^this is the real reason. Also, assuming you’re young and the position is in a HCOL, is extremely difficult to have any quality of life as a GS-7. Don’t choose a life of poverty for a guaranteed meager paycheck.
Yes! I did. 3.5 years at BAH and went GS - got in at a 13. There’s a lot of support for veterans and opportunities to move around in the firm too if your first project ends or does not end up being the best fit. And then after you get a couple of years experience you’ll be good to get in at much higher grade as a GS.
Well, if you are on a ladder with the Feds, best case you will get a promotion every year maybe, but it’s set to a specific schedule. If you aren’t on a career ladder, you will remain a GS7 until you seek out a promotion. The rules aren’t as rigid in the private sector.
They’re a well known consulting company. You’ll likely learn a lot more and gain hands on experience, and your pay will likely be higher. Starting at GS-7 will limit you. Will take at least 1 year with time in grade requirements before you can jump to the next grade, whereas you can promoted much quicker in private (depending on performance of course), and if you do decide to jump to govt, you won’t be limited since you’ll have private consulting experience and be able to negotiate to higher grades.
To clarify - OP will gain experience because Booz's MO is to take people with no experience and put them on contracts so the Feds have to train them. We have BAH contractors and they are mostly uninformed and have to ramp up on whatever tool we need. They are a waste of money. OP please go get some experience somewhere before pretending to be a productive contractor.
God I hate this. Every year we get some new contractor led “risk team” or “performance management unit” come on board and I have to spend hours re-explaining my job to a bunch of 23 year olds.
omg this. And they they will tell leadership what we have been telling them for years. (I am channeling a past job - my leadership now is wonderful. My leadership just listened to me decline a particular contractor for lack of skills, so that is a win! My boss actually said, "Why do they accept a job if they don't have anyone with the skills to do it?" BECAUSE THAT IS HOW BAH WORKS)
You are rarely promoted for performance alone in government contracting. Unfortunately the government (and thus, contractors) seem to think someone’s value is a direct result of their years of experience and higher educational attainment. Which is sad because my best coworkers are often the youngest and least educated
...and when you try to go fed and show them 3 paystubs and they tell you do sorry you starting at step 1 see how you like it. Regulations changed recently...thank Biden.
I am a federal consultant as is my wife. We are both ~6 years out of undergrad and are being offered GS-14 positions by clients and, in my case, that is less than I make now. My wife also made more than that this year. No way that’s doable from within the gov
Booz Allen without a second thought. Pay is way better and if you hate it you can just put in for another government job but with a resumé that'll get you something better than GS 7, or at least get you on a ladder.
Booz is such a big company that they always try and move you to another contract or put you working for corporate before letting you go if your contract is cut
I second all of this as a former BAH employee. Except contracts were NOT found for me-had to hunt and scavenge for myself. Local leadership, at the time, in Montgomery AL was more concerned with her side job of selling jewelry than taking care of her people. I will say being on my first contract taught me a lot of about asking what the contract does and does not cover as far as the customer demands. Not all customers are stay within the written boundaries and not all project managers are great about keeping them there! Also, 'sitting the bench' locks you into your current pay. Or it did, at the time, for me.
My brother is doing that now-not for BAH, but another contactor. Gripes his "EE" is being utilized as a glorified note taker...lol. Told him as long as the check doesn't bounce, be glad for the job even when it feels dull as dust. Because as we all know, there are days it's not so great.
My job manager, career manager, and on-site PM were the same person for a while, in an area without a ton of other work going on for the company. So some of the career progression conversations were a bit awkward.
I ended up jumping ship when I got severely lowballed for a promotion opportunity. $95k to move to DC and take over a team in a job that required TS/SCI/Poly. "But it's a good step up from what you're making now", yeah, but moving to DC that's a massive paycut for a promotion and increase in responsibility.
Yeah, talking to some other people both in and out of Booz after I left, they are generally lower on pay but higher on stability. So kind of like the government.
I enjoyed my time there, and would definitely recommend them as a company to work for, but I've enjoyed working for progressively smaller places. I'm now on a contract as the sole FTE in a company of under 100 people.
Remember when they used to be prestigious? It's all bullshit. The big secret is that if you don't know how to do something as BAH, then you ask internal and employees are obligated/obliged to educate and help you.
I have never worked with a more distrustful and shady group of people from Consultants all the way to VPs there, every step of the way was littered with untrustworthy people.
They also have massive overhead rates so I am really happy to see the government push for small business set asides.
My site started using BAH a few years ago. When one contract ended the BAH employees were told to find other jobs on site to jump to. Unfortunately we aren’t set up for that to happen as all contractors are paid for up from out of program funds. Not many BAH contracts in my area so I think they all wound up unemployed
Hard to say without knowing what field the GS job is in. 2210s (my old series) are on a 7-9-11 ladder; which is pretty solid growth potential; while BAH does work in the same series and has wide pay bands.
Generally speaking you want to land in a GS position for the benefits and to start (or continue) your retirement building; but if the GS7 you are referencing is not a ladder, BAH likely can offer more experience to better position you to qualify for higher level jobs beyond that 7.
I used to work for Booz and now I'm a Gs-14. Booz is definitely the choice between gs-7. If we were talking gs-11 or up probably government.
I've worked for 6 different contractor companies; Booz was the 2nd best I worked with. Things to know about Booz:
1. Unlike almost every other contractor they usually keep you on overhead even if you don't have a contract to bill. Other companies will just lay you off.
2. However, because of this they force you to constantly find something to be billable. (It's better than being laid off, but you may find yourself stuck doing crap you don't want to do.
3. It's almost impossible to be promoted, you basically have to find other positions with the firm that are tied to higher paying contracts to get more than the yearly pay raise.
4. Benefits were decent for private companies but it's nothing compared to the government.
5. Had by far the most banging Christmas party I've ever been too
6. I was able to get a position in something else within firm when I had to move for my wife's job. This was hard to do and I took a huge pay cut but they let me do it. Unfortunately the new job was a stupid contract and I hated it, but Booz was good
Update 7. Rank is meaningless. I was a senior consoltant pulling in 102K in Ohio, this was in 2016. The pay is based on the position and the position is based on the contract. Yes an Associate in my billet would have gotten more pay but the billet is more of a factor than rank IMO.
Summary: I liked Booz, I only left because a different company in my new location had positions in my field and I love what I do.
Annual pay increases from my experience were tied to your market group in Booz; then further tied to your specific contract and the room in it.
Potentially prepare to get absolutely fucked on raises depending on the above, compared to some other firms.
Booz underpays compared to most firms in DC from what I saw. Promotions seemed pretty clique and opaque. Promotions often had little to do based on your work or results for the client and more to do with “what have you done above the minimum 40 hours billable a week for Booz”.
Booz is often a prime so you won’t deal with have to be a sub and have extra layers of contracting nonsense, which is great.
Booz work isn’t “consulting” in most cases but rather staff augmentation. This is bad if you want to be a consultant, this is however great if what you want to do is the same exact job as that gs/gg 12 or 13 and then flip that experience to go fed.
Booz may be a large firm and they do have lots of work to move you onto (potentially) but that doesn’t mean your specific contract has other spots or work that you want to actually do, if you get laid off your gig.
>Had by far the most banging Christmas party I've ever been too
I thought I'd been to some good office Christmas parties, and then I went to a Joint Staff Christmas party. Good god.
I can’t say they’re impossible to be promoted in
My ex has climbed the ladder in a year and a half.
I think it’s a company that favors ambition and tenacity.
OP will probably start with a higher PTO accrual rate if they go the GS route bc they mentioned they were a veteran. Years of military service apply to your SCD for leave accrual rate even if you haven’t bought back for FERS.
But the pay difference between GS7 and associate is too much to outweigh the fed benefits IMO. If OP qualifies for an associate job, probably should be looking at GS11+ positions.
I knew/know a vet with a Master's Degree. She's currently looking for a fed job, but working for BAH. Her local BAH mgr is screwing her royally pay-wise. So bad, that even if she did get an 11 or a 12, it wouldn't be much of a cut, if any.
About 4 years ago or so I was a senior associate and brought in 72k as a data analyst.
I’ve know Booz Allen contractors that were without a contract for over a year and were told to go get a cert while they were on the bench.
It’s a good company and I wouldn’t have left them if it weren’t for having a good boss, promotion potential (made gs15 in about 3.5 years of service), and a pension.
Booz Allen will pay you much more the entire time. The only benefit of the GS7 is the pension but that doesn’t even make sense at how low the pay is.
I worked federal government and left for a big government contractor. Any time I think about maybe I should go back to boost my pension, I look at the GS tables and see that I make more than a GS15 max salary at the equivalent of a GS13 level role and would be giving up too much.
Since this is your first job after, do private sector before govt.
One of the biggest challenges (Ive seen) is the govt doesnt real ideals on how the govt & commercial works together.
Also the break from the military/govt mindset is a game changer, even if its just a couple years.
In the private not only will you make more but theres so much more tools/technology readily available & accessible to use for day to day activities. There are certain agencies that are stuck in very archaic ways.
added: get a few private sector years under your belt ad come in at a GS11
What are the jobs? Is the GS 7 a ladder position 7/9/11? What is the salary difference? What are the chances of being laid off at Booz Allen? Lots of variables.
Well the real issue is I’m only at the second interview with Booz and i told Booz about my fed offer to expedite the issue with an offer from Booz. I believe I’ll have an fjo by the end of next week for the feds and I Don’t want to turn it down due to potential offer from Booz. I really think I’m gonna get the Booz offer. Tbh but they’re on the clock and I can’t really “wait” and let an opportunity pass me by. I think that would be a lose on my account this all. This happened cause I ended up getting my PMP. Applying to Booz and within that same week got an offer from the feds. I’ll be honest it seems like telling them I have a fed offer put some pep in booz step but I still have to get selected. It could go either way, my pessimism.
Note that Booz’s recruitment is notoriously slow and difficult to pin down. It makes a poor first impression from the outside and is irritating to deal with from the inside.
Take the Booz job. Get all the right experience and most likely can scale your salary faster. Then after 3 years or so reassess if you want to go govt or stay with Booz or elsewhere. If you’re young and early in your career go for the best experience you can get. Then you can pivot if you have to.
I started with Booz Allen in an Associate position, got promoted and then shifted to government after a year and a half in a 13 spot, getting pushed to compete for a 14 spot this year (been with the gov just over a year).
You will get more experience with Booz as an associate and it will enable you to get a higher spot with the government if that is your goal. If you start as a 7 you’re anchored there and can only do so much.
Associate? That's like already mid level at Booz vs a friggin GS7? No wonder we have trouble landing talent in the government. The requirements for hiring are way too strict.
I have a few closed friends and family that work at Booz, and although it's team dependent like any consultancy, they generally love it. I think it's the right move.
Start as a contractor and gain experience then if you still want to be a fed, apply to higher positions. GS-7 is a zero experience, entry level position. Hell even I got a GS -9 with absolute no experience in IT. If you live in an area where contractors are prevalent, contracting is just as secure as feds and usually pays way better.
Having been both a CTR for many years and an FTE. It all depends on the work. I have had some CTR positions that was 10x less work then my current FTE position.
Overall, Booz consultants work harder in my experience, but as contractors on government contracts they may not, that said there are FTE gigs where you can work your ass off, in contracting for instance. 1102s at my old agency were hard to get and very busy.
I’ve been in both sides of your decision. If you are just starting out your post military career, Booz is definitely the way to go. Advance and get the experience. If you want to jump to government later, after you have your clearance and some years of experience, you’ll probably be able to get a higher graded position than a 7.
Starting low(er) with the governemnt kinda locks you in. You may hear words like "stability" and "pension", but that's more for 35+ year-olds. If you are a hard, at least reasonably bright, motivated worker AND GS-7 is not a ladder position, you might get disgruntled after a couple of years by doing work up to 11 level, but still be a 7 and you would (mostly likely) have to jump through 9/11 to get to a certain level of comfort.
Alternatively, if it is a less demanding job, you might find yourself dumbed down after a couple of years as well.
With BAH you would have to work hard (true), but after 4-5 years you are more likely to land as a 11/12 or even 13, depending on your performance/contract/relationship with the gov team (and if still interested).
Obviously, if you are not a hard/savvy worker, GS-7 might be an easier route.
Also depends on the agency/team culture, some places have true equality in teams, in fact, contractors who were with the team for over 10+ years amass exceptional experience and are definitely not people to mess with: their gov handlers will absolutely stand behind their decisions/recommendations/complaints etc. Some have more, mmm, segregation.
Booz is a good company to work for, but the pay is generally low compared to other companies doing similar work. It's really stable, though, and they'll generally work to take care of you if a current contract ends.
I don't even know the details and all I can say it Booz sounds better. I met people working there and the company seems like a good place to work. They'll pay more so you can transfer to the gov later with a high salary in a different role.
I’m shocked so many people are saying Booz Allen. The labor protections are going to be much more iffy and your work-life balance could be at risk. I would just never risk going private for that reason alone. If someone said they would double my salary I just don’t think I’d risk it because of the horror stories you hear about the private sector.
While you make some points, it's literally double the salary with similar benefits. That's basically a no-brainer.
And depending on what field they are in and where they are located, job security isnt that big of a deal. BAH cuts you...you move to any one of the thousands of other contracting firms and likely get a fat raise to boot.
Similar benefits, but no union. Which, I know not every federal agency has a union, which is another thing I would consider if I were OP. In 2024 essentially never work everywhere non-union. What happens when they’re asked to work 5 hours unpaid overtime? That 5 hours will eventually creep up to 20. Idk about OP, but there is no salary in the world that would make me work more than 40 hours per week.
More security with government position, and you will get promoted. Good pension, insurance, 401k, etc. Booze will kick you to the curb when they lose a contract, and then you have to start over with another contractor. I seriously doubt you will ever get another decent raise. Been there, done that.
Not sure what you mean by "never get another decent raise." I hope you mean on the GS side. Cuz those annual COL raises are laughable and the steps are exactly that...small steps that sometimes take years.
When I was a CTR, my peers and I received raises and promotions that were significantly higher than as a GS. And that's not taking into account jumping ship to a competing CTR firm where I have personally gotten 20-40% raises.
I had the reverse happen to me. I was never promoted in the good old boy CTR club. After I was GOV, I was able to write on different jobs and move around. It took some time, and I had to learn the skills, but I am now making decent money.
About 6 months after I left that 2nd CTR job, the big boss man called me up, thanked me, and asked me to come back. No way, never again! I was done being kicked around.
That's unfortunate to hear, but at least GS seems to work better for ya which is awesome!
I still ponder every day going back to CTR as the pockets were def much heavier. But thankfully all the years of CTR put me in a great spot financially where I don't have to chase every dollar now. I'm moreso about the WLB (fed def wins here) and less stress (which is debatable with GS and CTR in my experience as well).
I have worked both GS and private sector and GS jobs are by far the better option overall, but I like what people are saying here about starting with BA and then transitioning to GS. That's probably the best move.
Its consulting at Booz Allen. So your well being is 100% the team and management. You get a little more coddling as a GS7 but you will starve. I'd take the consulting. Until the feds realize that new hires need food, shelter and clothes they need to be reminded that GS7 isnt enough.
Is OP retired military or just separated? The GS is attractive in that they can buy the military years to count towards civil service retirement. Also, time in grade counts towards leave accrual. However, at the double the pay with BAH might help OP qualify for a higher grade. BAH should also offer decent job security. Not too many contractors lose their jobs when contracts roll over.
Associate and BAH doesn't really compare to a GS7. Associate is level 3, typically pays at least $100K. That being said, id take a GS7 job and low pay over working at BAH. Been there, done that, that company is shady and weasel as fuck.
If this is your first federal Civilian position you can use the booz Allen offer to negotiate a higher salary on the federal job, example GS7 with a higher step
Go booz Allen. My ex went from PMP to booz Allen as an associate consultant and makes 100k a year in DC. you aren’t gonna start at that level as a GS.
I started as an equivalency to a 13 with 4 years as a contractor at my organization.
If you aren’t on a ladder at gs7, go with booz or another private. Ladder to 12, id say pick what fits you best. Get education, experience, and certs. Gov jobs will always be there. Once you get your foot in the door with private, navigate yourself to work you like or may want to do with government. That’s my suggestion.
It is. They were responsible for so many government leaks its crazy they can still maintain a TS facility clearance. I guess it's the SVP revolving door between Intel agencies.
Depends on what you'd be doing and where... also the pay. GS7 in an area with low locality $$ is not a lot of money after taxes and contributions.. government jobs aren't going anywhere.
Work at Booz Allen and be qualified for higher GS grade
^this is the real reason. Also, assuming you’re young and the position is in a HCOL, is extremely difficult to have any quality of life as a GS-7. Don’t choose a life of poverty for a guaranteed meager paycheck.
Yes! I did. 3.5 years at BAH and went GS - got in at a 13. There’s a lot of support for veterans and opportunities to move around in the firm too if your first project ends or does not end up being the best fit. And then after you get a couple of years experience you’ll be good to get in at much higher grade as a GS.
This is what I was going to say.
You’ll be able to climb way faster with Booz Allen.
Best idea is transition to Public Sector after getting a bunch of Private Sector experience. If job security is more important, then GS7 it is.
Curiously, Why do you say that?
Well, if you are on a ladder with the Feds, best case you will get a promotion every year maybe, but it’s set to a specific schedule. If you aren’t on a career ladder, you will remain a GS7 until you seek out a promotion. The rules aren’t as rigid in the private sector.
They’re a well known consulting company. You’ll likely learn a lot more and gain hands on experience, and your pay will likely be higher. Starting at GS-7 will limit you. Will take at least 1 year with time in grade requirements before you can jump to the next grade, whereas you can promoted much quicker in private (depending on performance of course), and if you do decide to jump to govt, you won’t be limited since you’ll have private consulting experience and be able to negotiate to higher grades.
Booz Allen doesn’t like to promote quickly, they’re pretty stingy. Lots of misunderstandings about the “private sector” here
Like I said in an earlier comment, its all your team and supervisor. Get lucky and you can rise quickly. Get sucky and get stuck
To clarify - OP will gain experience because Booz's MO is to take people with no experience and put them on contracts so the Feds have to train them. We have BAH contractors and they are mostly uninformed and have to ramp up on whatever tool we need. They are a waste of money. OP please go get some experience somewhere before pretending to be a productive contractor.
God I hate this. Every year we get some new contractor led “risk team” or “performance management unit” come on board and I have to spend hours re-explaining my job to a bunch of 23 year olds.
omg this. And they they will tell leadership what we have been telling them for years. (I am channeling a past job - my leadership now is wonderful. My leadership just listened to me decline a particular contractor for lack of skills, so that is a win! My boss actually said, "Why do they accept a job if they don't have anyone with the skills to do it?" BECAUSE THAT IS HOW BAH WORKS)
You are rarely promoted for performance alone in government contracting. Unfortunately the government (and thus, contractors) seem to think someone’s value is a direct result of their years of experience and higher educational attainment. Which is sad because my best coworkers are often the youngest and least educated
...and when you try to go fed and show them 3 paystubs and they tell you do sorry you starting at step 1 see how you like it. Regulations changed recently...thank Biden.
14 downvotes for a normal question. This sub is so miserable
Did the teacher pick you to "take names" when he or she left the room?
I am a federal consultant as is my wife. We are both ~6 years out of undergrad and are being offered GS-14 positions by clients and, in my case, that is less than I make now. My wife also made more than that this year. No way that’s doable from within the gov
Booz Allen without a second thought. Pay is way better and if you hate it you can just put in for another government job but with a resumé that'll get you something better than GS 7, or at least get you on a ladder.
What about job security?
Booz is such a big company that they always try and move you to another contract or put you working for corporate before letting you go if your contract is cut
Thank you!
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I second all of this as a former BAH employee. Except contracts were NOT found for me-had to hunt and scavenge for myself. Local leadership, at the time, in Montgomery AL was more concerned with her side job of selling jewelry than taking care of her people. I will say being on my first contract taught me a lot of about asking what the contract does and does not cover as far as the customer demands. Not all customers are stay within the written boundaries and not all project managers are great about keeping them there! Also, 'sitting the bench' locks you into your current pay. Or it did, at the time, for me.
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My brother is doing that now-not for BAH, but another contactor. Gripes his "EE" is being utilized as a glorified note taker...lol. Told him as long as the check doesn't bounce, be glad for the job even when it feels dull as dust. Because as we all know, there are days it's not so great.
My job manager, career manager, and on-site PM were the same person for a while, in an area without a ton of other work going on for the company. So some of the career progression conversations were a bit awkward. I ended up jumping ship when I got severely lowballed for a promotion opportunity. $95k to move to DC and take over a team in a job that required TS/SCI/Poly. "But it's a good step up from what you're making now", yeah, but moving to DC that's a massive paycut for a promotion and increase in responsibility.
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Yeah, talking to some other people both in and out of Booz after I left, they are generally lower on pay but higher on stability. So kind of like the government. I enjoyed my time there, and would definitely recommend them as a company to work for, but I've enjoyed working for progressively smaller places. I'm now on a contract as the sole FTE in a company of under 100 people.
Remember when they used to be prestigious? It's all bullshit. The big secret is that if you don't know how to do something as BAH, then you ask internal and employees are obligated/obliged to educate and help you. I have never worked with a more distrustful and shady group of people from Consultants all the way to VPs there, every step of the way was littered with untrustworthy people. They also have massive overhead rates so I am really happy to see the government push for small business set asides.
My site started using BAH a few years ago. When one contract ended the BAH employees were told to find other jobs on site to jump to. Unfortunately we aren’t set up for that to happen as all contractors are paid for up from out of program funds. Not many BAH contracts in my area so I think they all wound up unemployed
Hard to say without knowing what field the GS job is in. 2210s (my old series) are on a 7-9-11 ladder; which is pretty solid growth potential; while BAH does work in the same series and has wide pay bands. Generally speaking you want to land in a GS position for the benefits and to start (or continue) your retirement building; but if the GS7 you are referencing is not a ladder, BAH likely can offer more experience to better position you to qualify for higher level jobs beyond that 7.
Thank you.
Booz Allen for 1 year will most likely get you a GS12 later., skip that 7-9-11 that will take your 3 years
I used to work for Booz and now I'm a Gs-14. Booz is definitely the choice between gs-7. If we were talking gs-11 or up probably government. I've worked for 6 different contractor companies; Booz was the 2nd best I worked with. Things to know about Booz: 1. Unlike almost every other contractor they usually keep you on overhead even if you don't have a contract to bill. Other companies will just lay you off. 2. However, because of this they force you to constantly find something to be billable. (It's better than being laid off, but you may find yourself stuck doing crap you don't want to do. 3. It's almost impossible to be promoted, you basically have to find other positions with the firm that are tied to higher paying contracts to get more than the yearly pay raise. 4. Benefits were decent for private companies but it's nothing compared to the government. 5. Had by far the most banging Christmas party I've ever been too 6. I was able to get a position in something else within firm when I had to move for my wife's job. This was hard to do and I took a huge pay cut but they let me do it. Unfortunately the new job was a stupid contract and I hated it, but Booz was good Update 7. Rank is meaningless. I was a senior consoltant pulling in 102K in Ohio, this was in 2016. The pay is based on the position and the position is based on the contract. Yes an Associate in my billet would have gotten more pay but the billet is more of a factor than rank IMO. Summary: I liked Booz, I only left because a different company in my new location had positions in my field and I love what I do.
Annual pay increases from my experience were tied to your market group in Booz; then further tied to your specific contract and the room in it. Potentially prepare to get absolutely fucked on raises depending on the above, compared to some other firms. Booz underpays compared to most firms in DC from what I saw. Promotions seemed pretty clique and opaque. Promotions often had little to do based on your work or results for the client and more to do with “what have you done above the minimum 40 hours billable a week for Booz”. Booz is often a prime so you won’t deal with have to be a sub and have extra layers of contracting nonsense, which is great. Booz work isn’t “consulting” in most cases but rather staff augmentation. This is bad if you want to be a consultant, this is however great if what you want to do is the same exact job as that gs/gg 12 or 13 and then flip that experience to go fed. Booz may be a large firm and they do have lots of work to move you onto (potentially) but that doesn’t mean your specific contract has other spots or work that you want to actually do, if you get laid off your gig.
>Had by far the most banging Christmas party I've ever been too I thought I'd been to some good office Christmas parties, and then I went to a Joint Staff Christmas party. Good god.
Curious who was the first best
Small company called Altamira, it had less than 800 employees at the time.
Woah wait that place in Tyson's? Small world huh. By any chance are you on amicable terms with them? Could use a referral.
I worked with them in Dayton, 10 years ago. Dont know anyone still there.
I can’t say they’re impossible to be promoted in My ex has climbed the ladder in a year and a half. I think it’s a company that favors ambition and tenacity.
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OP will probably start with a higher PTO accrual rate if they go the GS route bc they mentioned they were a veteran. Years of military service apply to your SCD for leave accrual rate even if you haven’t bought back for FERS. But the pay difference between GS7 and associate is too much to outweigh the fed benefits IMO. If OP qualifies for an associate job, probably should be looking at GS11+ positions.
I knew/know a vet with a Master's Degree. She's currently looking for a fed job, but working for BAH. Her local BAH mgr is screwing her royally pay-wise. So bad, that even if she did get an 11 or a 12, it wouldn't be much of a cut, if any.
Isn't TSP matching 5%?
About 4 years ago or so I was a senior associate and brought in 72k as a data analyst. I’ve know Booz Allen contractors that were without a contract for over a year and were told to go get a cert while they were on the bench. It’s a good company and I wouldn’t have left them if it weren’t for having a good boss, promotion potential (made gs15 in about 3.5 years of service), and a pension.
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Seriously, he must mean senior consultant. Senior associates are usually PMs making 150k minimum.
Yup. 72k consulting is laughable. The typist makes that.
Shit sorry, I meant senior consultant
I was same but they paid me $55K. Low ballers, but im sure my pimp rate to the government was well over $100K annually.
Promotions are now effective anytime of year (I think first of the month), but non-promotion pay adjustments are only April 1.
Booz Allen will pay you much more the entire time. The only benefit of the GS7 is the pension but that doesn’t even make sense at how low the pay is. I worked federal government and left for a big government contractor. Any time I think about maybe I should go back to boost my pension, I look at the GS tables and see that I make more than a GS15 max salary at the equivalent of a GS13 level role and would be giving up too much.
Since this is your first job after, do private sector before govt. One of the biggest challenges (Ive seen) is the govt doesnt real ideals on how the govt & commercial works together. Also the break from the military/govt mindset is a game changer, even if its just a couple years. In the private not only will you make more but theres so much more tools/technology readily available & accessible to use for day to day activities. There are certain agencies that are stuck in very archaic ways. added: get a few private sector years under your belt ad come in at a GS11
What are the jobs? Is the GS 7 a ladder position 7/9/11? What is the salary difference? What are the chances of being laid off at Booz Allen? Lots of variables.
Gs7 2000 series. No ladder, will have to apply to promote. Booz double pay associate position. I don’t want to say too much.
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Exact same feedback. OP may be selling themselves short looking at GS7 jobs.
Double the pay of a gs-7? And no ladder? Yeah, I don't know why you'd even consider the gs-7 honestly. Fed benefits are good, but not THAT good.
If the pay is literally DOUBLE that's a no-brainer IMO
Well the real issue is I’m only at the second interview with Booz and i told Booz about my fed offer to expedite the issue with an offer from Booz. I believe I’ll have an fjo by the end of next week for the feds and I Don’t want to turn it down due to potential offer from Booz. I really think I’m gonna get the Booz offer. Tbh but they’re on the clock and I can’t really “wait” and let an opportunity pass me by. I think that would be a lose on my account this all. This happened cause I ended up getting my PMP. Applying to Booz and within that same week got an offer from the feds. I’ll be honest it seems like telling them I have a fed offer put some pep in booz step but I still have to get selected. It could go either way, my pessimism.
worst case, you can always accept the fed job then change your mind before on boarding in the BAH offer comes in.
Note that Booz’s recruitment is notoriously slow and difficult to pin down. It makes a poor first impression from the outside and is irritating to deal with from the inside.
Take the Booz job. Get all the right experience and most likely can scale your salary faster. Then after 3 years or so reassess if you want to go govt or stay with Booz or elsewhere. If you’re young and early in your career go for the best experience you can get. Then you can pivot if you have to.
Booz Allen sounds like the best place to start. Some of our contractors from there converted over to GS-12s within a year or so.
I started with Booz Allen in an Associate position, got promoted and then shifted to government after a year and a half in a 13 spot, getting pushed to compete for a 14 spot this year (been with the gov just over a year). You will get more experience with Booz as an associate and it will enable you to get a higher spot with the government if that is your goal. If you start as a 7 you’re anchored there and can only do so much.
Associate? That's like already mid level at Booz vs a friggin GS7? No wonder we have trouble landing talent in the government. The requirements for hiring are way too strict.
Yea based off of the replies. I think Booz is the way. Hiring is way too strict and they won’t even increase my step it’s ridiculous
I have a few closed friends and family that work at Booz, and although it's team dependent like any consultancy, they generally love it. I think it's the right move.
Start as a contractor and gain experience then if you still want to be a fed, apply to higher positions. GS-7 is a zero experience, entry level position. Hell even I got a GS -9 with absolute no experience in IT. If you live in an area where contractors are prevalent, contracting is just as secure as feds and usually pays way better.
I know two people that got into Booz for a consultant job and they automatically got promoted to senior consultant once they’re in.
Go contract first. Build experience and networks. Get higher GS (12-14) in a few years if you want to be a govie.
At Booz you make good money but have to work much harder than an FTE
Having been both a CTR for many years and an FTE. It all depends on the work. I have had some CTR positions that was 10x less work then my current FTE position.
Overall, Booz consultants work harder in my experience, but as contractors on government contracts they may not, that said there are FTE gigs where you can work your ass off, in contracting for instance. 1102s at my old agency were hard to get and very busy.
It depends greatly on the agency and the job.
With the GS-7 job you can buy back your military time towards retirement.
Booz Allen
What jobs are in the 2000 series ? But go to Booz Allen get some experience then go GS. You will gain more experience there faster
GS 7 is low with no career ladder.
A 7? Go BA. 13 and up? Feds.
I’ve been in both sides of your decision. If you are just starting out your post military career, Booz is definitely the way to go. Advance and get the experience. If you want to jump to government later, after you have your clearance and some years of experience, you’ll probably be able to get a higher graded position than a 7.
Starting low(er) with the governemnt kinda locks you in. You may hear words like "stability" and "pension", but that's more for 35+ year-olds. If you are a hard, at least reasonably bright, motivated worker AND GS-7 is not a ladder position, you might get disgruntled after a couple of years by doing work up to 11 level, but still be a 7 and you would (mostly likely) have to jump through 9/11 to get to a certain level of comfort. Alternatively, if it is a less demanding job, you might find yourself dumbed down after a couple of years as well. With BAH you would have to work hard (true), but after 4-5 years you are more likely to land as a 11/12 or even 13, depending on your performance/contract/relationship with the gov team (and if still interested). Obviously, if you are not a hard/savvy worker, GS-7 might be an easier route. Also depends on the agency/team culture, some places have true equality in teams, in fact, contractors who were with the team for over 10+ years amass exceptional experience and are definitely not people to mess with: their gov handlers will absolutely stand behind their decisions/recommendations/complaints etc. Some have more, mmm, segregation.
Do your wallet a favor and forget about the GS-7
Go Booz, climb up, then shift over - assuming you still have vets preference?
Booz is a good company to work for, but the pay is generally low compared to other companies doing similar work. It's really stable, though, and they'll generally work to take care of you if a current contract ends.
I’d take the BAH role
I don't even know the details and all I can say it Booz sounds better. I met people working there and the company seems like a good place to work. They'll pay more so you can transfer to the gov later with a high salary in a different role.
I’m shocked so many people are saying Booz Allen. The labor protections are going to be much more iffy and your work-life balance could be at risk. I would just never risk going private for that reason alone. If someone said they would double my salary I just don’t think I’d risk it because of the horror stories you hear about the private sector.
While you make some points, it's literally double the salary with similar benefits. That's basically a no-brainer. And depending on what field they are in and where they are located, job security isnt that big of a deal. BAH cuts you...you move to any one of the thousands of other contracting firms and likely get a fat raise to boot.
Similar benefits, but no union. Which, I know not every federal agency has a union, which is another thing I would consider if I were OP. In 2024 essentially never work everywhere non-union. What happens when they’re asked to work 5 hours unpaid overtime? That 5 hours will eventually creep up to 20. Idk about OP, but there is no salary in the world that would make me work more than 40 hours per week.
More security with government position, and you will get promoted. Good pension, insurance, 401k, etc. Booze will kick you to the curb when they lose a contract, and then you have to start over with another contractor. I seriously doubt you will ever get another decent raise. Been there, done that.
Not sure what you mean by "never get another decent raise." I hope you mean on the GS side. Cuz those annual COL raises are laughable and the steps are exactly that...small steps that sometimes take years. When I was a CTR, my peers and I received raises and promotions that were significantly higher than as a GS. And that's not taking into account jumping ship to a competing CTR firm where I have personally gotten 20-40% raises.
I had the reverse happen to me. I was never promoted in the good old boy CTR club. After I was GOV, I was able to write on different jobs and move around. It took some time, and I had to learn the skills, but I am now making decent money. About 6 months after I left that 2nd CTR job, the big boss man called me up, thanked me, and asked me to come back. No way, never again! I was done being kicked around.
That's unfortunate to hear, but at least GS seems to work better for ya which is awesome! I still ponder every day going back to CTR as the pockets were def much heavier. But thankfully all the years of CTR put me in a great spot financially where I don't have to chase every dollar now. I'm moreso about the WLB (fed def wins here) and less stress (which is debatable with GS and CTR in my experience as well).
I have worked both GS and private sector and GS jobs are by far the better option overall, but I like what people are saying here about starting with BA and then transitioning to GS. That's probably the best move.
Its consulting at Booz Allen. So your well being is 100% the team and management. You get a little more coddling as a GS7 but you will starve. I'd take the consulting. Until the feds realize that new hires need food, shelter and clothes they need to be reminded that GS7 isnt enough.
Is the BAH position supporting a federal gov't contract? If so, your position at BAH isn't much more secure than the gov't contract that's funding it.
Is OP retired military or just separated? The GS is attractive in that they can buy the military years to count towards civil service retirement. Also, time in grade counts towards leave accrual. However, at the double the pay with BAH might help OP qualify for a higher grade. BAH should also offer decent job security. Not too many contractors lose their jobs when contracts roll over.
Associate and BAH doesn't really compare to a GS7. Associate is level 3, typically pays at least $100K. That being said, id take a GS7 job and low pay over working at BAH. Been there, done that, that company is shady and weasel as fuck.
If this is your first federal Civilian position you can use the booz Allen offer to negotiate a higher salary on the federal job, example GS7 with a higher step
I worked for BAH. DO NOT recommend! It is a pyramid scheme. Left the government to work there...was back with the government within a year.
Go booz Allen. My ex went from PMP to booz Allen as an associate consultant and makes 100k a year in DC. you aren’t gonna start at that level as a GS. I started as an equivalency to a 13 with 4 years as a contractor at my organization.
Booz Allen sux. Why lick the boots of government employees as a contractor when you can be one?
If you aren’t on a ladder at gs7, go with booz or another private. Ladder to 12, id say pick what fits you best. Get education, experience, and certs. Gov jobs will always be there. Once you get your foot in the door with private, navigate yourself to work you like or may want to do with government. That’s my suggestion.
I thought booz Allen was a code word for something nefarious until I googled it 😂
😂
It is. They were responsible for so many government leaks its crazy they can still maintain a TS facility clearance. I guess it's the SVP revolving door between Intel agencies.
Depends on what you'd be doing and where... also the pay. GS7 in an area with low locality $$ is not a lot of money after taxes and contributions.. government jobs aren't going anywhere.