What are the pros and cons of public sector vs private sector software development? [closed]

Posted by j.i.h. on Programmers See other posts from Programmers or by j.i.h.
Published on 2012-10-19T19:20:08Z Indexed on 2012/10/19 23:20 UTC
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competition

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corporate-culture

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reputation

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competence

I'm currently considering a job working for my state of residence. However, besides the obvious drawback of far less compensation than I could get in the private sector, are there any other drawbacks? Are there any upsides to public work, besides helping society at large and benefits?

My main concern is that if I work in the public sector, I might be stained with the perception that I "got along" in an uncompetitive environment. I have no idea if this would be the actual environment, but it seems to be the preconception about government work--unionized workers who are simply there because the union keeps them from being fired.

So, does anyone have experience working for the government? Do you have experiences working with people transitioning from public to private sector?

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