Adrift in Arlington

On Sunday, a Washington Post reader wrote in to the paper seeking employment advice:

Arlington: I left a senior middle-management private-sector position a few months ago for a federal job. At this point, I feel that federal service is not for me, and I desire to get back to the private sector. What is the best way to discuss this with prospective employers?

A few months in, and Adrift in Arlington already knows federal service isn't for her?

I'm not surprised in the least. In fact, I wonder how many experience this kind of regret when moving from private to public sector employment. Obviously, it's not easy to reverse course quickly, and I'm sure most just grin and bear it and eventually acculturate themselves to the change.

The structures and incentives and red tape of the federal workplace can be a shock to the system for someone coming from the private sector. The Post columnist euphemistically calls this a "hierarchical or structured environment" in her response. She could just as easily have said "inefficient and mind-numbing."