To give some background, I recently accepted a job at a recognizable food delivery tech company. I just finished my first week and I have to say, I really like it so far. The work is interesting, my coworkers are cool, and I only have to go into the office once a week. I see this company as a stepping stone that I plan to leave after about 2 years. I think the focus on high level strategy could also open some doors down the line if all goes well.
The problem is that all the recent uncertainty surrounding the economy has me wondering what things will look like within the next few years. If a recession hits, the consumers and companies we do business with will likely pull back on spending, which will hurt my company’s bottom line. If things get bad, I could lose my job and be looking at an even worse job market.
I also recently received an offer for a local government job. I spent a year there as a contractor and it was not a very enjoyable experience. My coworkers were nice but annoying at times, leadership can be slow to act, and I don’t find the work particularly interesting. I dislike the idea of having to go my cramped cubicle five days a week and listen to my coworkers yap about office drama. On the other hand, the new opportunity has great job security, slightly higher pay with small annual raises, and a pension if I stay more than 10 years.
Part of me wants to prioritize job security, but the idea of leaving a job that I actually like makes me feel sad. I just hit 30 and I do plan to start a family in the next few years, and I’m just not sure what the right choice is.
EDIT: Just to clarify, these are office jobs. None of the work is physically demanding.
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Government gig for the government cheese. If you’re trying to save and have a family, plug your nose and move up the ladder.
whichever job is less physically demanding – im 32 with tendinopathy in my knee and ankle and could not imagine doing a job physically demanding. idk how people power through it during injuries that WC wont cover
Which will you learn/improve more from? That’s the only right answer at 30. Everything you can do to be the best at what you do will give you higher earning power than anything imo. Worked for me anyway.
Oh, and only leave after 2 years if you’re not learning/improving much anymore. That’s when it’s time to move on. Whether that’s 6 months or 6 years.
First: I am a state government employee.
It really depends on you, I spent 7 years in private practice before going to the state and I never plan to go back to the private world after 11 months with the state. I make more money, I have job security, I’m in a union, my benefits are so much better, I have a pension (not if I quit today but when I plan on retiring lol), I don’t have to work late just to please the boss, and I just listen to music all day if I don’t have a hearing or meeting.
But I don’t want to play the bullshit games that come with working in the private world. I don’t want to have to hop jobs every couple years to get meaningful raises, I know how much I will be making in a few years already. If I had the motivation I could make a lot more money in the private world, but money isn’t a big motivator for me, having a work-life balance that allows me to enjoy life whenever I want to is way more important.
I’m kinda on the same boat. Currently delivering for Amazon. They pay me decently enough to be living on my own but it’s physical demanding which tbh I don’t mind cause it keeps active and I’m on my own. I enjoy that freedoms but lately we’ve been getting less routes because people are not offering as much. Which kinda has me worried where we are going as an economy.
Take the job that you enjoy. What’s that old saying if you find something you love to do for a job you will never have to work again.
Since you don’t have a family you can afford to take some risk. When you have a family that will most likely no longer be the case. I would stick with the current one and focus on making yourself so valuable that your company would have to be closing to want to get rid of you. If a recession hits, you either get to be one of the last ones fired, or your resume is more impressive than other people in the job market.
I’ll never work in the public sector.
If you are in a group of people trying to out run a bear, you don’t have to out run the bear, just the slowest person
That’s how layoffs work. Unless your company starts heading towards bankruptcy, your plan is solid.
To avoid being layoff fodder, make yourself visible and valuable. Once a week in office is required, then be there 2-3 times. When markets get tight they don’t layoff 5X + performers. Under 2X politics and visibility matter.
I’ve always pushed my salary and life balance when the job markets were in my favor. And hunkered down when they weren’t
I would go with the first one. I’m in a govt job (federal level) who is having to deal with all the bs of doge and it’s not great. I moved to it for more stability from a job I liked; I sort of regret it but get paid more and am trying to get paternity leave.
If you don’t have a family yet you have more room for flexibility. And you can’t really decide what will really happen in the future. Aren’t we going to be hit by a giant meteor in like 5-10 years anyways? Go with the first one.
I’m 34 btw and I did the safe, boring route
The thing about government jobs is that there is plenty of room for both horizontal and vertical mobility. Once you have your ‘in’, the doors open up all over the place. And you’ll never lose your job unless the government as a whole collapses. In which case, you have bigger fish to try anyway.
That being said, I don’t know where you are located. The previously very safe American government jobs are right now not terribly safe due to DOGE’s machete approach to efficiency.
Prioritize the job that will build valuable skills for you. No one can predict the future, especially with our current administration. Hedge your bets and build a skillset that will always be employable.
I’m currently at a government job but based on your description the tech company 100%. Giving up work at an interesting place with interesting people because MAYBE the economy could change sounds like major regret later down the line. It could happen but I doubt it would ruin your life whereas being at a miserable job will definitely ruin your life.
A huge portion of your life is spent working. It’s important to aim for a future in which your profession is at least okay, if not enjoyable.
That doesn’t answer your immediate question though, because short term sacrifices have to be made to reach long term goals. Which of these options has the greatest likelihood of leading you to a job and a wage that you can enjoy in 5-10 years? Look ahead and aim for a target 5-10 years out, then choose accordingly.
I’d stick with the job you’re liking.
Nearly anything that would pay enough to make a comfortable living, I can’t do heights, like, or similar to skyscraper window cleaners.
Take the risk while you can I reckon.
I’ll be honest and say that government jobs aren’t always a guaranteed ride to a pension after 20 years the way they once were. Lots of people in my country losing their government jobs very unexpectedly. Financially, the private sector offers more independence and financial upside.
In the private sector, certain jobs are much more recession proof than others. Travel, real estate, high-end dining, trucking, and luxury goods are highly cyclical. Accounting, plumbing, groceries, HVAC, basic goods and K-12 education are much less cyclical.
Everyone needs running water, food, and teachers. Think of it that way.
There’s also a good sub for r/careerguidance you might get answers there also.
State government is a very chill gig. Guaranteed retirement is absolutely worth it.
Follow the job that interests you. The best job security is being good at and interested in your job.
Government work is only secure until it isn’t. Job security is an illusion. Secure the bag.
State government employee here. Healthcare and pension are usually better than the private sector (in my experience), plus state/municipal government jobs tend to have much greater stability.
To be honest there isn’t enough info here to tell you but whatever one has the better benefits package vs home work life combination would probably be my pick. If you like what you do that’s a big bonus tho I make good money , have great benefits and mostly dislike what I do but I don’t think I would come off of it to do something I like more but pays less. Really just depends on your financial situation.
I’m a stability guy, personally. Not government, but an insurance company. Nothing flashy or exciting, but steady and reliable. I have friends who have jumped around multiple times in the span I’ve been here, and that would stress the fuck out me. Your job is what you make it. I work with nice people and I close my laptop at the end of the day without stress. That’s a good life for me.
My 2 cents is that ai and/or offshoring and/or the economy is coming for a lot of industries in the corporate/office work realm, so there’s not a good answer.
So with regard to what might happen at current gig, i mean, do your best to pick a good one that seems reasonably secure, make sure you are learning new (and transferable) things as another commenter said, and let it ride.
As a Christian, i always try to do the best with the brain and skills and knowledge I was given, and then trust God with the results… not sure if you have that or something like it going for you
I personally would pick the Government job because I value job security more than job enjoyment.
The government job is probably safer, likely offers a good retirement packages and good benefits and so-so pay. People take government jobs for safety and security, not because they are passionate about government or working for the government. Your coworkers are often lazy/incompetent and there is a complete lack of discipline and work ethic, from my experience.
Your other job seems like it is fulfilling and fun.
It sounds like you have already made a decision here, it’s impossible to say what will happen but you know what you want to do already?
I think we’ve just witnessed that govt jobs are not secure, either. If it makes you happy, then work for the tech company, life is too short to do work you don’t like.
Keep at the job you like. If things go tits up a couple years down the road, THEN you can worry about settling for a job you don’t like.
gov jobs are not as secure as they used to be. the pension is nice, but no telling what the future holds for that either.
I say make choices based on what you know, not what you think you know, or can predict.
I’d keep the job you like. Mental health is worth something.
I like variety and am of the mindset that life is short so you should try to enjoy it in all aspects of your waking hours. Working in a safe but repetitive/annoying/depressing environment would make me want to off myself. But some people value security than variety.
With the way things are with government jobs these days, I’d also make sure it’s really safe, if that’s the road you want to go down.
OTOH if you go down the private road, think hard about how transferrable your skills are in and out of your industry. Geography is important too. Do you want to stay where you are the rest of your life? Make sure there are jobs for you. Does moving around appeal to you? Same thing.
Local government will feel the effects of Federal and State cuts
Stick with your current job. Food delivery apps being invented was like opening Pandora’s box; regardless of the economy, they’re going to exist and probably do well. If your current company goes belly up, another will fill the space and you can jump over to another one. Don’t worry about the economy so much – there are good times and bad times, don’t let market speculation inform your life decisions.
You can always be fired. Security is a myth. Unless you’re sitting on a few million in cash earning interest, let’s acknowledge job security is a fantasy for all but a very, very few.
You’re going to die, and you don’t know when. Currently you’re young and invincible. And that can change overnight.
What do you do that you loose yourself in? If that’s with the current gig, that’s great! But if it were me, 25 years ago, I would have bailed on whatever the fuck career I thought I was building and done what I was passionate about. I’m lucky. I was born a certain color, gender, to the right parents, zip code, etc. so I had advantages up the ass. And I still didn’t follow my hearts desire. I didn’t even give myself the space to figure out what that was. I needed the next 20 years to figure that out. Don’t wait. Do the thing that takes you over, and follow that to wherever it leads.