I can say that across the board that unless you’re at least director level your raises are going to suck and you’re going to fall further and further behind due to salary compression. If you’ve never worked government it’s not what you know but who you know, there are bottlenecks everywhere and work priorities shift constantly due to politics, press and yearly budget shifts. Luckily in Texas infrastructure for commercial and industrial areas is a priority so you probably won’t have budget issues like some other state institutions. Also, if you’re really good at what you do, you will be rewarded with more work. This is why you see so much apathy and minimal level effort in government jobs, which results in even more work for the few hard workers. It doesn’t pay to be a shiner unless you’re in an executive track, then there are all sorts of other pitfalls like political backstabbing. Of course, all of these things could be considered a positive if you frame it properly.
Kinda how I feel about it. The job security would be hugely beneficial. NEVER lol Luca and Kyrie sick. Occurs to me though, I could finally get league pass and it wouldn't be blacked out. Well, it would still be a higher salary than I've made 90% of my life but the cost of moving is the scary part at the moment. From what I've seen with TxDOT it seems like professional growth is not uncommon. Plus, the benefits and the job security make up for the financials to a degree. I was approaching that salary vs. mental health crossroads very quickly. I was paid decently but I also worked my ass off to prove I was worth it. Instead of thank yous and let's talk about the promotion... I got a petty, hypocritical, wildly unprofessional supervisor taking her insecurities out on me. I probably could've kept up that pace for a long while if there was some recognition but getting berated for it instead was burnout central. I sincerely doubt government has the space for people to operate the way she did, like you say apathy and minimal effort keeps folks employed.
Re: moving costs: It's been a while so it may have changed but if you ask them to dig I believe state of Texas may provide $5k (or more) in reimbursement. It's all law and public so you should be able to dig it up with Google. You can start here: https://fmx.cpa.texas.gov/fm/pubs/p...ex.php?section=state_emp&page=moving_expenses That's another thing; memorize the employee handbook because it will help you tremendously. Re: job security. It's really, really hard to be fired from the State once you've been there over 6 months. They can do RIFs (reduction in force) but that's usually big cuts. Also, Luka is amazing. It's not his fault he's on the Mavs.
Depends on where you're moving from, but Dallas ain't that bad for raising a family. You also get time accrued for a pension even if it's too far away to bank on. Really depends on how the wife and kids are adjusted, and whether you finding a job at the same city will have the perk of a sane boss. I think you slay it for 3 years, then decide other future considerations. Bank the time saved from that commute from your previous job on reconnecting with family and new city
The job security thing really stick out at the moment. I had it for a long time, the last 5 years or so not so much even my current role is fly-by-night. So having that stability would be big for me personally. They also do tuition reimbursement programs, something I'm looking at regardless of anything is going back to college. The healthcare and continuing on my 401k are big too. Really, everything but the pay which like I said is still more than I made 90% of my career. It's a great job, I don't think I can say no to it. I'll look into that relocation expense, that would help a lot, thank you. I'll go to Mavs games in Rockets red... I've only been in a few opposing stadiums before. Hopefully they're a friendly crowd. Wife and son are good with it. Mom and Dad are a little bummed. As for the future, which is wayyy down the line at this point, I feel like it's an incredible "in" for the industry. Like in 10-15 years I was ready to go back to public sector I'd get to write my own ticket. That's something else I've seen, older guys with experience cashing in on their contacts. Like 7+8 Yeah, I'm sure in a couple months it'll just be something to laugh about but it's still pretty fresh so it stings when I think about it. Already had a few ex coworkers and vendors reach out to me and say good luck or kind of give me some support. They know she's in the wrong. I'll get there, having 2 good job offers (not to mention real estate agent offers, those are a dime a dozen though) within a month has been a boost in confidence for sure. Plus having you guys to vent to, I appreciate it.
Man idk why I thought about this thread but... Maybe someone out there is going through it and can read through this thread. It's a couple years of time but maybe it'll help someone else to see there really is something better out there for them. Things have been mostly pretty awesome. I work in an office full of adults who don't mind my dad jokes. My supervisor is an honest and genuine man. The work is easy, I mean tedious as all get out but it's easy. I get treated like a rockstar, even though I play on my phone a ton. I'm walking up to 2 years on and .... I'm happy? Pay is lesser, for sure a government job but since I started.... one state raise, one merit raise and last month I got a promotion+raise. First time in my life I've ever been promoted. I mean some of that is due to working for family for so long but still. I'm almost back up to my previous job that was the most I've ever made. At 2 years I start earning longevity pay too lol... ton of days off. Ton of holidays. Life is good? Yeah. No **** too... supes pulled me into the office, closed the door and asked if I would be his lead worker. I think the first promotion is really just acknowledgment and a test drive but I think lead would be another one. And the state is talking about $10k cost of living increases for all government employees. I don't even know why but giving about 60% of a **** is like the magic number for me, apparently. Only negative is a return to office orders but I think that'll all resume soon enough. Maybe a year or two even but there's no metric that shows a drop in productivity and safety being our priority it's really hard to pretend like having to sit through traffic increases my safety. I can wait. Wife found a good job too but it's farrrr from home. We drive too much, really the only thing that's kinda sucked is our home. We were broke as a joke after moving and it sucks but had a water line burst a couple months ago. Just have to work through the insurance/rebuild and hopefully get the money right and move again. I'm seeing the first big shift in the org, a fairly high level engineer bolted and everyone is climbing, me too apparently lol. I got 20 years to retire and collect that pension, honestly it would have to be something majorly wrong or some superduper offer to leave. The retirement plan is awesome. I never saw my former supervisor. Her "secret" company got sued for breach of contract lol the golden boy took my seat. I still talk to one of my former reports and she says she hates it, hates everyone there and things never really recovered. Big shrug, I wish she would leave but I guess that paycheck is too good. I do see a couple of the PMs I worked with (now coworkers I suppose?) occasionally around my campus, one confirmed it was a shitshow after I left lol... former company PM started saying hello on linked in, texted me and their new director linked too. Idk if they're thinking of asking me to join or something, it's funny how they were trying to expand to Dallas, I deserved the promotion but this all happened. Now I'm in Dallas, getting my promotion (thanks universe) on and they want to connect and talk. They couldn't offer me anything realistic, idk if that's their plan. I'd try not to laugh too hard if they did. Love to the bruvs. Y'all let me talk through a really difficult time in my life. GO MAVS lol jkjkjkjk we went to that game right after Doncic got traded. Talk about a shitshow.
Funny that this thread was brought to life - Dan Dorotik still has his resume business going - I may have to use him soon.
That's great news. Awesome to share your blessings. Job has been relatively easy for me despite layoffs, so I feel that 60% bit. Probably because you worked your ass off to prove to others and to yourself that you belonged at your old place. It might be a phase of life or rite of passage where things finally make sense and what matters professionally and personally click. I will say that not all workers feel that way. Instead they instantly demand and complain for unearned benefits or a pat on the shoulder for showing up to work. It's in our generation and that entitlement has grown to younger groups when opportunities have been good and plenty. The only nitpick and it's also directed more to myself is for you to play on your phone less and invest in a growth skill. I'm not saying stuff like courses or "be more productive" hacks (no need ro make yourself less happy on the job) but more like networking, soft skills or doing more family connection type stuff such as growing a hobby with them. Round out that leadership tack even if you don't want the extra baggage, but since it looks like you do, look into some books or mentorship correspondence on those skills to add more hooks to hang new hats.. This works regardless of whether you're either a pessimistic or optimistic mindset. Crisis brings opportunity, and luck is the intersection of opportunity and rolling with what you have. Cherish that slack time but also cull it for growth. It's all up to you where you want to go with that.
Enjoyed re-reading this thread, and the wonderful surprise of seeing a Conquistador [Masterpiece Post] on page 1! Good to see Dankstronaut has landed on his feet! GOOD DAY
Honestly, I get that. I don’t take it personally either, I do fk around a bit. I think next year I’m going to ask about the tuition program. There’s some built in downtime, built in load management if you will, but I could probably cut back. Just feels good to be here, especially after re-reading the thread and seeing some things I said that reminded me of those things. But instead of being *really* mad about it like I was it was like oh yeah f them b's lol Knowing how well it's worked out, it almost feels like karma or the universe repaid a debt (and I'm not the type to say that lightly). I absolutely earned that promotion. They should've promoted me, opened the Dallas branch and let me cook. The universe saw it, knew it was my path and set the course for something similar. I'm not a big religioso but I believe that 100%. You know what's even weirder, I went to UNT after high school. I wasn't ready, I knew it but my parents insisted I shouldn't take a year off. If I were to complete a degree from a school in north Texas too I'd feel a pretty grand sense of the universe correcting again. I hope you are well. Thanks for the insight! I wonder if you might have any more based on how everything has unfolded?
Glad it all worked out. If you have good leadership, it makes all the difference. It sounds like you do.
