The Pros and Cons of Working in the Public Sector Vs Private Sector

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Joey Nguyen, a 35-year-old senior clinical trial contract and finance analyst in Quincy, Massachusetts. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I have a long history of working in the public sector, primarily in the nonprofit world. I first worked for a nonprofit called The Talented and Gifted Latino Program in high school.

I then studied political science, criminal justice, and Asian American studies. My first job out of grad school was as a community manager for the Youth Lead the Change program at Boston City Hall. I then served a year as the Youth ServiceCorps coordinator at AmeriCorps, a federal government program.

I needed to earn more as soon as that year was over, so I applied for anything I could get in the private sector. I landed a job running clinical trials at ClinEdge from 2017 to 2022. Now, I’m the senior clinical trial contract and financial analyst at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

There are significant differences between working in the public and private sectors

In the private sector, there’s more opportunity for growth, and salary negotiations are easier. The downside is you don’t get to choose the mission and what the company stands for.

If there’s a toxic culture, you must either absorb it, join it, or try to distance yourself from it (this can also apply to the public).

I’ve experienced work cultures in the private sector where I felt other colleagues didn’t get the discipline they deserved for inappropriate behavior. I have also felt that HR didn’t take my complaints seriously.

Private sector jobs pay much more

While in the public sector, I worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. The stipend for AmeriCorps was $17,000 a year for a full-time managerial position. The benefits are professional development experience, leadership skills, and enriching work. Many of us had to work several part-time jobs and lived off food stamps.

After moving to private, I stayed because I earned over 2.5 times more right off the bat. I make nearly six figures in my current role.

I feel expendable in the private sector

It’s all about capitalism in the private sector. Layoffs happen because the bottom line is the priority.

I devoted so much energy, passion, and dedication to helping my last company grow. When I was laid off after four years, it felt like my work was all for nothing and I was expendable.

Change is slow in the public sector

I noticed a veil over operations from a regulatory standard at private companies. In the public sector, things are more transparent. Everyone has the mission of serving the public.

When I was at City Hall, the taxpayers funded us, but the pace for change, new ideas, and efficiency was much slower. Changes in the private sector can also be slow unless they improve the bottom line or save the company money.

Power can corrupt in both public and private

At City Hall, it seemed like some people worked there just because they were elected, not because of their qualifications. I focused on my mission and did the best job I could for the constituents of Boston. That’s what kept me going.

I was proud we were providing direct democracy to Boston’s young people. During my year there, we held the record for the most votes and the most access the balloting process had ever had.

Ultimately, the politics were challenging to deal with, and I couldn’t stay.

I’ve also experienced this working in smaller startups. The CEOs could make anything happen. It appeared as if some people stayed employed because of who they knew or were early hires, and HR was often nonexistent.

I felt more fulfilled working in the public sector

At my last private sector job, I would almost always have the Sunday scaries. While working in public service, I wanted to work because I knew the mission’s importance. I never dreaded the job, as I sometimes did in the private sector.

I’ve learned that most people don’t get to work in their field of passion. Instead, they find jobs to fund their passions outside work. That helped me realize that I could work in private and still make a difference on my own time. I always want to ensure equity and justice are being served in my work.

I’ve built my entire career on being comfortable not knowing my next steps

Pressure from family and society pushes us to have everything figured out by the time we’re in college. Like many folks, I did everything that was expected of me to appease my parents while exploring what I wanted to do.

I’m a good example of how it doesn’t matter what degree you have. If you’re not learning and building skills in your job, you can always pivot to a new line of work.

I plan to stay in the private sector at Massachusetts General Hospital because it’s a nonprofit hospital, so at least I’m helping find a treatment or a cure for ALS while not compromising my well-being.