I'm curious about what the private sector thinks of the general support roles within public service.

As a Business Analyst in the federal government for the past year, I find my work laughable in terms of challenge and required work ethic. At this point, I've learned everything I could and am just here for the pay, short work hours and relaxed environment.

I'm definitely being underutilized and it is slightly depressing especially since it's not for lack of trying to take on more interesting work. I can honestly feel my brain atrophy from the boredom. I keep busy with extracurricular responsibilities and studying on the side. Fortunately I'm leaving soon to return to school and complete my degree next year.

So I found a job posting for a Government and corporate finance fixed income analyst position.

The job description gives very little information. Have you had any experience with this type of job? If so, what is it exactly? What do you do?

I recently read an interesting interview/post on mergers and inquisitions about a person who worked in a European (eastern European I think) Ministry of Finance.

Before I entered undergrad I was a nerdy obsessed high schooler with dreams of making the big bucks on Wall Street. I've slowly come to realize that perhaps 100+ hour workweeks in a shrinking industry aren't all that fun, but at the same time I actually found out I genuinely enjoy reading and learning about economics and the financial markets. Enough to pass up that easy A world cultures class for one on macroeconomics.

Gov't employees did <3

I am graduating this year and I've been accepted in a top MSc program in Europe - think HEC/SSE/Bocconi. However, I have only 2 months of work experience in my local government. Thus, I believe I'll benefit if I get more work experience before I enrol in the MSc. I have the option of going back to the same government department where I worked before. The job is really interesting and sounds great on a CV. The department is the sole contact between the country and the World Bank and IMF. They meet foreign representatives when they visit the country, go on meetings with officials abroad, negotiate contracts, etc. However, there are no full time positions in the department - in fact someone has to die to get an opening there.

You can't get a job with a typo in your resume, but you can put out an official government document with a typo in it. Fail.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/washington-...

I've read a lot over the past few years about how government policies that supported the notion that "everyone deserved to own a home" had a hand in causing the eventual housing bubble and the subsequent economic collapse of '08.

What are some of the policies that directly supported this idea and do you guys know of any evidence that directly implicates these policies as a cause of the crisis?

I've recently accepted a position working as a financial analyst for a government contractor company in Washington DC.

The job encompasses mostly budgetary/accounting management; it has great hours, decent health benefits, solid pay w/ OT compensation, and what seems to be friendly co-workers.

My question is, does anyone on this forum have experience in this sector?

- Bretton

Hello WSO,

I'm a long time lurker here, so I know how informative (and honest) the community is, and as a result I was wondering if a few of you would be able to give me some advice on my chances of breaking into consulting and/or recommended another course of action to position me for a career in consulting.

School: Big 10 State School (non-target)
Major: International Relations
Year: Senior
GPA: 3.2 Major GPA: 3.4
Taking GMAT in February
Experiences:

Studied Economics at the University of London for a semester
Spent a year in Japan studying Japanese language and culture
Internship with a European Parliament - Working on economic issues/research

How can the Government pass laws that allow them to excessively tax foreign luxury car companies based on mpg? If I want to buy a sick Porsche or Range Rover i don't want to pay extra because the government can't compete with them. Eventually they might choose not to export to America leaving us to drive boring plain cars like the South Koreans are forced to do. There you are cool if you drive a pink car(Yes, somehow that made front page of the WSJ).

THOUGHTS?.....

Clearly many of the top executives at various firms have ties and a past history in Washington, but what about students currently in school (u-grad or mba) or others trying to break into this industry with this sort of experience. Is there a private sector prejudice against the public sector in that for-profit enterprises have much to learn from the way our government works?

A family friend encouraged me to apply for a state-level Bank Examiner position at the agency where he works. It seems like a good opportunity, but I'm on the fence. I work in the government now and am concerned it may permanently lock me into a government career.

I was wondering, how valuable to private-sector employers is the the experience and training that bank examiners accumulate?

What kinds of private sector jobs do a bank examiner's experience transfer to?

How long must one work as a bank examiner before he/she becomes valuable to other employers?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

When you consider the public debt, do you regard it as a public policy issue or macroeconomic issue?

Sorry I was asked this question in class today and I made a convincing argument for it being a economic issue but I was told I was wrong.

May not be the best place to ask this question but you guys seem an intelligent bunch!

Thanks

What are the opportunities to lateral into banking or come in at the associate level (after an MBA) for individuals who have done prestigious, industry related work in the federal government straight after undergrad?

(think something along the line of Treasury Department, SEC, Senate Finance Committee, Senate Banking/Housing/Urban Development, or relevant work in the WH)

Thanks

Alright, I'm sure some people will flame this view. But, whatever. In short:

I think the biggest problem that affects our government from doing a good job governing the nation and creating sound policies and laws is the influence of special interests groups' money and the politician's seeming desire to get elected for the sake of getting elected again.

The Fed increased the Federal Debt Ceiling dozens of times over the past year, and it seems like it is not over for the Bernank. The Fed's balance has been growing every single day as he pumps the economy with more liquidity. Here is a link to the NY Fed's POMO schedule: http://www.newyorkfed.org/markets/tot_operation_sc....

March 4th is the deadline for the budget to be agreed upon. If we have a shutdown of the govt as we did in 1995 under Clinton how does this affect the markets. Oil? SP? Currencies?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487038...

Pretty insane stuff. Going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

Thoughts?

Hey has anyone else noticed an increasing amount of big brother activity on this site? Lately I've been trying to quote people and for some reason I end up triggering the spam filter.

Worse still, I try to call someone on their stupidity in a mildly insulting way, and my comment needs to be examined by a MODERATOR before it's posted.

A moderator. Really? I thought this was WSO, the most pro-capitalism forum on the WWW. Is the site, like America, turning towards *gasp* Socialism? Are the silver banana leaders colluding to stamp out competition in the monkey marketplace?

Is Patrick the new Obama?

This is a repost of a comment but I think it warrants further consideration:

I was wondering, for those professionals who switch over to GS, if they come from a federal background, how easy is it to break into investment banking on Wall Street. We know popular figures such as Hank Paulson, who used to be an employee of GS, got picked for a job with the fed. But what about the other way around? Would GS like or fear of potential applicants who have a federal background?

The reason I ask is because I was thinking if I could break into investment banking by taking this route of joining any govt department and taking on any job -> apply to FDIC after a couple of years of experience -> then eventually joining GS, that is if GS likes people that come from FDIC

What do you think?

Which field has the highest hourly pay?

Social Security reached its tipping point and is in the red, socialized healthcare has been enacted, there are long-term inflationary pressures, and the deficit is huge. Any ideas for shorting the U.S. government?
- US Treasuries, stips, etc.
- Companies that service the government (any specific ones?)