Do you like a 35-hour work week?
Can you tolerate arcane rules that make no sense?
I work for a large municipality in the US. I started my job expecting to stay for a couple of years and ended up becoming a lifer. I make a solid, middle-class salary.
I have civil service job protection for life. There is paid overtime if your salary is under a certain threshold, and comp time is always available if you need to work extra hours. I have accrued 42 weeks (yes WEEKS) of comp time since starting my job. You can take four years of unpaid leave if you have a child, and you’re guaranteed a job when you come back (it won’t be the same job, but a job at the same pay). I know people that have taken 8 years off to raise kids and then come back to work.
My health and dental insurance for the entire family is free.
My hours are flexible, I can work 7 – 3 or 10 – 6 or anything in-between.
I can retire at 57 with a pension that I can pass on to my kids. I have health insurance for life now that I’m vested.
But this is not some Garden of Eden. It can take 6 months to a year to get hired. If you take the civil service exam it could be even longer before you are pulled from the list. Once you’re here, none of the rules makes sense and they are implemented erratically. It’s impossible to fire staff (the flip side of job protection) so some people sit around and don’t do shit all day. They make your job a lot harder. You are subject to elected officials so policies are always changing or on hold. Senior management can be mercurial. I finally understand why it takes 20 years to build a bridge.
But after coming out of the great recession I’m just grateful to have job security, a decent salary, health insurance, and retirement. I read that sentence and I can’t believe I got so lucky. I am actually middle class. Like I literally don’t care how absurd the actual work is, I will never leave.
If the pros seem to outweigh the cons, consider a job with your city, state or the federal government.