[Djean1981]

Work has changed in the last few years. Perhaps, you can switch to another federal job that allows remote work?

[Remembergoldenrule]

Jobs at the villages.
The Villages - Florida's Friendliest Active Adult 55+ Retirement Community
Also look at other typical places like indeed.com. Just depends on type of job and the amount of compensation you need.

[bowlingal]

Mike....don't have a heart attack when you see the salaries offered. Every business is different of course, but in my business there were no sick days ( no work, no pay), very little help ( if any) with health insurance, and longer hours to work than what I was used to. Also....drug testing is mandatory. This is all for full time jobs. The Daily Sun does have job listings to look at, also on-line is a good source.

[midiwiz]

Originally Posted by pauld315

I don't know what you think a "livable wage" but unless you have some kind of special skill (CPA, Doctor, Lawyer etc) you will only make between 10 and 14 dollars per hour here for the majority of jobs. And, that is higher than a few years ago when it was between 8 and 10 dollars per hour.

that's not at all correct. Those professions are paying much higher than that in this area.

[bluecenturian]

Depends what you are looking for and how much money you want. I commute to Orlando everyday, they pay better than Marion/Sumter but it is a 55 min ride. You can find jobs close but if you come from an urban area in the north expect a huge pay difference.

[CosmicTrucker]

The federal prison in Coleman is looking and in desperate need now. Have you considered this. They have all types of job classifications available, not only security officer positions.

[BayLady57]

Originally Posted by Mike Lansky

Hi All,

I'm seriously considering moving to the Villages. My career in Government has become too stressful, and i've come to the realization that it's just not worth the risk to my health. Time to make a change. I've been checking out the Villages from a far for years. I still need to work, so im wondering, generally speaking, how is the job market in and around the Villages? Are there many opportunities (other than construction)?

Thanks in advance!

I retired at age 64 this time last year which followed a 44 year R.N. career. The 1st 24 of those years I worked in several private sector hospitals and the last 20 years I worked for the Feds in large VA Hospital primary care clinic in my home state of R.I There were many times during the last 5 or so years prior to my retirement that I wanted to throw in the towel as a result of work stress which peaked in 2020 when I was detailed to work in the covid triage tent. As stressful as that was which thankfully after working three months in that ro!e I was detailed to telework, I knew if I left at that time I would not only reduce my FERS pension not having yet reached my 20 years of service I would have likely ended up back again in equally stressful private sector healthcare employment making a significantly lower salary. I ended up hanging in for the 20 service years which my SCD date was 9/11/21and retired on 9/17 which was actually two years earlier than I originally planned to retire. I have zero regrets in doing what I did because it put me in a better retirement financial place where I did not have to face ever returning to the workforce to make ends meet because that for me would be more stressful than any job I ever had and I was an ER nurse most of the1st 1/2 of my career. Before you throw in the Fed towel do some online searching to see if there are positions open in other agencies you maybe qualified to apply for that may be a less stressful work option for you. I worked with several Fed colleagues along the way that went from high stress GS-12 positions to lower stress GS-9 positions to make their last few years to retirement more tolerable for them and most actually liked the lower paying positions they transitioned to.

[chrisinva]

When you're doing the numbers, consider who will pay your health care premiums. Medicare won't kick in till you're 65 (and retired) and the Medicare premium is automatically deducted from you Soc Security check. That's IF you are taking Soc Sec at age 65. If you retire before 65, you can continue your fed gov health benefits by paying the insuree (?) cost yourself. Also, you might not be able to keep the same health insurer in FL that you had up north; researching new insurers was time consuming & tricky. ( We had Kaiser HMO in northern VA before moving to TV; Kaiser doesn't exist in FL. I worked for the feds too) Good luck!

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Mike Lansky

Hi All,

I'm seriously considering moving to the Villages. My career in Government has become too stressful, and i've come to the realization that it's just not worth the risk to my health. Time to make a change. I've been checking out the Villages from a far for years. I still need to work, so im wondering, generally speaking, how is the job market in and around the Villages? Are there many opportunities (other than construction)?

Thanks in advance!

I don't understand how a Federal job in the DC area could be stressful. You have job security, good pay, and great benefits. If you quit the Government job and move to The Villages, you will lose a tremendous amount of money. How will you pay for health insurance? A lot of employers in this area do not want to pay for your health insurance. I would suggest that you try to transfer to another Government job, either in DC or to somewhere else in the country. One option is the IRS. They will be offering a huge number of new jobs all over the country. Also, there are websites that will help you find another Government job. Your seniority and other benefits will go with you. Even if you transfer to a lower grade position, you will most likely maintain your current pay. But, I would highly recommend keeping your Government job until you are eligible for retirement. Good luck.

[mikeycereal]

If you haven't looked into it see if you can work remotely and stay with the government. My mom was a fed gov worker for her entire career and would always tell me all you need to do is get in low and you have a better chance to advance in other areas. Of course there were hiring freezes later going on and all that but since you're already in I'd check what you can do to remain with the government. Working remotely greatly takes a lot of stress out of the equation for me with what I do. One of the best decisions I made.

[RNofNJ]

Change gouvernement jobs - transfer to an easier gig. I left a government job making good money, now I make 12.00 an hour at a job that I love but I have a pension. You will never find a job better than the one you have now, so just change jobs in government service; not that hard.

[PatGerrity]

Expect to make about half .

[ndf888]

To get a better pay in this area, I would look into sales jobs at high end furniture stores, car dealerships, and the Villages developer.

[sonyaschuschel]

There’s no money in FLorida except real estate sales , appliance sales , car sales or work remotely or commute back wkly or mnthly that’s my take sorry if it’s not what you wanted to hear . ! Love not shoveling snow but we get alot of rain & you don’t need new clothes - wear swimwear all day !!!

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by Nick B

Money isn't everything we have DeSantis and Freedom isn't that why folks are moving here.

A BIG emphatic NO!!!!!