Most people working for government you know are also young. So you hear about the crazy amount of work they do. But here is the thing: they have to work this much because old government employees do nothing. And after 5 or 10 years busting their asses while they see lazy people not getting fired and getting their raises they'll start putting 2 and 2 together and cut back on work to focus on their family and hobbies. Or work at office politics as it is the best way to get a better pay.
One part is true: I am relatively young. But I have very rarely met government employees my age. If I had to guess, standard would be 35, but have met plenty of folks who are 50+ working in government (something I don’t see in the startup scene at all). Most of them are likely underpaid; however, to be fair, that’s often made up in health benefits and likely somewhat in retirement benefits. And while I don’t doubt there are lazy government employees, the presumption that they outnumber or even match the private sector in this regard rings as false.
Because you are young.
Most people working for government you know are also young. So you hear about the crazy amount of work they do. But here is the thing: they have to work this much because old government employees do nothing. And after 5 or 10 years busting their asses while they see lazy people not getting fired and getting their raises they'll start putting 2 and 2 together and cut back on work to focus on their family and hobbies. Or work at office politics as it is the best way to get a better pay.