I bet they wish they'd started sooner

The big news yesterday came in an email to all federal government employees: a voluntary buyout. And what a sweet deal it is! Effective yesterday, employees had through February 6th to take a buyout if they want it and will separate effective September 30th. But here's the kicker: they get all pay and benefits from now through then

What a bargain! I would have loved that kind of runway underneath me when I left the federal workforce four years ago.

But, here's my assessment: this will be underutilized. Federal employees are not highly motivated people, and frankly, not highly skilled. The fed is full of bloat and dead wood. The people who desperately need to go will cling because they have no measurable skills. They spent their years in government 'service' serving only themselves, and complained every step of the way.

I was more or less ready to walk away when I did, even though it was hard. It could have been a lot easier than it was, but such is life. I think there would be a lot more interest if the federal workforce employees had spent the last few years learning a valuable skill and earning money on the side using said skill.

Plenty of these employees did learn valuable skills in their tenure as federal workers, but either because they don't know where to start or just had zero motivation never decided to let the market decide if they are valuable.

So, my guess is this incredible program will be underutilized and the next round of cuts will not be so nice or nearly as generous. A lack of planning will land a bunch of people looking for work. As a friend of mine told me, these people are usually $10 an hour talent in a $40 an hour position. And this will sting.

But it didn't have to be this way. Whether you are a government employee, private sector, or even a student, you need to be building up more than one income stream. You never know when your secondary needs to become your primary.

Start here??

https://johnmccoywrites.gumroad.com/l/fmrmovn