Re: The Best and The Brightest
by Joe at 02:18AM (EST) on Dec 13, 2005
I would recommend the government service in the DOD.

Of course the new graduates won’t be in the old personnel system long enough to get used to it, but the new system is different in some important aspects relating to the new graduates future.

If the new graduates understand the differences and compensate for them then they will be protected as well as they can be.

The new personnel system is designed to reward the new employees. This is good – for a few years, but when the new employees get into their 40’s they will find no protections for them in a RIF. A younger, more ambitious employee could displace them thus eliminating their eligibility for a civil service retirement.

The strategy for cushioning the mid career displacement is simple: invest in the TSP as much as possible to obtain the matching funds. The TSP is portable and will go with them to their next career or be used for living expenses.

Salaries in the NSPS will be set by the Secretary of Defense. Projecting any future earning capacity will be very difficult as salaries will be subject to budgetary and market conditions as well other agendas established by the executive branch. Here again the strategy is to invest in the TSP heavily to compensate for reduced income, displacement, or reduced retirement.

The new personnel system in the DOD will very likely require employees to travel to distant places or where ever they are needed to accomplish the mission. This is to be expected so one should be prepared to go where one is needed. There may be a mobility agreement to sign either upon employment or at a later time.

Some will say that the present personnel system may require mobility agreements just as the NSPS will, but there is an important difference. A refused assignment in the NSPS could result in termination within 15 days. New employees and older employees should learn the system and know their responsibilities and options before they are required to make a decision regarding their assignments.

Those are just a few of the changes new employees will see as they enter their federal career in the NSPS. If they do manage to stay competitive with other employees of all ages, and if their skills do not fade over a 40 year span then they may reach retirement.

They will have a more interesting and perhaps more exciting career than the career that I have had. If I were a young graduate I would understand the risks and take the chances.

It would be a rewarding career however long it may last.

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