Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Success in business as with most things in life is often impacted by how your personal approach. Is it more beneficial to focus on the issues or the solutions? The following contributed post is entitled, Forget Issues And Start Focusing On Solutions.
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Many successful business owners and entrepreneurs will tell you that one of the best things you can do for any business is stop focusing on issues and start focusing on solutions if you want your business to thrive and grow.
As humans, it’s natural for us to focus on the problem when suddenly faced with adversity. However, you should never lose sight of the fact that these problems can be used to make us better people, better business owners, and teach us lessons that we would have otherwise ignored.
Know that focusing on problems is absolutely normal – which is why you need to train yourself to do the abnormal thing, and focus on solutions to those problems instead. Failure, or an issue, is never the end of something unless you make it that way. There’s always going to be a solution.
Take The Time To Analyze If you’re struggling, it can be a good idea to spend some time alone, fully analyzing the problem. You need to make sure you’re objective about the issue. Don’t dramatize it. Don’t blow it all out of proportion. Remain grounded. You want to then direct all of your energy towards solutions to the problem, keeping a positive, open mind. The fact is, when we’re stressed out it can be difficult to see solutions, even if they are right in front of us. The more we focus on the things that have gone wrong, the more we see more things going wrong, further issues, and it can feel like it’s never ending. By making sure you don’t let yourself fall down the rabbit hole, you’ll come up with a solution easily and far more quickly.
It’s important to note that where your solution comes from matters, too. If it comes from a place of optimism and trust, it’s likely a good solution. However, if you come up with this solution with an air of desperation and hopelessness, it’s unlikely to be the best solution for the problem.
Put Your Solutions On Paper Grab a piece of paper and a pen. Putting your solutions on paper, whatever they may be, helps to get your head into the right space to come up with more solutions. Make sure you have some quiet time, and that nothing is distracting you. You might realize that the solution all along was to purchase PFA tubing and replace obsolete tubing. Or perhaps you know you need to incorporate software to automate a task that just isn’t being done well by your employees. Brainstorming has a domino effect, and you’ll quickly come up with more and more ideas as you sit there and write things down.
Your next step is to decide which solution is best for your situation, and which one you are going to trust to help you overcome the problem. This type of optimism and thinking can have a profound effect on your business. You can overcome anything if you believe you can – just look at the greats, like Henry Ford!
“You all keep saying that you want to go to medical school, but you don’t have the slightest idea as to what it takes to get into medical school, or what’s going to happen once you get there!”
I originally published this piece on the Examiner back in January of 2013. It discussed some simple, but valuable career advice a professor from my undergraduate institution gave me and my classmates. If followed, this advice would likely save the student, their family and their schools money, time, and heartache.
It isn’t just the close relationships with the faculty that are advantageous, but also the “tell it like is” mentality with which they taught us. The instructors felt as though they had to be hard on us students in order to make us competitive, to help us reach our potential, and ultimately, to achieve our dreams. Some students rejected this approach, while others embraced the guidance and the coaching.
Many students who major in the biological sciences do so with hopes of going to medical school and becoming a physician. Not only is being a medical doctor a well-respected profession, but it is also believed to lead to a life of wealth and prosperity; something many doctors and the author of The Millionaire Next Door, Dr. Thomas Stanley, would debate.
During my first year at JCSU, a very simple but important piece of advice was passed along to the students in our Concepts of Modern Biology class. That advice was simply that we students should take some time to research our careers of interest. Again it was simple but very powerful advice.
“You all keep saying that you want to go to medical school, but you don’t have the slightest idea as to what it takes to get into medical school, or what’s going to happen once you get there,” our professor, a Ph.D. of Cell Biology, passionately said to us. She was small in stature but was a very tough-minded professor.
“What you all need to do is to go to the library, pull out a book on the healthcare professions and read up on what it will take to become a medical doctor,” she further advised us. She’d often say, “the slots are limited,” meaning that it was very competitive to get into medical school and they would only take the best of the best. A couple of driven, motivated and talented students from JCSU in that era did in fact go on to medical school to pursue their dreams.
It was debated quite a bit at the time whether or not students from a small HBCU like JCSU could get into medical school. The students who made it in proved that it could be done, but again they were some of the best and brightest that our Natural Sciences Department had to offer.
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I took my professor’s advice and investigated the path towards becoming a medical doctor. In between semesters, I visited Buffalo’s downtown public library and pulled out a book on the healthcare professions. Some of what I discovered in my research, I’d heard before; applicants needing a competitive score on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), a competitive grade point average (GPA) particularly in the sciences, letters of recommendation, and scientific research or volunteer experience in a clinic or hospital.
What I read next though were the real eye openers. Financially, many medical students offset their tuition with loans and graduated with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. Medical school graduates are required to complete something called a “Residency” which usually involved them getting little sleep over long periods of time, depending on their specialization. They further had to be willing to move to often remote and undesirable locations in some instances initially. Finally, most don’t start making significant money until long after they’ve graduated or completed their training.
After doing the research, I decided that I didn’t want to go to medical school to be a physician. I stayed in science but decided to go into research which itself had its own notable challenges and struggles, though ultimately quite a few rewards. See my post on that.
The point of this story is not to discourage anyone from going to medical school, especially if treating and caring for patients is a student’s underlying motivation, dream and passion. A career is a personal choice and must be decided by the individual. That being said, it’s important to do the research, study the process and figure out all that will be involved when pursuing a particular career path.
At one point, being a medical doctor may have been a very lucrative profession to pursue, but as with most areas of life, things seldom stay the same. Significant factors that medical doctors have to contend with today that they didn’t worry about as much in years past, is the impact of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) on the degree of care patients can receive, and the threat of malpractice lawsuits.
“You want to do something that you’re going to enjoy doing every day. If you’re doing something just for the money, it’s not a good thing,” a mentor advised me. In general, careers should be pursued not simply for the money, but based upon what a student is passionate about and has a natural talent for.
Furthermore, the cost of seeking a professional education such as attending medical, dental or law school, for example, should be strongly considered before pursuing a given career. Specifically, the amount of debt that will have to be repaid should be one of the major considerations as it will impact an individual’s lifestyle for a potentially significant amount of time.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy:
For the next phase of my writing journey, I’m starting a monthly newsletter for my writing and video content creation company, the Big Words LLC. In it, I plan to share inspirational words, pieces from this blog and my first blog, and select videos from my four YouTube channels. Finally, I will share updates for my book project The Engineers: A Western New York Basketball Story. Your personal information and privacy will be protected. Click this link and register using the sign-up button at the bottom of the announcement. If there is some issue signing up using the link provided, you can also email me at bwllcnl@gmail.com . Best Regards.
Two focuses of my blog are Career Discussions and General Education. While very important and rewarding, a career in education can be very, very challenging at times. Some teachers burn out and leave the field altogether, while others ascend into administration. No matter what your aspirations are as an educator, it’s important to think about your career in depth and set yourself up to succeed. The following contributed post is therefore entitled, A Teaching Moment: Boosting Your Career In Education.
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If you’ve chosen a career in the development and education of young minds; you’ll understand how rewarding a job in teaching can be. However, education also brings its challenges, and sometimes, you’ll have to deal with stressful situations. If you’re keen to work through the various highs and lows of your job role; you have longevity in teaching and enjoy your career until retirement. Some people find themselves wondering how to boost their career further, due to job dissatisfaction and lack of prospects. There are ways to push ahead with your career in education; you just have to know where to look and what to do. The following are some tips and ideas for those who want to give their job role a helping hand for a long and rewarding career in the educational field.
The more adept you are to handle your class; the better you’ll be able to gain their respect and influence their educational choices, and you’ll be an appealing candidate for an academic recruitment firm. Therefore, if you’re feeling a little stagnant in your teaching role; consider furthering your qualifications, utilizing those skills, and start the next step in your job journey. Take a look at the information available online to understand how specialized courses and qualifications will help to open all sorts of career doors for you. The more strings to your bow you obtain; the better chance you have at a promotion or a fresh job placement altogether.
Perhaps there are certain areas of your job that you do not feel as strong as you’d like to; research into courses you can complete and all the avenues that are in place aimed to strengthen those elements of your career. You’ll be able to walk into the classroom with confidence, and your head held high, knowing that you’ve worked hard to get where you are and to have the knowledge and expertise that will benefit your class of students.
New Methods
If you’re struggling with your current teaching methods, and the information isn’t sinking in with your class; don’t be afraid to try something new. As long as you are teaching the required lesson, and sticking to school guidelines; you should experiment with tried and tested techniques that may seem unconventional. Do your research so that you can look for some innovative ways to teach kids, and get some inspiration to take into your own classroom. Everything from role play, to playing classical music during lessons has been utilized in the education of young minds; so be the teacher that people remember and start seeing the improvements to your pupil’s education and grades that can happen as a result.
Social Connections
If you’re struggling with one particular individual, that doesn’t seem to want to learn or be there; it’s worth investigating into their life outside the classroom. Look for significant behavioral changes and issues that may have arisen that has led to difficulties, and let them know that you’re a friendly ear if they need help, or simply to talk. The more time you put into your lessons and the welfare of your students, the better your relationship with them will be, and the quicker they’ll learn what’s needed.
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Career Discussions. Employment is not a one way street and no matter which career you choose, you do have certain rights when you start. It’s important the know what those rights are when you start. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Knowing and Upholding Your Rights in the Workplace.
When you work for someone else, you are essentially allowing them to profit from your hard work. However, there are so many benefits that come hand in hand with being employed that the majority of us are happy to take on this kind of position within a company. You have contracted working hours which means regular, stable wages that you can build your life around. You receive pay when you are sick or when you need to take parental leave. You receive annual leave, so you can have a little time off each year without worrying about losing money. Perhaps the most important benefit is having rights as an employee regarding your health and safety that must be upheld, meaning you can feel safe each day when you head to work. Now, most employers keep up with this of their own accord. But if your employer isn’t sticking to rules and regulations, you need to speak out and ensure that your rights are upheld. This can be daunting, but you cannot be punished or reprimanded for demanding what you are entitled to. So, here are some areas to focus on!
A Safe Workplace
First and foremost, you have the right to work in a safe space. Your workplace shouldn’t pose any threat or risk to you, your health and wellbeing. Your employer will have to conduct all sorts of checks to guarantee this. If potential threats are present but can’t be changed, measures should be taken to alert you to them. If there’s a low ceiling, a sign should be fitted ahead of it in order to warn you to mind your head. If there’s a small step that can’t be removed, a “mind the step” sign should clearly be displayed.
Relevant Training
Regardless of what role you are carrying out, your employer should ensure that you are fully trained to be able to carry it out safely. If you work in retail and need to lift heavy items and move them from store rooms to the shop floor, you should receive training in how to do this. It may sound like something straightforward and basic, but if you lift things in the wrong way, you could become injured. If you work in construction, you should have training in every aspect of the jobs that you need to carry out. If you don’t and are then hurt during construction, you will be able to seek legal aid and receive compensation.
Regularly Updated Risk Assessments
Your employer should carry out risk assessments associated with every aspect of your role. If something is a “risk” it means that there’s a chance that you could be injured or harmed while engaging with it. Your employer should then take measures to remove this risk before you are put to work.
These are just a few of the different rights that you have in the workplace. Make sure that your employer is upholding them at all times! This is for your own sake and others’ sake!
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Career Discussions. Some careers allow working remotely which is a very helpful option to have. There are several considerations for this privilege which can be very advantageous also be abused. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Everything You Need To Know About Working Remotely.
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There are many opportunities in working remotely, so if this is something you’re thinking about implementing into your routine, it could ultimately change things for you for the better. However, there are a few things you should know first.
Yes, you can work from wherever you want as long as there is an internet connection, and you may also be supported by the great technological advances in things like collaboration tools, cloud computing, improved communication tools, and so on. However, there are drawbacks. This is a trend that isn’t slowing down anytime soon, as people are no longer content to just work inside of a cubicle – so read on and you’ll get a feel for the main benefits and drawbacks.
Benefits of Remote Work Include: When you work remotely you can take advantage of flexible working hours. You can spend more time with your children if you have a family, and you’ll usually be able to work around your hobbies and anything else you have going on. You will need to be able to draw a clear line between your work and personal life, but if you can do that, then it will be an ideal way of life for you. There’s no dress code, and you’ll learn new skills, such as bookkeeping, management, etc. You’ll likely save money from not having to commute to a place of work, which is also better for the environment. Then there are the great tools like microsoft rds to help you get the job done to a high standard. There are also more places to complete your remote work, with coffee shops welcoming remote workers and co working spaces popping up all over the place.
The Drawbacks of Remote Working Include: Unfortunately, remote working offers limited social interaction. This can be fine for introverted workers, but maybe not so much for those extroverted workers who enjoy some company and conversation during their working day. Meeting new people and making friends is pretty impossible, and you may get lonely or stuck in a rut. Plus, there’s usually no assistance – everything is on you. If something isn’t going right, it’s likely that you’re the one to blame. Of course there can be lots of distractions, too – you must be able to self manage if you’re going to do this successfully. The fridge is usually just a few steps away, as well as your phone, social media, and the TV. You have to be able to control yourself if you’re going to get as much work done as you can. It’s all too easy to give yourself regular breaks (which can be great if you’re actually working), and end up not getting a lot done at all. There may also be communication problems with other members of your team if you don’t have the right software.
Working remotely is certainly not for everybody, but it’s something you should probably try if you’ve been considering it as an option. Figure out solutions to the drawbacks here and you might just find that it’s a positive new direction for you.
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and two key focuses are Career Discussions and Health and Wellness. Whether due to life changes or career changes, some individuals eventually have the option of moving abroad. Sometimes there are signs that you’re ready to make this change. The following contributed post is therefore entitled, Signs You Are Ready To Move Abroad.
When you become an adult the world suddenly becomes your oyster. You are no longer bound to staying in the same city forever and you can choose to go and live wherever and explore wherever you want. Moving abroad is a big step towards freedom and it is something which not many of us do for ourselves. But today we are going to have a look at some sure signs that you are ready to take that leap and make a move.
You need a change
Every now and again life will fall into the same patterns and this can make it hard for us to see past our little bubble into something new. When we get stuck in a rut with life it can be hard and we can often end up feeling under appreciated and like we aren’t reaching our full potential. A change in lifestyle is always a good thing and if you need a big change in your life, moving abroad can give that to you.
You have a flexible job
One of the things which modern workers can enjoy more of these days is flexibility. Life isn’t all 9-5 and in fact there are lots of jobs online which can allow someone to work from home or travel while they work. If you have a job like this or you are able to get one, this can free up your life and allow you to move wherever you want in the world with no issues.
Your family want to come too
The biggest issue you might have with moving away is leaving family or not being able to go because the rest of your household doesn’t want to make the move. Think about making sure that you explain the merits of moving abroad and take a few trips there with your family so that they can see what it’s like and make a decision. If everyone gets on board then you have no problems!
You have no big commitments
There are a lot of responsibilities in adult life, and if you have a pet, a child, a specific job and a mortgage to pay off it might seem like a pipe dream to move away and start fresh. However if you don’t have any of these commitments right now it is the ideal time for you to make the move and start a new life somewhere else. It will allow you to either travel around before settling back at home or to settle somewhere else.
You found a great property
Obviously the main thing you need to think about when moving home is the housing market. Different countries will be vastly varied in their market and if you can find the best properties for sale in your chosen country this could be what sways your decision. Take a look and see what’s on offer within your budget and compare this to what you can get back at home. You might be surprised with what you find.
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) wield a lot of power and control whole industrial sectors. Their decisions greatly impact the lives of those under them and their influence even rivals that of politicians. They must possess a select collection of skills to ascend to their positions and be successful. The following contributed post is thus entitled, What It Takes To Be A CEO.
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To be a CEO is one of the biggest responsibilities in the world. You have a whole company relying on you, and you have your own lifestyle to support through it. But everyone thinks that’s just as easy as setting up a business, figuring out how to run it, and then helping it along its way. Oh no, this is far from what it takes to be a CEO. To be a CEO you have to have so many qualities and skills, that this article truly won’t cover it. If you’re not a CEO at the minute, and you’re just thinking of becoming one, then you really do need to have a general insight of what it takes to be a good CEO. There’s no point setting up your own company if you’re not the right person to do it. If you have your own company at the minute, there’s also no point in moving forward if you don’t know what it takes to be a good CEO. So, let us enlighten you, and show you what we think it’s going to take!
You definitely do need the right skills if you’re going to be the best CEO for your company. We’re talking skills like communication, problem solving, and working under pressure. You might think you have all of this at the minute, but we think there are always areas that can be improved. To make sure you have all of the necessary skills, and that you perfect them, we think you should take some business management courses. Don’t think there’s just one that will tell you all, there’s so many different management courses you could go on to make sure you’re the best. Even if it’s just you at the minute, the courses won’t be teaching you how to lead, they’ll be teaching you how you can run a business more than anything!
The Right Vision
The vision you have is essential, and please don’t tell us it’s focused around putting millions in your bank account. Of course this is going to be the end goal, but it shouldn’t be the vision. The vision should be what you think your company should be doing in a few years time, and how you want it to expand. Jos Opdeweegh is a businessman who has been successful throughout his career, and has now wrote articles on the vision that business owners should have, and what they shouldn’t have. If the focus is always on money, the bigger picture of the business could be lost sight of.
The Ability To Lead
The ability to lead is definitely something we want to finish the article with. You have to be that person that your whole team can come to in a time of need, not just when it’s to do with business. We think that’s really what it takes to be a true leader. If you can’t be that person who anyone can come to, you’ll be the person that anyone turns against. There really are some terrible CEOs that bring a company down because they just can’t lead.
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and two key focuses are Business/Entrepreneurship and Career Discussions. When one transitions over employer/manager/supervisor, they now become responsible for managing the work of others. This is a skill and a task all. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Managing Your Employees’ Workflow.
When you become an employer, you take on a whole host of responsibility over your employers. At the end of the day, you are making money from their efforts and they are helping to build your dreams. So, the least that you can do is manage them effectively so that their working days are as comfortable and positive as possible! One area that tends to go relatively neglected when it comes to managing employees is monitoring and adjusting their work schedule. Here’s a little information on the subject!
The Importance of Workflow Management
Workflow management is extremely important for your business’ progression as well as your employees. It is essentially a means of ensuring that employees know what they need to do in order to keep your business moving forward and a means of ensuring that this happens. You should provide your employees with set projects so that they know what tasks they need to undertake and how long they have to do this. Most of us will do this anyway. However, you also need to remember to let employees know why they are working towards this objective and what they are likely to do once the project is completed. This gives them more of a sense of purpose. They will see where their work is heading and they will feel that they are working towards something rather than simply completing tasks and checking boxes. If you’d like to learn more about this, you can find out more on the subject through Umlaut.
Conducting Regular Check Ups
It is important to maintain regular contact with your staff. Try to arrange meetings part way through projects to ensure that everyone knows what they are supposed to be doing and to see how they are progressing. This will provide you with the opportunity to ensure all work is being carried out as you hoped and also gives employees the opportunity to raise any queries or concerns. If you fail to do this, problems will generally be kept quiet and you may come to the deadline of a project only to find that it needs to be extended or altered due to problems that could have been confronted and cleared up earlier.
Meeting Employees’ Personal Needs
It is also a good idea to have one to one meeting with employees to check whether their personal circumstances have changed. Health complaints or personal problems could mean that you may need to reduce particular employees’ workflow for their wellbeing. Improvements in personal conditions could mean you can increase their responsibilities.
These are just a few of the basics when it comes to managing your employees’ workflow. Make sure to look further into the subject to ensure that everyone is working effectively and comfortably!
One of the focuses of my blog is Health/Wellness. No matter what you’re trying to accomplish, it’s important to maintain some semblance of health and balance in your life, and not overwork yourself. How do you know if you’ve become a workaholic? The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Signs You Might Be A Workaholic.
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Entrepreneurship, endeavor, hard work. They’re all admirable qualities. They enable one to transcend the limitations of their career path and forge a new business and a new career on their own terms. Yet, while the path of entrepreneurship is a worthy pursuit with a range if personal and professional benefits, it is not without its pitfalls. Entrepreneurs are notoriously at risk of workaholism; their hours are long, their duties are many and various and their investment in their business is intensely personal. While dedication and diligence are essential ingredients for success, they must be carefully managed, lest they lead to burnout which benefits neither an entrepreneur nor their business.
The trouble with workaholism is that like any addiction it can creep on you unawares. Rarely do we know that it has begun to affect us until we are in its thrall. The only way we can break its hold over us is by recognizing the signs in our behavior and in how those around us react to us. If you value your work / life balance and your relationship with your employees, family and friends it’s in your interests to be wary of the following…
You have to do everything yourself
When you start your own business, it’s more than just another job or career step. Your business is your life. As such, you understand that every aspect of your enterprise reflects on you. Hence, you apply rigorous control over every aspect of your operations. While there’s certainly value in having a certain way of doing things that is allied with your brand, there’s a fine line between insisting that things are done your way and micromanagement.
If you refuse to lighten your load by outsourcing your Business IT Consulting, your digital marketing campaign or your HR function you could be spending needlessly and missing out on invaluable professional support. When you’re the kind of boss that hovers around doing everything for your employees instead of with them, you also stunt their professional growth.
You’re eating a lot of takeout
How often do you call your partner to let them know that you won’t be home for dinner? How many times have you come home to an empty refrigerator? How often do you get takeout delivered to the office rather than cook? Has your partner stopped bothering to leave you a plate of leftovers because you’re never home on time for dinner?
If you notice that you’re almost constantly dining on take out food this is most assuredly not great for your health, nor is it sustainable.
You’re more stressed in your down time than at work
In many ways a business is like a child. You worry about it constantly and you can become very reticent about the prospect of leaving it in the care of anyone but yourself. Thus, it’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs to become stressed and agitated in what is supposed to be their down time.
However, living like this is an express ticket to burning out. If you genuinely fear for your business when you’re not at the helm, you need to focus more of your efforts in training your employees so that they’re able to pick up the slack when you need to take some time off.
The better you know the signs, the easier it is to put measures in place to prevent your workaholism from impacting negatively on your business and your life.
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and some of its focuses are: Career Discussions, Education, and Financial Literacy/Money. I originally published this piece in 2015 on the Examiner as I started to understand some of the nuances of being a federal employee. While the employment in the government is relatively stable in comparison to the private sector, there are some other unique differences which I thought were worth discussing. If you or someone you know is considering a federal career, this is a good and insightful read.
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My last article gave an overview of my experience as a federal employee in a general sense. This article will talk about one of the more intriguing parts of being a federal employee; the General Schedule (GS). The GS is particularly relevant when one is looking to get hired into the federal government and it takes on more significance when seeking promotion within one the federal government’s many agencies.
The General Schedule is a payroll scale which dictates the salary of each federal civilian employee. The scale spans from levels 1-15, with 15 being the highest paid and most senior. The only levels higher than the GS are the Senior Executive Service (SES) and then becoming an elected official.
Within the GS some promotions to the next grade are automatic without competition. Within grades, there are ‘steps’ where one automatically gets a raise periodically. There are 10 steps to each grade, and the first four step increases are automatic annually. Afterwards they are every two years. This seems like a really good deal right?
Reaching the GS-14 and 15 levels from the 13 level involves competition. That’s assuming that there’s money in the federal budget or ‘continuing resolutions’ for those promotions to become available in the first place. Another caveat is that one cannot jump to a higher grade without proving that they adequately performed the functions of the grade below it – going from a 13 to a 15 for example. A 13 must first become a 14 before reaching a 15.
What does all of this matter? As with everything, it isn’t a perfect system depending on your point of view, and there are pros and cons to working in the public vs. the private sector vs. academia. As described in my Earning a Ph.D. series, ascension within the federal government isn’t entirely dependent on one’s degree level. Having a Ph.D. for example doesn’t guarantee a promotion or even favor within an agency, and there are scenarios where Ph.D.’s can end up being supervised by master’s and in some cases bachelor’s level staff, something that would almost never occur in the private sector or in academia.
“We have Ph.D.’s.!!! We shouldn’t be making the same amount of salary as those filing records or who are doing administrative things,” a former colleague who has since gone to the private sector often lamented. That’s another caveat, tenure is an important component to federal employment. Specifically, there are instances where someone with a lower level of education who has been in the system longer, can make equal or more salary than someone with greater academic credentials who has been the system for less time. Ponder that.
“I wanted to move to Washington DC, so that I could get my 11,” a friend with a background in Human Resources who was a GS-9 said upon moving to the Washington, DC. Because the federal government is centralized in Washington, DC, the opportunities to get promoted are more plentiful there. Likewise, once promotions are achieved, that level is typically maintained wherever one goes afterwards throughout their career.
“When I first moved here, a couple of men told me they had achieved their ‘14s’ when we first met and I didn’t know what that meant,” a female acquaintance shared with me about her early dating experiences in the area. A funny but true and in some ways disturbing aspect to all of this is that in the DC Metro area, your GS-level can have huge social implications. In the minds of some, it represents: power, prestige and status in addition a considerable salary, the latter probably being the most important though they are generally lower than comparable private sector positions.
In closing, none of this information is confidential so I won’t get in trouble for sharing any of this. The salaries of federal employees are readily available to the general public online. Thus, when you know someone’s GS-level, you have an idea of what they earn, unlike in the private sector – an unsettling thought in terms of privacy to some degree. Nevertheless, it’s one of the cons that come along with being a public servant. The bonuses tend to also be more robust in the private sector.
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There are other aspects to being a federal employee such as the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is the retirement plan/system for civilian employees. I will probably discuss it in a subsequent post about retirement as it’s something I didn’t quite understand when I started my federal career.
I’m going to close by going back to stability, but in a different way. In some instances, federal employees may perform at low levels for their given duty for any number of reasons. This likewise can earn consecutive poor ratings at their annual performance appraisals. This is difficult for supervisors because it’s classically hard to fire federal employees as there’s a long and involved process for letting go of them once they’ve passed their probationary period – again something very similar to academia.
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For the next phase of my writing journey, I’m starting a monthly newsletter for my writing and video content creation company, the Big Words LLC. In it, I plan to share inspirational words, pieces from this blog and my first blog, and select videos from my four YouTube channels. Finally, I will share updates for my book project The Engineers: A Western New York Basketball Story. Your personal information and privacy will be protected. Click this link and register using the sign-up button at the bottom of the announcement. If there is some issue signing up using the link provided, you can also email me at bwllcnl@gmail.com . Best Regards.
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