• Eric Brown, ex-Special Forces, founded Imperio Consulting to aid public-to-private transitions.
• Brown's Green Beret Approach emphasizes leadership, adaptability, and teamwork for business success.
• The private sector offers higher pay and flexibility but demands managing stress and cultural adjustments.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Eric Brown, the 47-year-old CEO and founder of Imperio Consulting in Orlando. It has been edited for length and clarity.

After 25 years in the Special Forces, I was ready for a new challenge. I took everything I learned about leadership, adaptability, and collaboration and created the Green Beret Approach, a method grounded in simplicity, agility, and cohesive teamwork under pressure.

Now, I work with professionals who want to move from the public sector to the private sector, specifically those looking to break into or already working at a Big Four consulting firm.

I retired as a senior operations officer in 2021

I left a 300-person battalion, where I optimized our operations and grew our international footprint from five to twelve teams.

My experience in the public sector also helped me gain the skills to build relationships, liaise with stakeholders, and master problem-solving.

I saw an opportunity to translate the skill set I developed as a Green Beret into the business world. Companies often struggle with team dynamics, leadership, and communication — exactly where my experience leading focused teams in tough, high-stakes situations can make a difference.

I started Imperio Consulting in 2020 to help organizations and individual clients become adaptable and effective using proven military methods.

I've worked with many clients who have switched to the Big Four or felt stuck once they landed their Big Four role and needed coaching. I work with my clients to communicate their strengths, build confidence, and stand out in a competitive crowd. Here's what I tell them.

Private sector roles tend to be more flexible than government positions

When you move from the public sector to the private sector, you often have more freedom to shape your role. You're more likely to be able to expand your job description based on your unique skills, professional interests, or strategic company needs than in the public sector.

Additionally, private firms may reward their employees for their creative thinking and risk-taking, but this is less common in the public sector.

Compensation packages can be higher, and career paths can be clearer

When you join a team in a private firm, you should have a clear idea of your role, what upward mobility looks like, and what you need to do to start landing the promotions you want very soon into the job.

Generally, private sector roles come with a higher salary and performance-based bonuses. In the military, compensation is set by rank and years of service.

As a senior Special Forces officer, I made about $120,000. The starting salary in consulting is usually higher, and including bonuses, it increases quickly. Midlevel roles typically pay about $150,000 to $200,000; senior consultants can make $300,000 or more.

Be sure to look at the big picture, not just salary and bonuses

Private sector roles boast high salaries and bonus structures, but public sector positions often excel in stability and long-term benefits like pensions and healthcare.

Before accepting a new role, evaluate the compensation package, including salary, bonuses, benefits, retirement contributions, healthcare quality, and work-life balance.

If you make the switch, expect to feel culture shock

In the public sector, stability is valued, and positions often include consistent working hours, job security, clearly defined roles, and predictable career progression. There's also a cultural emphasis on reliability and long-term enrollment. This consistency can be very appealing.

In the private sector, you may find yourself chasing revenue goals that change quickly, as objectives can shift based on market demands or investor expectations, especially within sales-driven or publicly traded companies. For example, a company may suddenly pivot to prioritize a new product line or market segment to hit quarterly revenue targets.

If you love a mission-driven environment, this is when company fit is crucial; be sure the private company's values match yours. You don't want to feel like you've left a clear purpose behind.

Understand how success is measured from the beginning

When interviewing for a role in a private firm, especially a Big Four, ask them how they measure success and support their staff during busy seasons. You'll gain insights into whether the company culture fits your work style.

The public sector is more structured, and you quickly understand what you're getting into, but the position will not be tailored to your strengths. In the private sector, support can be more proactive; you can create your role, or you might have access to professional coaching, but it depends on the company culture.

Big Four life moves at a relentless pace, with tight deadlines and long hours

Burnout occurs in the public and private sectors, but the culprits differ. In government work, burnout is usually caused by red tape and slow-moving, bureaucratic systems.

The private sector is more tied to high pressure, tight deadlines, and nonstop demands.

Burnout will be your biggest enemy in the private sector, especially in the Big Four. You might feel like you're always "on call." Ultimately, it's your responsibility to own your time and advocate for yourself to have a healthy work-life within the company's parameters.

Balancing personal life and work can be tough, especially during peak seasons, but nobody will do it for you. I spend a lot of time with my clients establishing strategies to manage their stress. This might mean blocking out personal hours on your calendar, building a strong support network, and creating a routine that helps you recharge.

The good news is that working for Deloitte, PwC, EY, or KPMG will help you build your résumé quickly. If you can show your chops to these clients, these opportunities can quickly open doors to senior roles elsewhere.

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner and Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem have forged a new inter-agency initiative aimed at ensuring federal housing funds do not go to illegal immigrants. 

The two secretaries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday cementing the partnership, which will serve to end what they call "wasteful misappropriation" of taxpayer-funded public housing resources going to illegal immigrants rather than U.S. citizens. The new initiative will facilitate data sharing between the two agencies via newly established lines of communication, according to a press release about the effort, which added that U.S. veterans stood to benefit from the move.

"American tax dollars should be used for the benefit of American citizens, especially when it comes to an issue as pressing as our nation’s housing crisis," Turner said Monday. "This new agreement will leverage resources, including technology and personnel, to ensure American people are the only priority when it comes to public housing. We will continue to work closely with DHS to maximize our resources and put American citizens first."

HUD TERMINATES OBAMA-ERA HOUSING RULE THAT TRUMP WARNED WOULD ‘DESTROY’ HOME VALUES

In total, per HUD, there are roughly 9 million people who live in subsidized housing across the country. Meanwhile, about 59% of noncitizen households – those including green card holders or illegal immigrants – use one or more public assistance programs, costing taxpayers as much as $42 billion annually, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for lower immigration levels.

Tens of millions of dollars – at least – went to housing for migrants, including for all-expense-paid stays at hotels for some, during the Biden administration. Some states, such as Pennsylvania and Arizona, passed measures during the Biden administration aimed at ensuring illegal immigrants do not take public housing resources from Americans who need them. 

President Donald Trump, shortly after his inauguration, signed an executive order calling for an end to illegal immigrants' use of public resources.

ICE NEARING HISTORIC DEAL WITH IRS TO AID IN DEPORTATIONS: REPORT

"The Biden Administration prioritized illegal aliens over our own citizens, including by giving illegal aliens taxpayer-funding housing at the expense of Americans. Not anymore," Noem said in a statement Monday. "The entire government will work together to identify abuse and exploitation of public benefits and make sure those in this country illegally are not receiving federal benefits or other financial incentives to stay illegally. If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now. The gravy train is over."

As part of the new initiative, HUD will provide a full-time staff member to assist with operations at the federal government's Incident Command Center, which facilitates information sharing between agencies during national crises. 

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Additionally, in conjunction with the establishment of the new initiative, Turner ordered numerous federal housing programs under his purview to comply with Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980, which bars HUD-funded service providers from providing assistance to illegal immigrants.

• Ben Gibson moved from Idaho to Washington, DC, to work with the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
• In five months, DOGE terminated his job along with thousands of other probationary federal workers.
• Gibson said he just received an email and was let go the same day with no clarity.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ben Gibson, a 46-year-old former government worker based in Idaho. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I served in the US Navy for 8 ½ years and later spent nearly five years working in the private sector as a technical communicator before I was laid off in August 2023.

About a year later, I found myself deciding between two competing job offers: a Washington, DC-based government job with the US Department of Veterans Affairs or a remote six-figure job in private equity.

I had some difficult conversations with my family, and I ultimately decided to take the federal job. Its mission felt closer to my heart, and I really wanted to settle into a lifelong career with guaranteed retirement.

On February 13, after I had just gotten home from the office, I received an email saying I had been terminated, highlighting my probationary status. I was shocked. It felt completely surreal, and it was an awful experience.

I moved to Washington, DC, and planned for my wife and son to join me

I moved to DC and started my job at the end of August 2024. My plan was to pay for two leases until my wife and son joined me at the end of the school year

I started my work right away with the Office of Enterprise Integration at the VA. Our overarching goal was to take executive branch mandates and run them through policy analysis to determine a projected timeline, cost, and resource need.

The other major thing we did was respond to congressional inquiries. For example, we helped set up community-based care for veterans who were not within commuting distance of a veteran's hospital. We primarily focused on program development, program management, data analysis, policy analysis, and governance.

I loved what I did, and my colleagues were some of the most intelligent, hardworking, wonderful people I've ever worked with.

I couldn't believe I got laid off

When the first emails about the deferred resignation package came out, part of me didn't feel like they were real. I convinced myself the VA would likely be safe from terminations, and if we were affected, I figured there'd be some sort of protective mechanism blocking that action. I feel a bit foolish like I should've known.

The truth is, I had never received a performance review. I just remember thinking the termination was insane, and a piece of me didn't believe it.

I texted the senior executive I worked directly under and told her I got fired. She thought I was joking. It wasn't only unbelievable to me but also to most of our senior leaders, who should've been involved in the decision-making process or at least aware of the changes being made.

I wasn't required to sign anything before or after my termination, I just received an email. The next day, I went into the office to turn in my equipment and badge, and I said a few quick goodbyes.

My colleagues and I are fighting back

Immediately after the termination — which came without severance or benefits — I joined a group chat with some coworkers in the same position as me, and we started sharing resources.

I filed a US Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) appeal, hoping the decision would be reversed or a federal judge would intervene. I truly believed I'd be back at work, but after two weeks of radio silence, I couldn't afford to keep waiting.

I packed up my belongings and drove across the country to my family in Idaho. Luckily, I was able to get out of my lease in DC. I've been home for less than a month and the main thing I'm trying to do is just process it all and figure out what happens next.

Part of me regrets not taking the deferred resignation package, but I had no idea my job was at stake. Still, I can sleep fine knowing I took the risk of staying at a job I loved.

I don't trust the government right now, but I'd love to return to work

It seems that the government's only function is to serve the best interests of our leaders, and if you're not making that happen, you're expendable.

On March 12, a judge ordered the Trump administration to reinstate fired probationary employees, but I haven't received anything from the VA about it. It's very hard to say what I'd do if reinstated.

If the VA were to allow me to temporarily work remotely and somehow guarantee that my job would be safe from termination, then I'd love to return. But I don't foresee that being the case.

I feel safer working in the private sector

I'm currently looking at some state, local, and private-sector jobs.

When I got laid off from my private-sector job, they at least gave me severance pay, had HR present to answer questions, and helped me navigate my next steps. I'd take that over what happened with the government.

My experience is tough, but I'm not alone. Thousands of others have been fired, and the people remaining are left to pick up the pieces.

I think these terminations will eventually slow down the VA's ability to execute services and veterans will suffer. I'll never be happier to be wrong if I am.

If you're a current or former federal worker who would like to share your story, please email the editor, Manseen Logan, at [email protected].