Career with the government... whats it like

ninopacino

ninopacino

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Feb 9, 2013
I just saw a banner ad promoting jobs with the NSA. Now I'm wondering what its like to work for the government in general.

-If you have a govt. job, does that mean you can never blow trees ever again?
- Do they consistently spy on you?

I heard that getting a well-paid gov. job in the DC / DMV area is easy. ( w/ a degree, that is) Is that true? I live in Philly metro, but I'm still curious
 
There are different categories. You mentioned the NSA in your post, so going from them, most of them are what is called Civil Service and fall in the GS wage classification (there's different scales but under all, the higher the # the more money, and then you have things like step increases where you are not to the next number but incrementally making more as a result of increased duties or capabilities), locality adjustments just like it sounds to account for different cost of livings in different areas.

You also have Contractors with is what I am, typically as a contractor you make more than the GS equivalent of the same job, but without the security and the contracting side has been increasinly ruthless the last decade or so. I've had some shady things happen to me even going back to my previous job, that don't if you are GS. As long as you do your job and don't rock the boat as a GS, you'll retire and get your benefits and not get fired. There are jobs you can only apply for if you are already GS or internal to an organization. Vets will always have preference and Army spouses, so it's harder to get a GS than CTR spot.

You mentioned drug testing, you will have access to sensitive information at the NSA so I'm sure it will require at least a Secret Clearance as most I.T jobs do, maybe even a Top Secret. Just requires you to do a form with 10 yrs of job history and 10 yrs of residence history with no breaks and a reference for each entry, plus clean background. You can have speeding tickets and even some debt, but too much and it'll get denied or revoked. I only had to actually do a pee test once in like the first 8 yrs of my career as an IT contractor, but my current gig I am getting a Top Secret so I had to do a pee test and a blood draw.

Clearances are vital, because it costs companies upwards of $50,000 to get you one and once you have it, a Secret is good for 10 yrs after you use it and a Top Secret for 5. This is important because companies don't want to pay/sponsor you to get it anymore. They prefer candidates who already have one because when you aren't employed it's like it is basically in limbo status and they can just claim you and bring it in. So you'll miss out on opportunities potentially. It was the deciding factor for the job I got now that they actually are going to upgrade me to TS so any money I left on the table from other offers will be made up going forward if I just stay long enough for the TS to come through (huge backlogs now so it can take up to a yr), then reevaluate my options then

Best job sites for government gigs are the organization specific ones if they exists like fbijobs.gov and usajobs.gov , these are all going to be GS and then indeed.com nexxt.com ziprecruiter.com sends me good **** and once you get your clearance clearancejobs.com Check that "willing to relocate" button and you can get calls from all over the globe. I still get about 5 job offers a day by phone and a few by email, I need to go to all these damn sites and deactivate my account

Contracting companies are the ones who get these contracts with the Gov and then fill them so the prominent ones will always have stuff all over the world and usually in multiple sectors. So look at companies like Apex, Northrup Grumman, CACI, Akima and see what they have. And then there are staffing companies like here there is TekSystems and AddisonGroup I used but they'll have you come in and interview with them just to talk about your resume, skills, and what you want in a new job as far as pay, enviroment, etc. Then they'll shop you to their clients who use them for staffing and shop the opportunties they have to you. Even if you have a job, it's great to get on file with them.
 
ninopacino said:
I just saw a banner ad promoting jobs with the NSA. Now I'm wondering what its like to work for the government in general.

-If you have a govt. job, does that mean you can never blow trees ever again?
- Do they consistently spy on you?

I heard that getting a well-paid gov. job in the DC / DMV area is easy. ( w/ a degree, that is) Is that true? I live in Philly metro, but I'm still curious
Click to expand...
Expect to murk mad ******. . .
 
datznasty said:
There are different categories. You mentioned the NSA in your post, so going from them, most of them are what is called Civil Service and fall in the GS wage classification (there's different scales but under all, the higher the # the more money, and then you have things like step increases where you are not to the next number but incrementally making more as a result of increased duties or capabilities), locality adjustments just like it sounds to account for different cost of livings in different areas.

You also have Contractors with is what I am, typically as a contractor you make more than the GS equivalent of the same job, but without the security and the contracting side has been increasinly ruthless the last decade or so. I've had some shady things happen to me even going back to my previous job, that don't if you are GS. As long as you do your job and don't rock the boat as a GS, you'll retire and get your benefits and not get fired. There are jobs you can only apply for if you are already GS or internal to an organization. Vets will always have preference and Army spouses, so it's harder to get a GS than CTR spot.

You mentioned drug testing, you will have access to sensitive information at the NSA so I'm sure it will require at least a Secret Clearance as most I.T jobs do, maybe even a Top Secret. Just requires you to do a form with 10 yrs of job history and 10 yrs of residence history with no breaks and a reference for each entry, plus clean background. You can have speeding tickets and even some debt, but too much and it'll get denied or revoked. I only had to actually do a pee test once in like the first 8 yrs of my career as an IT contractor, but my current gig I am getting a Top Secret so I had to do a pee test and a blood draw.

Clearances are vital, because it costs companies upwards of $50,000 to get you one and once you have it, a Secret is good for 10 yrs after you use it and a Top Secret for 5. This is important because companies don't want to pay/sponsor you to get it anymore. They prefer candidates who already have one because when you aren't employed it's like it is basically in limbo status and they can just claim you and bring it in. So you'll miss out on opportunities potentially. It was the deciding factor for the job I got now that they actually are going to upgrade me to TS so any money I left on the table from other offers will be made up going forward if I just stay long enough for the TS to come through (huge backlogs now so it can take up to a yr), then reevaluate my options then

Best job sites for government gigs are the organization specific ones if they exists like fbijobs.gov and usajobs.gov , these are all going to be GS and then indeed.com nexxt.com ziprecruiter.com sends me good **** and once you get your clearance clearancejobs.com Check that "willing to relocate" button and you can get calls from all over the globe. I still get about 5 job offers a day by phone and a few by email, I need to go to all these damn sites and deactivate my account

Contracting companies are the ones who get these contracts with the Gov and then fill them so the prominent ones will always have stuff all over the world and usually in multiple sectors. So look at companies like Apex, Northrup Grumman, CACI, Akima and see what they have. And then there are staffing companies like here there is TekSystems and AddisonGroup I used but they'll have you come in and interview with them just to talk about your resume, skills, and what you want in a new job as far as pay, enviroment, etc. Then they'll shop you to their clients who use them for staffing and shop the opportunties they have to you. Even if you have a job, it's great to get on file with them.
Click to expand...
I have a secret clearance and have yet to hear anything through clearancejobs lol.
 
If your cousin who lives down south smokes weed they won't hire you. Very stringent hiring practices.
 
I have a coworker at the medical cannabis cultivation facility where I work that is applying to a federal job for customs and border patrol. Never smoked weed in his life. Will they deny him? He’s already gotten to the point in the process where he needs to take the drug test and pass a background check
 
:lol: @constantly spying on you

the sooner all of you realize none of you mean **** to the government the better
if the government was out to get you, you would have already been got
i hear this all the time. everyone here is a dime a dozen. no one is special.

if you are special to them they will let you know quickly
 
If I become a fed tech would it be easier for me to apply for federal jobs since I would be on the GS scale?
 
I currently work for the gov't and I vehemently hate it. I've been aggressively looking for a new gig since I received my degree.
 
i've worked in government contracting in northern virginia for the last 15 years or so. keeping in mind there are a billion jobs and agencies and every one can be different, here's my generalized take:

pros: more job security than as a contractor, decent benefits, you're the customer
cons: more bureaucracy, less dynamic environments, less earning potential than as a contractor

as to NoVa/DC/MD: everything here is expensive. housing is quite expensive (reference: i live in the suburbs of virginia and a pretty plain single family house is like $650K and a banger new construction is like $850K). apartments in the city or towns on the metro lines are pricey and lots of folks have roommates.
 
im a contractor for the department of health doing IT. not too bad.
 
government full of snake *** co workers/management and incompetence....
It will seriously rob part of your soul and morals if you aren't strong minded
I'm looking to go private sector...
 
shoeliker69 said:
i've worked in government contracting in northern virginia for the last 15 years or so. keeping in mind there are a billion jobs and agencies and every one can be different, here's my generalized take:

pros: more job security than as a contractor, decent benefits, you're the customer
cons: more bureaucracy, less dynamic environments, less earning potential than as a contractor

as to NoVa/DC/MD: everything here is expensive. housing is quite expensive (reference: i live in the suburbs of virginia and a pretty plain single family house is like $650K and a banger new construction is like $850K). apartments in the city or towns on the metro lines are pricey and lots of folks have roommates.
Click to expand...
As a IT contractor for the last five years in the area, this is spot on.
 
sugafree said:
government full of snake *** co workers/management and incompetence....
It will seriously rob part of your soul and morals if you aren't strong minded
I'm looking to go private sector...
Click to expand...
Not much better if you're in the DC area. It's a culture of snakery across the board whether private/gov't/contracting, everyone is trying to get their piece at any means necessary, including at the expense of integrity, morality and ethics.

Then they're ***** with it too and won't look you in the face.
 
sugafree said:
government full of snake *** co workers/management and incompetence....
It will seriously rob part of your soul and morals if you aren't strong minded
I'm looking to go private sector...
Click to expand...

Private is the same, there’s Snakes everywhere. There are always people willing to do whatever it takes and don’t care about ****ing somebody over

There is politics in every job. Many Supervisors that don’t know/do **** but know the right people, as well as many “yes men”
 
My mom has never been drug tested since the initial one.

It’s way too much bs for me, I could never do it. 100 page application, interview your neighbors etc for your top secret... no thanks, not for me.

She makes good money but hates her job. She’s just riding it out another 6 years until she retires.
 
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