The moment we graduate from school, or even before we graduate, we are faced with one question: What should I work as?
Jobs can be widely classified into 2 categories – public sector jobs (Government jobs) or private sector jobs.
Many of the young aspiring adults would like to try working in the private sector. I was no exception. The sky is the limit, they said. How high you go is dependent on how capable and hardworking you are. The fanciful tall buildings, the nice office suits of both genders, the opportunities to travel (if any), the glory from working at the big names multi-national companies (MNCs). Best of it all, all of us know someone earning a high salary in one of the big companies.
On the other hand, Government jobs are plagued with bad reputation – inefficiencies, leeches everywhere who get nothing done, endless bureaucratic red tapes etc. The never ending nonsensical and out-of-touch decisions made by grumpy old men at the top who thought they knew best. The only good thing about Government jobs is that it is stable. You will be able to afford a decent house, a decent car, 1 holiday per year and your kids’ education should be of no big worry. But that’s it. You will never amount to anything much. You will forever be stuck as an average Joe.
In this post, we will break down the pros and cons of both. Of course, in all cases, there are exceptions. But being the average commoner, we will talk about what is the general reality for most of us.
Private Sector Jobs
Fresh out of school, full of ambition to accomplish something and to make it big is something not unique to you alone. Perhaps the majority of us thought the same. I am young, full of energy, I want to work and to do my best when I am young. Rise through the ranks with my own capability and earn the big bucks.
Reality is, most of us are just the average person. We do not have influential parents with wide connections. We are inexperienced, immature people who knows nothing about the harsh reality of the outside world. In the MNCs, you are just a small part in the whole machinery, doing the same repetitive task again and again without sight of the big picture elsewhere. In the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), you are doing the job of 3 to 4 men in the name of testing your capabilities and giving you different opportunities.
Granted, there are also the average people who take in $6000 a month when people are taking in only $3500. But what about the hours they work? Wall Street is famous for its long hours. China’s MNCs are famous for their 996 system: work from 9am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday. The Big 4 accounting companies are known for their extensive past midnight working hours.
Of course, to be fair, not all is bad with the private sector jobs. I have heard but unable to confirm myself that Google is a good company to work for. LEGO is known for its welfare. Netflix is known for its flexibility. To be honest, if you give me a chance to work at one of these companies, I would probably take it up. Just think of the welfare, the work environment and of course, the salary and how this will look on your CV.
Public Sector Jobs
A career that will grant you the basic necessities and more, but nothing beyond that. You have to deal with never ending suffocating red tape where the process matters more than the results. Never mind that we are inefficient, it is the tax payer’s money anyway. You are doing more than your leech of a boss? Well that is because you are new. You have done a lot and deserves a promotion? Well hold on man. That guy over there is before you in the queue. Yes we do consider actual contribution, but length of service is also a big factor in determining who gets promoted first.
Ironically, the very stability which public sector provides indirectly causes the system to pay the salaries of those people who would otherwise have been sacked in the private sector long ago. For a new, aspiring young adult with ambition, nothing frustrates more than being jammed up in the promotion queue simply because you are still young. Nothing irritates us more than seeing the bosses not doing any actual work but play politics everyday (not that politics is absent in the private sector), then make senseless decisions which we have no choice but to follow up. In fact, a personal friend of mine quit her public sector job because she was denied promotion, simply for the reason mentioned above. Often times, the public sector has no intention to keep good workers. If they stay, good. If not, so be it. Talents are often drained away from these posts.
Of course, on the fair side, on top of its stability and welfare, there are still good bosses around. There are still necessary departments which serves a higher calling. Teachers, prosecutors, police, soldiers, firefighters etc are just a few examples of public sector jobs which contributes to the good of the society. In fact, all public sector jobs, be it civilian or uniformed services, exist to serve the good of the public. Without which your city will not be developed, streets not safe, water not fit for drinking, forests will die off, children will have no education.
Meaning of the job, will have to depend on you.
In our next post, we will move into our main topic – the actual financial comparison between the 2.
Interestingly enough, where I am, lots of people want government jobs! High pay, great benefits, generous pension.
You have some great advice here. My husband worked for the government in the Air Force and liked it for the most part.
I have worked in both the public sector and private sector and each has its merits. The public sector definitely paid more, but the private sector was more interesting.
Good tips. I think they’re pros and cons to both. Depends on the individual.
I agree with you . My parent are immigrants to this country. When I graduated college I was the first one in my family to do so. I spoke
English and had a higher education that of my peers. I was not told by my parents how to balance a checkbook or what a retirement plan was. I had to learn that. In both private and public sectors.
The benefits are good with government jobs. My husband has a nice pension plan,
I have worked both in government (city) and the public sector. I’d say there is more red tape with government jobs. I asked for a reasonable accommodation of a less demanding job physically and I ended up laid off. I’m now in the private sector but get no benefits.
This is a really great and very informative post. I agree with this. Thanks for sharing this with us
Loved reading this. It is so informative. I have two boys graduating high school so they are right at that age making big decisions that could affect the rest of their lives.
It seems like there is a lot of give and take for both the public and private sector and all of it is experience under the belt.
This is for sure a dilemma. I think that it’s important to start your career, and it doesn’t matter where, in public or private sector. You can change it when you can have a good job experience!
It’s important to consider both as there are perks to each side. I have found some public sector roles can pay very high amounts depending on the job.
I really enjoyed reading this post and I found it to be very informative. Thank you so much for sharing
It is good to have a realistic outlook. Government jobs can be so lucrative here because of the pay, vacation time, and job security. I had a tough time getting a job straight out of college.
I have worked in both. There are definitely pros and cons for either.
I have only worked in the private sector, but I don’t mind working in the public sector. If there’s an opportunity, why not?
There are lot of pros and cons in working in a private and government job. I have never worked in that profession. Thanks for sharing this with us.