Fed seeking private sector employment

[Don Mansfield]

Vern, I was wondering what career fields do you recommend for bright young people as opposed to 1102? What if someone had approximately 10 years of contracting experience but was looking for a change? Thanks.

How about Government contracts attorney?

[ppg001]

How about Government contracts attorney?

I too stumbled upon contracting out of college and ROTC into the AF. Enjoyed it more 10 plus years ago. Went on to get my MBA and currently working on a PhD, but not a law degree.

[KeithB18]

This may or may not be germane to the discussion, but my job satisfaction is orders of magnitude higher since I left the DoD for a civilian agency. The DoD was everything that has been mentioned--bureaucratic, rigid, afraid of 80% decisions, and filled with administrivia. My civilian agency (I can't speak for all of them) is light years behind the DoD in terms of policy, procedure, bureaucracy, etc. For me, that's a good thing, because I have input on how all that stuff develops. I fight against unnecessary bureaucratization every day--sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. I have been able to provide input on hiring, which has allowed me to bring in people that I feel comfortable empowering as COs--I can trust them to make sound business decisions.

The bureaucracy is much, much smaller. The HCA is right down the hall, and makes himself available regularly. There aren't layers and layers of bureaucrats reviewing my contract files.

That's a long way of saying something you probably all already know--some offices are better than others. My office isn't perfect, far from it, but I honestly feel like I get a say and that I can make things happen. So maybe look around a little. Find a smaller office in a quiet civilian agency and see if that is a better fit.

[August]

I'll echo a bit of what KeithB18 says with my perspective.

I have only worked in civilian agencies. Whenever a DOD CO has come to one of the civilian agencies I have worked at they have demonstrated a lack of ability to work effectively without policy that dictates down to the minutia what they are to do. When I have seen DOD COs enter civilian agencies in a supervisory role, I have always seen the quality of the work they supervise decline.

When I have run into DOD COs in training, it seems they are use to a lot of direction, and work for a project area in which their contracting skills become very narrow.

I realize the subset of DOD COs I have seen may be special, and I hear some on WIFCON that are clearly sharp people, who have really enjoyed the work that some of the large DOD contracts can provide.

But I agree with KeithB18 in that a small civilian agency, where you are encouraged to think for yourself, and you have a chance to make a difference is the most satisfying. But those offices are hard to find.