I am an Economist at the FHWA. People often ask what it is like to work for the government after decades in the private sector, so I thought I would share my perspective on the transition.

I worked in the private sector for over 25 years, mostly in construction and consulting, and now I have been with FHWA for almost four years. This is my perspective on the transition from the private to the public sector. <br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>**Good:**<br><br>* I get to work on a broader set of issues than I would have working for any one contractor<br>* I work with a team that is more passionate about their work than any I have been part of before<br>* I don’t have to travel, or at least I did not have to travel historically<br>* The public I deal with is much more enthusiastic about and supportive of my work, and often less sophisticated in their understanding of it<br>* There are far fewer assholes to deal with, and they are less powerful, but there is still a lot of petty squabbling<br>* It is very rare to be told how to do your work, and you are trusted to do your job<br>* There is a huge amount of data available to me, I have far more than I can ever hope to look at<br>* While the projects are often smaller, I get to be involved in more of them than I would have in the private sector<br>* I get to see a broader view of projects. I was involved in a project at the beginning of my time here, and was able to track maintenance costs for it over the next 3 years<br>* You get a huge amount of training, and support for training, and there is a lot of interest in internally developing employees. I have taken 3 separate 12 hour courses and had my choice of many others<br>* There are many more women in the public sector than in my previous roles<br>* There appears to be a lot of opportunity for advancement, and it seems like you can switch roles relatively easily over the course of a career<br>* I do not feel like I am forced to make decisions that are not in the best interests of the project or the public<br>* I feel like my work can be focused on how it serves the public, rather than how it serves profits<br>* I am proud to tell people where I work and what I do, whereas previously I was embarrassed about the impact my work had<br>* There is far, far less emphasis on being billable<br>* I can be honest about my work and the challenges it faces without being reprimanded or actively countered by my employer<br>* I get to work in a real office, even though I have chosen not to most of the time<br>* There is a gym, and I get an hour a day to work out<br>* The commute is incredibly easy<br>* It has been said 1000 times before, but the benefits are great and you get a lot of time off<br>* Even if you are furloughed, you keep your health insurance<br>* I feel like there is a lot of flexibility in my job, I can do what I want to a large extent as long as I am making progress on my top priorities<br>* I do not feel forced into being a specialist in one area, I can work on a lot of different topics if I want to<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>**Bad:**<br><br>* I was told during the process that the salary would have to be negotiated, but when I called to inquire about it I was basically told that it was a take it or leave it situation. I took it, but my salary is low compared to similar roles, not as bad as some government positions but still a bit low<br>* The onboarding process for FHWA is abysmal. It took months to get access to everything I needed. When I expressed frustration about this, I was told that I was the first person ever hired in my position, so it was all new. I did my best to document this so the next person would have a better experience, and urged others to do the same<br>* I was the first person ever hired into my role, so there was no training for it and no real roadmap of what my responsibilities would be<br>* There is a lot of pressure to keep a high volume of work moving, which can be difficult<br>* Many things take a very long time to happen <br>* It is often difficult to get people to respond to emails or calls<br>* While I love the ability to pick what projects I am involved in, I am often disappointed by the quality of the work that is produced<br>* While the benefits are great, the access to healthcare leaves a lot to be desired. It is very difficult to find a primary care physician, and I have come close to running out of one of my medications because appointments are so hard to get<br>* You get used to the pace of business, but it is much slower than the private sector. It took 6 months to get a $20k contract finalized<br>* Many of the legacy systems we are saddled with are clunky and inefficient. People often want me to use a system because it is what we have always done rather than because it is the best system<br>* Despite all the training available, there is not a good system in place for onboarding people who are new to government or to FHWA<br>* It is often hard to find out who is responsible for something, and there is a lot of passing the buck<br>* I have had contractors I work with say other contractors will not work with FHWA because the contracts take too long to get paid<br>* There is a lot of overhead, and a lot of work goes into writing reports that I am not convinced anyone reads<br>* There is a lot of pressure to be involved in everything, and to be on a lot of teams. While I have been told I can say no, it is often framed as an opportunity you are passing up rather than simply work you are saying no to<br>* FHWA is an inconvenience to a small fraction of the public, but we are often seen as roadblock by them. This is frustrating, but not unexpected<br>* Sometimes I feel like I am just shoveling shit into an ocean, and am not really making a difference<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>I am happy with my choice to make the switch, and am optimistic about what I can accomplish in the future here.