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December Banter Thread


H2O

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Unbelievable finish. Of course, the guy who was penalized on that play went to Carolina :facepalm:

 

Not sure about that facemask. 

 

Even better, I just looked to find that my opponent's starting TE is the one and only Richard Rogers.  That was a BS facemask penalty.  

 

Turns out my opponent also had Randall Cobb who gets a gift TD off a fumble recovery.  Every week it's something else.  This football season can't end soon enough.  I ****ing give up.

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Even better, I just looked to find that my opponent's starting TE is the one and only Richard Rogers. That was a BS facemask penalty.

Turns out my opponent also had Randall Cobb who gets a gift TD off a fumble recovery. Every week it's something else. This football season can't end soon enough. I ****ing give up.

Horrendous call. I can't believe they called that. Only Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers can get such a bs call like that.
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Went to bed thinking the Vikes were two up in the loss column. Damn.

There's a string of profanity just hanging in the air over Frederick Co VA because of that ending.

 

I went to bed smiling thinking the Pack had lost again.

 

We should beat them.  They aren't that good.

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My employer may not be happy to see this, but I'm seriously contemplating going back to school for at least some formal education in meteorology. I always steered away from it because I ran into a math wall in college lol but I just love it too much. I've seen from here that being competent isn't an impossible goal if you take the time to immerse yourself. I just started dabbling with more formal stuff in the forecasting and communications space and I love it.

I'm not the most knowledgable, but if that stopped anyone from doing anything most of us would never leave the house. I should have just decided I wanted to be at a big firm my first year lol.

I wouldn't worry about the math. Off topic will answer all your questions. Just ask wiz.

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School does suck. Gov is actually prob good for lawyers compared to private sector here IMO tho I'm sure there is a money difference. does open you up to high level jobs outside gov with a nice environment too eventually prob. But maybe I've just met the wrong lawyers. :P

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I could never work on the Hill heh. Hill people frighten me. Been hesitant to work for gov but that cuts out a huge pool of jobs and most people seem to like it once they are in so maybe need to rethink.

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I used to be a legal vendor, so I know more about the DC legal scene than I care to. And one of my good friends is a DOJ attorney, so I know a little about that side. Govvie attorneys certainly don't make the jack that their private counterparts do, but it's a much better work/life balance, without a doubt!

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Gs 15 isn't bad with locality pay. Government is the way to go for a legal career if you want work life balance. Just like anything though, it is very hard to break into the right agency. If you can develop the right skills and make the right contacts you can have a career that will challenge and excite.

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I was offered a position with HUD in 2003. I chose to stay in the private sector. Which was a totally smart play until 2009 when the mortgage banking world melted down. Part of me will always regret not taking that position.

In the long and volatile world of long term careers, nothing beats the stability of a Fed job. Big tradeoffs in the decision but if your industry goes through a complete meltdown and recession, being on the public side wins 100% of the time.

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DC is an alright place, don't understand the government hate most of the time (The US is a big nation). There are many eccentric gems who post here, you know who you are. ;)

 

The government is not there to hold your hand, imo but accepting a government job is just a formal contract for work and nothing more.

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I don't have any real issues with gov jobs other than its culture and slowness to adapt. Those things could frustrate the hell out of me at this point. When I first came here I wanted to go into one of the three letter orgs.. but the more I've learned about the process and all it's just not my style. We work very closely with gov and mil... lots of good people. My g/f works for the feds.

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Hey folks - The banter here struck home...   I just retired with 30 years of government service, half of it overseas doing the needy.  Yes, there are trade-offs to the pros and cons of private verses USG service.  Much of the satisfaction potential is getting into the right Agency, with the right leadership (a key element).  Participated on a number of studies at senior strategic levels in my Agency.  In very very general terms, the compensation at lower and mid levels is comparable between USG and the private sector.  Taking total compensation here which includes time off, health coverage etc.  Beyond salaries, the USG often has an advantage with PTO (Paid Time Off) compared to the private side.

 

  At very senior levels, the private sector still outpaces USG service wrt to salary and bonuses and in a big way potentially depending on one's skill set, with a caveat or two.  That caveat is if you are fortunate to work for a good boss in a good USG Agency where Overtime is budgeted and authorized, the salaries can be more equatable, but that is at a level or two below the most senior levels.  That said, even though I was USG for 30 years, I did not have a 40 hour a week job for the last 20 years at least.  Did not put in for OT because at my grade it was just expected that you worked beyond the 40 to get things done.  Officers of my ilk typically had from 10-20 or more hours of OT per biweekly pay period that was uncompensated.  Not touting my horn or that of my colleagues, that's just the way it is.

 

  However, much of how things go on the government side also depends on the administration in power.  This contributes to the work environment within the USG Agencies far more than meets the public eye and can shift dramatically for some USG Agencies with a change in administrations.  With each presidential election there are circa 8000 senior political appointee positions at stake (and that number is dated).  It's probably more now the way this administration has bombarded many of the USG Agencies with additional senior political positions the Agencies did not need, nor ask for, nor were they funded for and had to take out of hide (more so than any administration in history).  But when the administration tells his cabinet to do something, they nod and do it because their jobs were also politically appointed.  It's the proverbial self-licking ice cream cone.

 

    While the cabinet level appointees are obvious, there are also hoards of positions at a lower level where the competency of the appointee is critical to the mission readiness of that agency.  Been on both ends of the spectrum of having phenomenal leadership at the appointee level along with absolute disasters that could not find their proverbial arsh from a...   (fill in the blank).  On the very negative side of being on the Gov side is how extremely difficult it is to fire a USG employee, even one with stark suitability issues.  Been there and done that including one case that led to a felony conviction that took 3 years to close out.  Can you contemplate the enormity of it when it comes to removing a political appointee who's a disaster?  Likewise, the negative impact on the workforce and the mission who all have to suffer through the incompetent ineptitude.  It can take years for the Agency and workforce to recover.  While things are not always peachy on the private side, for the most part, on average the private sector ill afford to harbor fools with the same frequency because in many cases stockholders get impatient (talking in generalities here).

 

   Much of the appeal to flock to USG service or abandon it in favor of the private sector can be greatly influenced by significant world events too.  Perfect case in point is 9/11.  In the aftermath, budgets were flush and while many flocked to the USG and volunteered to serve, many in the USG shifted to the private sector where contracts were flush with funding and contractors desperate for experience that paid well.  I know many that left USG for the private side some time after 9/11 and immediately received raises of 50% or more beyond their base USG salary.  On the flip side, in recent years as the funding well dried up in some areas, salaries have been cut for some on the private side leading  some of the same officers or same types of officers (grass is always greener) wanting to rejoin USG service for job security.  

 

   In the end, there are trends, world events and other factors that can influence the marketplace and the natural comparisons between USG and the private sector.  Key to everything is finding a job that you like and being fortunate enough to have good leadership to that supports you, no matter where you are.  As I've embarked on the transition to the private sector, the question most often asked of me was "what do you want to do".  While on the surface rather straightforward to ask, in reality the answer is far more complex, yet invariably reverts to the basics of what is really important to each of us.  And to that, I say to each their own.  The grass may often appear greener on the other side, but seldom is. 

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