Reply To: “I’m Angry About My Future Financial Situation”

Ron clearly has a shit-ton (that’s the scientific measurement) experience here so definitely pay attention.

Other things to consider:
Find a job that has an education benefit. I had a not-great paying administrative job that offered up tuition assistance and I was able to get 80% of my master’s degree paid for by the company. I had to be there a year and then when I finished, I stayed a bit but it made it possible for me to get a significantly better paying job.

Consider Consulting: Right now the key word across all industry is “Sustainability”. Use that to your advantage.

Government jobs are not considered fantastic in the moment. They are considered fantastic because they can’t just fire you at whim and they usually have a pension. If you don’t have a pension or decent health insurance, then it’s not worth the lower salary. If you do have a pension, and there is a clear career trajectory, then staying in a government position has a benefit that almost no other job has anymore which is income during your retirement years. Given the current state of things and the predictions about Social Security, it should be part of your considerations. But if the equations don’t add up, then maybe it’s not the right option.