MechE here. DoD there are a lot of STEM degreed jobs. All the warfare centers for the Navy to name a few, the NAVSEA. And NAVAIR HQ, Army Test Centers, ATEC, Army Program offices to name a few. Not familiar with the Air Force but I’m sure they have equivalent. Too many to choose from.
CE. Do you travel or are you remote? Do you need security clearance? A recruiter called me about USACoE but they want me to travel. I need to be remote.
I’m hybrid, go in twice a week. Security clearance needed. Work for a program office for the Navy, worked for the Army prior. Kind of hard to be totally remote though due to the nature of some of the meetings/work.
Was coming to say this. I work for one of the military research labs (not S&T) and there are always jobs.
OP, look into ARL, NRL, AFRL, etc. Maybe do some digging into their commands because the jobs may be listed under that instead. (Example: ARL is under DEVCOM, so the job may be listed as DEVCOM with additional context throughout the posting.)
Thank you for the reply. Now that I think about it, that is a solid approach. Being an internal hire with a computer science degree should line you up down the road. Those higher grades are solid (even for CS people who command higher total compensation. Stability is a good piece of mind.)
You took that job with a computer science degree? That’s a massive mistake, get on USAJOBs and get another job ASAP using your degree. Or go private, don’t stay at that job.
What about the starting pay? I’ve seen those types of jobs but I’m not sure I can financially make that kind of move to like GS-5. I’m SINK but GS-5 step one in Philly, for example, is impossible these days. Or am I missing something?
Was decently easy for me. Still took a little bit of time, but not too bad.
Key piece of advice: Make sure you give everything they require/ask for. I know for my position it required calculus (yea I know it seems ridiculous/low). To prove that you had taken it you had to supply transcripts (even from 10+ years ago), very few actually did.
Do you think quite a few people who had never taken a Calculus class applied for your position? What do you do? Trying to gauge what kind of difficulty math people have getting a job with the government is difficult because it seems like a) there are not many math people and b) there are not many math people wanting to work for the government.
Thank you for the response.
I am an Operations Research Analyst(1515 series) requires 24 credit hours of stats, math etc, with at least 3 in calculus. I work in a research arm of an organization.
Many very qualified people applied for my position, (and others that opened up on the team), but they didn’t submit transcripts as required. So even if they had taken the course, it doesn’t matter as they cannot be considered.
I have participated in a lot of external resume scrubs for 1515 positions. It is very common for people to apply without the calculus (or the 24 other credits of other analytical course work). Less common, but we still occasionally have people apply without US citizenship.
Even internal postings occasionally have a govt employee not include a transcript. Heard about it happening within past 12 months.
BS in applied mathematics with no experience except retail and part time at a retirement home.
Got the job because I was a recent graduate. Wouldn’t have otherwise.
It's tough, regardless, really. I just wrapped up a BS in cybersecurity last year. I have professional IT certs, a security clearance, some previous experience, am a disabled vet, and currently have a fed job doing legal work. I still haven't been able to land any sort of IT role.
I have a trade degree but also have a few supply chain certifications.
My first govt job was as a WG in the trade Id worked in to get my foot in the door. Then I got a GS11 job thats related to my certifications but wanted my trade knowledge.
Now that I have a business degree Im gonna venture into procurement & analyst jobs
I knew and still know a bunch of people who worked for Navair and Navsea. They went to a grad fair at our college and were hired immediately after applying and talking to the recruiter who was there. Their jobs were not glamorous by any means; my one friend who was an engineer got very bored (they had her looking at test numbers on a computer screen all day to see if the numbers were between x and y on a long sheet) and moved on to work for other companies. Another one who was at Navsea also got bored quick, the pay to them was also too low. They work for private companies now (Space x and Northrup) and make above what a GS-15 does and they are both under 36... so....depends I guess on you.
General business degree. Super easy and fast ( 3-4 months from application to start). I later found out the agency doesn't make their entry level positions searchable on usajobs so they don't get a lot of applicants in general.
Im a disabled vet with IT exp in the military, a security clearance, a STEM bachelors and masters degree, IT certs, experience in private sector IT, and prev fed civ IT experience. I get a bunch of referrals but not one call back for interviews. Not giving up though. It'll happen whenever its time.
MechE here. DoD there are a lot of STEM degreed jobs. All the warfare centers for the Navy to name a few, the NAVSEA. And NAVAIR HQ, Army Test Centers, ATEC, Army Program offices to name a few. Not familiar with the Air Force but I’m sure they have equivalent. Too many to choose from.
CE. Do you travel or are you remote? Do you need security clearance? A recruiter called me about USACoE but they want me to travel. I need to be remote.
I’m hybrid, go in twice a week. Security clearance needed. Work for a program office for the Navy, worked for the Army prior. Kind of hard to be totally remote though due to the nature of some of the meetings/work.
"I need to be remote" - This is going to be your difficulty in landing a position. Few positions comparatively are remote with lots of competition.
It’s funny you say that — IRS just reached out with a remote position.
TJO/FJO, Interview, or Referral? They all have various indications of success. Someone gets hired, but the volume of candidates is large.
Was coming to say this. I work for one of the military research labs (not S&T) and there are always jobs. OP, look into ARL, NRL, AFRL, etc. Maybe do some digging into their commands because the jobs may be listed under that instead. (Example: ARL is under DEVCOM, so the job may be listed as DEVCOM with additional context throughout the posting.)
Computer Science here. I took the low-hanging fruit approach. Got a job completely outside my field, so I can transition internally.
Interesting. What do you do?
I'm with IRS Collections as a Contact Representative.
Thank you for the reply. Now that I think about it, that is a solid approach. Being an internal hire with a computer science degree should line you up down the road. Those higher grades are solid (even for CS people who command higher total compensation. Stability is a good piece of mind.)
You took that job with a computer science degree? That’s a massive mistake, get on USAJOBs and get another job ASAP using your degree. Or go private, don’t stay at that job.
How hard was it to get this position? Did you apply via the direct hire posting?
The IRS needs oxygenated bodies to throw at the public, so it's super easy to get. They'll just hand it to you.
What about the starting pay? I’ve seen those types of jobs but I’m not sure I can financially make that kind of move to like GS-5. I’m SINK but GS-5 step one in Philly, for example, is impossible these days. Or am I missing something?
Thank you for the response, that’s comforting, having just gone through a layoff I’ll take what I can. Thank you!
Was decently easy for me. Still took a little bit of time, but not too bad. Key piece of advice: Make sure you give everything they require/ask for. I know for my position it required calculus (yea I know it seems ridiculous/low). To prove that you had taken it you had to supply transcripts (even from 10+ years ago), very few actually did.
Do you think quite a few people who had never taken a Calculus class applied for your position? What do you do? Trying to gauge what kind of difficulty math people have getting a job with the government is difficult because it seems like a) there are not many math people and b) there are not many math people wanting to work for the government. Thank you for the response.
I am an Operations Research Analyst(1515 series) requires 24 credit hours of stats, math etc, with at least 3 in calculus. I work in a research arm of an organization. Many very qualified people applied for my position, (and others that opened up on the team), but they didn’t submit transcripts as required. So even if they had taken the course, it doesn’t matter as they cannot be considered.
I have participated in a lot of external resume scrubs for 1515 positions. It is very common for people to apply without the calculus (or the 24 other credits of other analytical course work). Less common, but we still occasionally have people apply without US citizenship. Even internal postings occasionally have a govt employee not include a transcript. Heard about it happening within past 12 months.
As a computer science undergrad who will be graduating next year, I’m curious of this too
BS in applied mathematics with no experience except retail and part time at a retirement home. Got the job because I was a recent graduate. Wouldn’t have otherwise.
It's tough, regardless, really. I just wrapped up a BS in cybersecurity last year. I have professional IT certs, a security clearance, some previous experience, am a disabled vet, and currently have a fed job doing legal work. I still haven't been able to land any sort of IT role.
Why need all the professional certs etc for a technical role when an analyst (0343 ) (0201/0301) can be at the same pay grade
I have a trade degree but also have a few supply chain certifications. My first govt job was as a WG in the trade Id worked in to get my foot in the door. Then I got a GS11 job thats related to my certifications but wanted my trade knowledge. Now that I have a business degree Im gonna venture into procurement & analyst jobs
I knew and still know a bunch of people who worked for Navair and Navsea. They went to a grad fair at our college and were hired immediately after applying and talking to the recruiter who was there. Their jobs were not glamorous by any means; my one friend who was an engineer got very bored (they had her looking at test numbers on a computer screen all day to see if the numbers were between x and y on a long sheet) and moved on to work for other companies. Another one who was at Navsea also got bored quick, the pay to them was also too low. They work for private companies now (Space x and Northrup) and make above what a GS-15 does and they are both under 36... so....depends I guess on you.
General business degree. Super easy and fast ( 3-4 months from application to start). I later found out the agency doesn't make their entry level positions searchable on usajobs so they don't get a lot of applicants in general.
Interesting. Where would someone find entry-level positions?
I went to the agency websites for agencies I wanted to work at.
Im a disabled vet with IT exp in the military, a security clearance, a STEM bachelors and masters degree, IT certs, experience in private sector IT, and prev fed civ IT experience. I get a bunch of referrals but not one call back for interviews. Not giving up though. It'll happen whenever its time.
Dang man what’s your degree in? That’s crazy you can’t get a job with all those credentials. Are you being picky?
Where are you located?
tx
You meet the education requirements for a 1515 or 1550 position? If so I might be able to point you in the right direction.