🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <472vos$2nj@sulawesi.lerc.nasa.gov>, devon@baggins.lerc.nasa.gov writes:
|> 
|> > 
|> > In Article <46oq4h$fui@cisu2.jsc.nasa.gov>, manning@algoa.jsc.nasa.gov (Tom
|> > Manning) wrote:
|> > 
|> > >I work for a NASA contractor and I can say with certainty that corresponding
|> > >civil servant salaries for those with 5 years less experience can be from 10
|> > >to 30 percent higher than contractors. I know many people who wish they made
|> > >the jump to civil servant years ago as they watched their contemporaries pay
|> > >grow much larger and their own pay stagnate. I have seen people leave my
|> > >company...
|> > 
|> > 
|> >     Funny, it seems to be the other way around here at NRL. I have friends 
|> that
|> > wished to move from contractor to govt. for the greater percieved security.
|> > Some took a pay cut and made the jump. Some decided the cut was too large to
|> > justify the leap. I guess it varies from organization to organization.
|> > 
|> >         -- Joe
|> > 
|> I became a despised civil servant almost a year ago and took a noticeable pay 
|> cut to do it.  That is pretty much the norm at Lewis and any other NASA 
|> facility I've heard about, though JSC with its political backing tends to be a 
|> universe unto itself.
|> 
|> While we're on the topic of *exorbitant* CS salaries and benefits, over the 
|> course of my short career I have had three job offers from non-aerospace 
|> companies.  The benefits were all either the same or BETTER than those I have 
|> now with NASA.  The salaries were also essentially the same or BETTER.  Using 
|> the salary of a big city custodian to denigrate government engineers is 
|> irresponsible and illogical, at best.
|> 
|> 
|> DeVon Griffin
|> 
|> 
|> ..standard disclaimer
Not trying to denigrate any engineers here and not sure about janitorial salaries.
But I know my salary and I know that of my co-workers. And as you well know.. I also
know the salary of any civil servant. And I work with civil servants who have been out of college briefly and make more than people over here with 8-10 years experience. This is
definitely a local thing no doubt. But somebody asked for an example. I do not blame
NASA engineers for our plight by any means. I wish them well. But they are also victims of
the same lack of market for talent that exists in this industry right now. And no
matter who bears the brunt it does exist...Have you seen the salaries offered to Mech.
Engineers who choose other professions besides this? It is ridiculous. I have a friend
my age with the same number of years experience in the chemical business that I 
have in the space business and he make almost twice what I make. I think that would
have a tendency to prevent America's best and brightest from coming on board. 
Not in every case mind you but we are inevitably going to experience a dumbing 
down effect in this industry. And maybe we should. The market for us really
is artificial and politically sustained. You surely agree with that.

Tom

-- My opinions are just that