Just chanced upon this and wanted to share my experience. Good bosses and timing are everything. Was in the PS for nearly a decade - unfortunately, due to multiple reorgs and constantly being put into new set ups, my progression have somehow been affected in the process - either too early for promotion, or too new due to being in a new set up. Started out wanting to make a difference to the public but ended up very jaded, especially at one point, my entire team had left and I was the only one due to high turnover.

When I was the only one left in the team, had a new senior boss who was capable and genuinely wanted to help bring me back on track as she could see I was lagging behind and had a supervisor who was not capable (indirectly causing the high turnover). However, by then, my pay had fallen way behind my peers and at a time where the attrition was highest, I got multiple offers from private companies which could offer me a big bump.

So, went to private sector and never looked back. Never regretted my decision, though at that time I felt deeply about my projects and genuinely wanted to make things proper if I could.

Not everyone is fortunate to have a good supervisor and sometimes are ‘victims’ not of their own will due to constant reorgs. But, thanks to the new system increasingly the ineffective managers are weeded out and more capable people are given a chance. However, all these efforts, given the pay and benefits, are usually not comparable to private sector. The most valuable part of the public service imo is not the work, but the job security (though many new roles are contracts these days).