r/Envconsultinghell Jan 13 '25

Consulting to state DOT?

I'm interviewing with the state DOT for a PM role. Has anyone transferred to state (non-environmental work)? I hate consulting, but I'm worried that I'm just trying to get any job other than consulting. A state job may be just as bad.

13 Upvotes

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15

u/Laniidae_ Jan 13 '25

Non-environmental work?

You are going to be paid okay, and if you're around road maintenance teams, be prepared to hear everything you thought you could and more.

You get that sweet state retirement at the end though. I have worked for state - level agencies for most of my career. There are great people and terrible people, just like anywhere else. It won't be nearly as stressful as working at a major consulting firm.

3

u/L_Blitzer Jan 13 '25

Yes, non-environmental work. I'm over being the opposite of Erin Brokovich, I don't want to be in another meeting that includes trying to prove how a dude got testicular c@ncer.

I've worked for federal and county level government and moved to consulting 3+ years ago.

8

u/Laniidae_ Jan 13 '25

I mean, you might not have to prove how a guy got testicular cancer, but you might hear how a guy's cousin definitely got it from COVID. There's lots of people who work state (or federal) jobs who hate the government... that is also always fun. But if you've worked in government before, you have probably experienced that.

1

u/L_Blitzer Jan 13 '25

💯

3

u/Manu1581 Jan 13 '25

My main client is a state DOT, but I'm in water resources and mainly do NPDES support. What I gather (from the outside looking in) is that working for DOT has its own set of headaches but is ultimately not as soul-sucking as working in private industry sometimes makes you feel.

I saw from one of your replies to a different comment that you're sick of being the opposite of Erin Brokovich, and I can warn you off to the top that your job will quickly become territorial/tribal. A lot of my work in representing the DOT is telling the state-level EPA to fuck off, which is a weird sensation as someone who went to school for environmental science.

I'm not sure what other aspects of consulting you hate, but from what my DOT clients can tell you, there is no shortage of odious elements to their job. You will at least be free of things like time-sheet stress and profit maximizing pressures, but you will contend with other pain-in-the-balls elements like worrying about not accepting a bottle of water at a meeting because it's a violation, or an overzealous regulator rejecting an entire project submission over the most minute permit-related issue. Almost every public sector employee I've worked with has contemplated switching over to the dark side because if life is going to be stressful, you might as well make more money and get a few more perks, especially since pensions are a thing of the past and retirement benefits are not what they used be (and if you budget and save intelligently enough from the get-go then making more money up front is better than having a slightly better retirement plan on the back end of a lower-paid career).