjudicates.

I don't have my 52 weeks of federal service yet. Question is, do I give up the benefits (leave, TSP, time in grade) for a more technical role or hang out until something opens up in the federal sector? I've waited 6 years to get in, worked on federal contracts to build experience and I'm feeling like this job is a dud.

Appreciate your time, any advice would be appreciated.

Sylabicuma · February 2019

To be clear, the role you're in now is a civilian position? If so, *in my experience*, most civilian positions don't do the technical work. They hire contractors to do it for them. Now the question is, do you want to leave a civilian position to go to a contractor position? That's a tough question. I've always been on the contractor side so I can't speak to the civilian pros vs cons. However if I was given the opportunity to go civilian, it would be hard for me to turn it down.

So you're 6 months in, I think that is the end of the "honeymoon" period (I like to call it) for most positions. If you're not enjoying your work and don't see a change in your job duties on the horizon, I would probably be looking for a new job. But, to leave a civilian job to go back to contractor? That takes some decision making that I don't think could be addressed within a comment on a forum.

Russ5813 · February 2019

Don't waste your time at a job that isn't going to challenge you or advance your career. Federal jobs are overrated. Go get those technical skills.

PCTechLinc · February 2019

As someone who went from Contractor to Civilian in November, my switch was definitely worth it. Same exact job (same desk), but different pay and benefits. However, my position is highly technical. That being said, if I were in the same position, I would look at the following: is there an opportunity for a more technical position at the next-higher GS level, and how comfortable are you switching from a stable position (after your probationary period) to a contract that may or may not be renewed? My contracting company's contract was almost not renewed last year, and I would have found out about a month before it happened. Sure, another contracting company would bring me over, but the pay and benefits would more than likely be completely different. The stability is definitely worth it to me, and if I had to deal with a bunch of paperwork BS, I might be willing if I knew I could jump into a better technical position after my year. You are in a bit of a predicament though, and I feel for you. That is a rough decision, in my opinion.

EANx · February 2019

Working for the government is a very different experience than working for a company and it's not right for everyone. It includes benefits that are hard to walk away from the longer you stay but early in your career, the duties might not match your interests. There are plenty of agencies where direct-hire staff do hands-on work but I'd say most of those are cleared jobs as well. Carefully think it through, retiring with a pension after making the equivalent of 150k plus in today's dollars for a decade or two while holding a job that isn't subject to easily being laid-off isn't anything to sneeze at. And if you do co the contractor route, always be sure to ask how long the contract has remaining. It would really suck to quit a secure job for a contract that had its last option year expiring in three months and they didn't win the recompete.

PCTechLinc · February 2019

Sorry for breaking the thread really quick, but Cciedumpspoto, you do realize that your **** Club website is a d.u.m.p. site, which is explicitly against this forum's rules? Ironic that you chose that word as part of your username too.

MontagueVandervort · February 2019

It depends on what is important to you.

Are the benefits you get now worth that much to you to stay in this (what seems like) miserable position? I guess it all boils down to the answer to that one question.
Worth it = Stay
Not worth it = Go

The only way I would stay in a situation like this was if the salary was high enough for me (over $125k cash - not including benefits. I don't want or need benefits. They are useless to me.), and I could somehow manage to kill my ambition and drive to learn.

Otherwise... I would be out of there like a bat out of hell

as it sounds like misery to me.

scaredoftests · February 2019

go for the other position!

N7Valiant · February 2019

Well frankly I'm sort of in the same boat. 2 weeks in as a contractor, all indications are that they want me to be a field tech. If that continues to be the case after I take and pass both MCSA and MCSE for Windows Server, I'd be looking for the door.

On one hand it might be easy street to just sit at a job that pays you a large sum to do menial tasks, but for most people with ambition, that would bore them out of their mind. Unless you're certain they're never going to let you go, there's no job security beyond that job, since if you get let go you have no marketable skills. Also you're kind of married to that job, so if you ever want to move elsewhere it'll be harder if you can't sell yourself to a new employer/position.

gadav478 · March 2019

Hey guys, just wanted to submit an update:

I declined the new opportunity. Would have been a good opportunity. The TS alone makes it worth it. But I wanted to try to see if I can find something on the fed side before leaving so soon. Found out the contract gig was up for renewal, and the commute was only 10 mins shorter.

Well a door opened up for me in the federal sector... I've been selected and have accepted a position 10 mins away at a higher grade! I start next month. More flexibility (telework, flexible tour) and a more technical position. Excited and grateful. Ready to contribute.

Thanks for the advice.

Stay or leave for New opportunity

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