Originally Posted by Unregistered

A couple of misconceptions:

#1 - Your estimation of 2.5k as starting for private sector considering your good honours is quite off base. Most MNCs are paying above 3k which you should have no problems getting. 2.5k is usually some sme pay for private biz degrees.

#2 - 3 to 5 years is way too short to jump clear the orbit of someone who start straight from public sector. Chances are you will end up either the same (if experience relevant) or lower (if experience not fully relevant) compared to someone who joins gov straight.

#3 - What you are trying to do here is usually done by high flyers in the sector that have reached senior management positions then decide to switch to some sort of director level job in public sector by leveraging on their experience. This allows them to move beyond normal glass ceiling, enjoy the job security and high pay when they are older (usually mid to late 40s). Caveat is not too many people succeed as you really need to be a high achiever to get this right.

#4 - I suggest you think through your priories and select the kind of sector that appeals to your needs with the intention to stay there for good. If you really end up some hot shot that can achieve #3 then good for you, but do not plan your current action based on such uncertain and long term forecast.

#5 - There are many people who do a mid career switch to public sector and end up either lower pay (which would be a very bad deal) or same pay (not a good deal either as you end up taking all the risk in pte sector without getting any headway in the end)