Thinking of Moving From the Federal Executive Branch to California's? Things To consider

There are many people in California who work for the executive branch of the federal government who are weighing their options. In the words of Kendrick Lamar, there are "too many options," but there are also many things to consider in making your decision. Your decision will be individual to you based on your education, profession, skills, age, location, family needs, and how close you are to retirement, so don't compare your situation to that of others. Besides, we all know that comparison is the thief of joy. Here are some things to consider.

• California's executive branch is not your only government option. I tell people to consider California local governments, joint powers authorities (like air quality districts), locally owned utilities (the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) comes to mind), public colleges and universities (the community colleges [116 campuses], the California State University system [23 campuses], the University of California system [10 campuses], and tribal governments [109 federally recognized tribes in California].

• Unlike the federal government, the California executive branch does not match 401K contributions, but it may provide a more generous pension formula. Before accepting a position in California's executive branch, acquaint yourself with the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) and find out what pension formula would apply to you.

• California executive branch positions do not provide locality or "cost of living" pay, unlike the federal government. The same positions pay the same, regardless of whether you're living in Los Angeles or Eureka.

• In my opinion, California executive branch positions tend to overpay for lesser skilled positions and underpay for professional positions. Consider your options carefully with local governments, joint powers authorities, and the like, especially if you are a professional. Also consider applying for gubernatorial appointments.

• California's equivalent of the federal government's Senior Executive Service positions is the Career Executive Assignment (CEA) positions. These positions do not require traditional civil service exams, as the application and interview are the exam. Even if you are not in the federal government's Senior Executive Service but are highly placed in management or administration, consider applying for CEA positions.

• California's executive branch, through CalPERS, has pension reciprocity with many public pension systems except for the federal government's. Pension reciprocity allows you to combine your years of service credit from reciprocal public retirement systems to determine your final retirement benefit, as long as you don't cash out your pension contributions when changing from one retirement system to another. Pension reciprocity may not apply to health care benefits in retirement. CalPERS has a list of other public retirement systems with which it has pension reciprocity in its publication, A Guide to CalPERS When You Change Retirement Systems (PUB 16)

• There are non-profits that participate in CalPERS. If you want to be in a public retirement system without working for a government entity, there are a few non-profits that offer CalPERS retirement benefits through contract with CalPERS. They include the California School Boards Association (Careers), the League of California Cities, and the Foundation for California Community Colleges, among others.

• California's executive branch pays monthly, not bi-monthly. This is often a shock to California executive branch employees new to the workforce.

• California's executive branch allows you to invest your 401K contributions through a Charles Schwab account. If you work in California's executive branch and maintain a minimum of $2,500 in your 401K, you can invest the rest of your contributions in what's called a Schwab PCRA account within your 401K offered through SavingsPlus Now. This gives you a wider variety of stocks, bonds, ETFs, and mutual funds to invest your 401K in on your own. This can make all the difference in increasing your retirement nest egg and potentially accelerating your retirement date.

Weigh these considerations carefully in making your decision. Best of luck to you and thank you for your service.