Currently working for a City, have been here 10 years. Thinking about making the jump to the private sector, but weighing the pros/cons. Have any of you made the switch from City/Municipally owned to the private sector, and any thoughts?

I went from private to a large municipality then to a very small municipality, back to private. I would take private all day every day over going back to a city. There are so many more freedoms and not the beat down of strict guidelines for everything.

Beckdiesel03 said:

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I went from private to a large municipality then to a very small municipality, back to private. I would take private all day every day over going back to a city. There are so many more freedoms and not the beat down of strict guidelines for everything.

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Thank you. Here lately it seems the rules and freak outs over small items are getting ridiculous. I've been in the industry around 10 years, but have only been here at a municipal for those 10. It seems a couple of others I have spoken to share the same sentiment as you.

It really depends. The big boat anchor in public is thr pension. A big part is your age and vesting position. If you're young and vested the more time in private sector can be a plus if you're aggressive in retirement savings. If 50+ with 20 years in a pension, probably better to just suck it up and deal.

Industry and opportunities in private sector are another huge consideration. There's so many factors it's difficult to assess.

I worked briefly in the public sector about 15 years ago. Hated every minute of it. The bureaucracy and red tape, took forever to get anything done, everyone has such a "that's not my job" mentality.

Couldn't wait to get back in private sector. Stuff just gets done there.

Working for a municipal has a few perks. Time off, retirement, no need to ever really work more than 40 a week. But there a definitely quite a few negatives. There are a ton of processes to follow to get anything done, and also a lot of red tape.

not sure why you are even weighing the option...what do you want? Do you want to disappear into some department of red tape and earn a steady paycheck or are you wanting to further your career? I know people talk about the benefit package, retirement of working in a govt/public setting but honestly doesn't compare to a lot of private ones, IMHO. Perhaps it is just my industry.

Thank you all for the replies. I have a lot of thinking to do.

CapCity12thMan said:

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not sure why you are even weighing the option...what do you want? Do you want to disappear into some department of red tape and earn a steady paycheck or are you wanting to further your career? I know people talk about the benefit package, retirement of working in a govt/public setting but honestly doesn't compare to a lot of private ones, IMHO. Perhaps it is just my industry.

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What industry is that?

What field are you in OP? Is it something you can easily move to a similar job in the private sector? Also have you considered working at another city, contrary to what folks say they are not all the same.

cslifer said:

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What field are you in OP? Is it something you can easily move to a similar job in the private sector? Also have you considered working at another city, contrary to what folks say they are not all the same.

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Electric utility

I know a couple of guys that left to go to the private sector from utilities for very significant raises. I guess in the end it comes down to what really works for you. I will add this though, if you are going to do it I would look sooner than later. The closer people get to retirement age they tend to say "that job looks great, but I think I will just ride out these last few years in TMRS".