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Trying to decide what kind of job you want after the military can be daunting. There are many routes you can go with the most common being Federal employment (GS position), Contracting, Entrepreneurship, Civilian Employment, or Student.
To help you figure out your path, I asked my fellow contractor, Jeff, to compare the two sides of government employment. He has had 5 years of federal employment and almost 5 years as a contractor.
To help you figure out your path, I asked my fellow contractor, Jeff, to compare the two sides of government employment. He has had 5 years of federal employment and almost 5 years as a contractor.
Posted in these groups: 
US Government (non-DoD) civilian
DoD Civilian
Contractors
Civilian Career
Transition
US Government (non-DoD) civilian DoD Civilian Contractors Civilian Career Transition
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 2
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A lot of this depends on your personality and your tolerance for uncertainty. Some people like the government side because in a lot of ways it is much like the military without a uniform.
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SFC Jason Evans
GS positions are more stable positions for sure. The reason I'm not looking for a GS position is it doesn't pay as well as contracting and the bureaucracy is more than I want to deal with. Contracting is way more flexible but the trade off is the uncertainty, like you said.
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I have worked on both sides of the coin. They each have there pro and cons. The money was good as a contractor but sometimes you run in the problem of if the contracting company will get the contract renewed. You don't get some of the perks as a federal employee such as getting a 59 or the benefits offered to federal employees. As a contractor, you are not guaranteed a raise unless the contract is renegotiated. One positive note as a contractor I was able to gain from was that I wouldn't be out of work due to a government shutdown. I still prefer the federal employee route since I can sell back my service time and don't need work a full 20 years of civil service if I choose to go that route. It also gives an array of other positions in the federal government or agencies to aim for, if you qualify of course.
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