Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
JohnnyHildo
Jul 23, 2002

CherryCola posted:

Also, I was considering writing to my congressperson, since I've heard that's something that can be done to help along the process a bit. Can I have other people write letters on my behalf, too? My brother is a serviceperson who has done a tour of duty in Iraq and it's partially because of him that I really want to start this job. Do any of you have any insight as to whether a letter from him would have any influence?

I suddenly became unemployed last week thanks to multiple horrible temp agency mishaps (none of which were my fault) so I'm really hoping something happens before I completely run out of money and have to go back to Minnesota.

Writing your Member of Congress is a great way to guarantee you'll never be hired by that office. When someone writes a MOC about a federal issue, the letter gets read by a congressional staffer who sends it to the agency's legislative liaison. The liaison in turn sets a suspense date for a response and forwards the letter to the appropriate department so a manager can prepare a response to be routed back through these same channels. In your situation it wouldn't solve anything and it would only create additional work for a manager at the agency. It would also paint you as someone who is quick to complain loudly. A poo poo-stirrer.

You need to understand that you'll just have to wait. No letter from anyone is going to have a positive effect on you getting hired. Of course you're in a desperate situation, but remember you need the agency more than it needs you. I don't know where you are in the process, but it could take you a year to get clearance.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

CherryCola
Apr 15, 2002

'ahtaj alshifa
Yeah, I know I just need to be patient. I was just asking because I had heard somewhere else that the whole letter writing thing was helpful. Now that I know that it isn't, I won't do it.

Anyway, sorry for posting in this thread all the time. It just sucks being in adjudication where there's literally nothing else I can do. At least with the investigation, I was actually getting phone calls from people and had my own tasks to do.

Luckily, my agency finally came through, so I should be starting another temp assignment next week.

Pompous Rhombus
Mar 11, 2007
Could a letter to my congressman bite me in the rear end as a general "constituent needs to find a fed job before Uncle Sam makes him repay what essentially amounts to a loving loan a Boren Scholarship"? Seems like it could only help, but I'm largely ignorant in how those things work.

Ramms+ein
Nov 11, 2003
Henshin-a-go-go, baby!

Pompous Rhombus posted:

Could a letter to my congressman bite me in the rear end as a general "constituent needs to find a fed job before Uncle Sam makes him repay what essentially amounts to a loving loan a Boren Scholarship"? Seems like it could only help, but I'm largely ignorant in how those things work.

Don't bother with that TSA position. Since they only hire part time, I'll have to work a year and a half to pay back the scholarship. I've done three weeks so far and I don't know how much longer I can take it. I only can hope that since I'm a Federal Employee and I can transfer somewhere else.

Xandu
Feb 19, 2006


It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

Pompous Rhombus posted:

Could a letter to my congressman bite me in the rear end as a general "constituent needs to find a fed job before Uncle Sam makes him repay what essentially amounts to a loving loan a Boren Scholarship"? Seems like it could only help, but I'm largely ignorant in how those things work.

Do they really make you repay if you can't successfully get a job? Judging from your posts you've made a good faith effort.

Pompous Rhombus
Mar 11, 2007

Ramms+ein posted:

Don't bother with that TSA position. Since they only hire part time, I'll have to work a year and a half to pay back the scholarship. I've done three weeks so far and I don't know how much longer I can take it. I only can hope that since I'm a Federal Employee and I can transfer somewhere else.

Yeah, since they were going to make me fly all the way out there ($1700!) for the tests I decided not to bother. I just saw that a position opened up nearby though, I'm thinking about applying for it. With my Boren thing I don't count towards a hiring/personnel quota or whatever, so maybe I can get FT? Worth a shot, especially if my test results are still good.

Xandu posted:

Do they really make you repay if you can't successfully get a job? Judging from your posts you've made a good faith effort.

Yeah, from my communications with them it seems they're real hardasses about it too, but are very (intentionally?) vague about the exact details of what a "good faith effort" is. I've technically been looking for about two and a half years (sat on my thesis for three semesters to keep health insurance and look for jobs) and there hasn't been a single job with my language I could apply for. Now I'm effectively uninsured and still working my lovely college job, afraid to try starting out on a real non-fed career (like teaching) for fear of being judged having given up already (which I haven't!) I applied for the JET Program this year even though they said I'm pretty much guaranteed to have to repay it if I go overseas to work, because I don't think I can take more than another year of this, and I could save enough to repay the scholarship in a year or two in Japan.

The main option they give is to get a deferral if you go to grad school, but at this point I'm not willing to invest tens of thousands of dollars of my own money and another few years of my life for the opportunity to maybe pay back $16k. :saddowns:

Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 19:44 on Jan 20, 2011

Xandu
Feb 19, 2006


It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

Pompous Rhombus posted:


Now I'm effectively uninsured and still working my lovely college job, afraid to try starting out on a real non-fed career (like teaching) for fear of being judged having given up already (which I haven't!)

That really sucks, but this might be your mistake. I don't know if teaching is the answer, but lack of work experience could very well be holding you back.

edit: You'd think the govt would do more to help with job placement after spending that much money.

Xandu fucked around with this message at 13:10 on Jan 20, 2011

Pompous Rhombus
Mar 11, 2007

Xandu posted:

That really sucks, but this might be your mistake. I don't know if teaching is the answer, but lack of work experience could very well be holding you back.

edit: You'd think the govt would do more to help with job placement after spending that much money.

Teaching is more of an alternative, rather than a pathway to federal employment. My job has a few nice resume-padders but could certainly be better, but there's nothing around where I live that would be much of an improvement for someone in my position (and not owning a car in a city with poo poo public transportation my options are limited). I'm applying for the volunteer reserve deputy program with my local sheriff's department next week, which I think could really help, especially with the 1811 positions. At this point, I'm not really desperate enough to move to the DC area (which I kinda hate TBH, not that I'd let it stop me from accepting a job up there if I got an offer) on the hope that I'm able to network my way into a job.

That's basically the beauty of the system, there's no real imperative to help find a job if not finding one means awardees have to pay back the money the government invested; it's either a win or at least no loss for them. From the literature they make it sound like federal employers are beating down the doors to hire Boren awardees (they aren't, at least if you didn't study Arabic or something SW Asian), and that NSEP's job placement activities are effective, but in reality it's a token amount; they advertise maybe 1-2 positions a month, which are either GS-11 poo poo I couldn't even think of applying for, or the occasional entry level thing I do apply for, but gets mobbed by the hundreds of other highly-qualified Boren Scholars/Fellows/FLAS awardees.

Sorry if my hyper-bitter posts are making GBS threads up this thread, I'll tone it down in the future. I do want to make sure anyone considering the Boren award takes into account the potential downsides of it though; when I applied I thought it was going to be an unmitigated boon for me academically, personally, and professionally, and while it was great as far as the first two, it's been an absolute disaster for the latter.

Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 19:46 on Jan 20, 2011

psydude
Apr 1, 2008

I think it's kind of dumb that they give you the scholarship and then don't actually reserve a job for you. I mean, the military also gives out ROTC scholarships with the stipulation that you fulfill your service requirement or pay it back, but they don't give out more scholarships than they have positions available.

hitension
Feb 14, 2005


Hey guys, I learned Chinese so that I can write shame in another language
I just sent in my Boren application and your story is the most terrifying thing :(

Pompous Rhombus
Mar 11, 2007

psydude posted:

I think it's kind of dumb that they give you the scholarship and then don't actually reserve a job for you. I mean, the military also gives out ROTC scholarships with the stipulation that you fulfill your service requirement or pay it back, but they don't give out more scholarships than they have positions available.

Tell me about it. Would be nice if they had it set up where you could work with a potential employer(s) when you sign up, have them suggest classes/other skills to work on, and then use the hiring authority to bring you on when you graduate, but it's pretty laissez-faire as it is.


hitension posted:

I just sent in my Boren application and your story is the most terrifying thing :(

There's no harm in applying, just be sure that you've got Plan B, C, D (and beyond) ready when you get back if you decide to take it, and start applying/talking to recruiters ASAP. If you have more years left as a student that's another bonus - there are a number of internships I might have had more of a chance at if I hadn't been a senior already when I got the scholarship. Was an alternate for the DoS one and got a free clearance out of it, at least.

I think all of the 2008+ contracts allow you to get service credit working in academia (even as a grad assistant and stuff), so there's always that.

Whether you go with Boren or not, if you're looking to get a government job involving a language you should definitely focus on oral proficiency, especially over a phone. It seems most (all?) employers do an OPI over the phone to assess proficiency, which I personally find quite a bit more challenging than a face-to-face conversation (no visual cues, body language, etc). You can actually do one on your own dime to practice if you don't mind shelling out a bit south of $200, the one's I've done through Boren and National Language Service Corps have been offered through Language Testing International.

Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 01:29 on Jan 21, 2011

Happydayz
Jan 6, 2001

menpoop posted:

It's worth noting that there are 'inactive' as well as a 'rejected' statuses available and they claim your application is available for 12 months.


This is not entirely true. For federal jobs you want to be applying every month at the beginning of the month. Your resume might be on file for 1 year, but it will just get dumped into the resume database where hiring managers might find yours by doing a key-word search.

But the real way is for someone in the Human Resources department to review your resume, flag it as having potential, and then have them forward it to hiring managers with vacant billets. For this it helps to get a fresh resume in near the beginning of the month to hit any hiring cycle they might have going on that month.

red19fire
May 26, 2010

Question for IRS Goons:

I recently went to a career fair, and i was pretty impressed by the IRS CI positions. But they said they're not hiring yet because they're waiting for their budget to be approved. How will I know when the hiring starts?

I've been looking at USAJOBS every 2-3 days, but all the Revenue Officer (1169) jobs appear to be hire-from-within-jobs.

I'm a veteran with a BS in Sport Management and a minor in economics. How good are my chances, and how long can I expect this hiring process to take?

My cousin put in a package for the FBI, and by the time they called him 2 years later to offer him a position, he was a hedge fund manager making 6 figures.

I hope I didn't miss an answer on one of the previous pages.

grover
Jan 23, 2002

PEW PEW PEW
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:

Pompous Rhombus posted:

That's basically the beauty of the system, there's no real imperative to help find a job if not finding one means awardees have to pay back the money the government invested; it's either a win or at least no loss for them. From the literature they make it sound like federal employers are beating down the doors to hire Boren awardees (they aren't, at least if you didn't study Arabic or something SW Asian), and that NSEP's job placement activities are effective, but in reality it's a token amount; they advertise maybe 1-2 positions a month, which are either GS-11 poo poo I couldn't even think of applying for, or the occasional entry level thing I do apply for, but gets mobbed by the hundreds of other highly-qualified Boren Scholars/Fellows/FLAS awardees.
What's wrong with GS-11? GS-5/7 is standard entry level for a college graduate with a BS in a professional field; even a PhD will only net you a GS-9 out of school. GS-11 is pretty damned good for an entry-level salary.

Grand Fromage
Jan 30, 2006

L-l-look at you bar-bartender, a-a pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, un-underestimating my l-l-liver's ability to metab-meTABolize t-toxins. How can you p-poison a perfect, immortal alcohOLIC?


grover posted:

What's wrong with GS-11? GS-5/7 is standard entry level for a college graduate with a BS in a professional field; even a PhD will only net you a GS-9 out of school. GS-11 is pretty damned good for an entry-level salary.

I think his point is GS-11 is way beyond what he qualifies for. I've encountered the same problem in a lot of apps I try. Most of them have no real entry level at all. I don't know how the gently caress you're supposed to get anywhere when even the "entry level" jobs want five years of experience.

JetsGuy
Sep 17, 2003

science + hockey
=
LASER SKATES

grover posted:

What's wrong with GS-11? GS-5/7 is standard entry level for a college graduate with a BS in a professional field; even a PhD will only net you a GS-9 out of school. GS-11 is pretty damned good for an entry-level salary.

Wait, is this different depending on degree? I thought I had read somewhere that a PhD can get you a GS-11 entry.

Is that only for science/engineering?

Pompous Rhombus
Mar 11, 2007

Grand Fromage posted:

I think his point is GS-11 is way beyond what he qualifies for. I've encountered the same problem in a lot of apps I try. Most of them have no real entry level at all. I don't know how the gently caress you're supposed to get anywhere when even the "entry level" jobs want five years of experience.

Yeah, pretty much. I do qualify for the GS-7 positions since I had good grades in school, and I noticed that DSS was even going to give me equivalent points to having a Master's for my second BA.

Joshie
Oct 29, 2001

MAYOR OF PIGTOWN
I'm a GS-12 without a degree. [Ask] me about nepotism in the USG.

Ramms+ein
Nov 11, 2003
Henshin-a-go-go, baby!

Pompous Rhombus posted:

Yeah, since they were going to make me fly all the way out there ($1700!) for the tests I decided not to bother. I just saw that a position opened up nearby though, I'm thinking about applying for it. With my Boren thing I don't count towards a hiring/personnel quota or whatever, so maybe I can get FT? Worth a shot, especially if my test results are still good.


They have a strict policy of not hiring anyone full time straight off the bat because then it's hard to fire that person. However, depending on the airport, I know people who get full time just from volunteering to work extra hours so you could easily get the extra five hours so you can get the thirty hours required to be considered full time.
This is just what I heard from talking to other Boren alumni at an event so take it with a grain of salt, but as long as you applied to at least 20 jobs, then you are fine and you will not have to pay back the scholarship. Also, I studied Arabic for my Boren and no Federal Agency really gives a poo poo. NSA: Oh, we're not looking for Arabic speakers at the moment.

Joshie Please tell us about nepotism in the USG. My father works for DHS at the ICE Headquarters and he has been absolutely worthless about helping me get my foot in the door. Who does he need to suck up to? HR?

Grand Fromage
Jan 30, 2006

L-l-look at you bar-bartender, a-a pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, un-underestimating my l-l-liver's ability to metab-meTABolize t-toxins. How can you p-poison a perfect, immortal alcohOLIC?


The NSA isn't hiring Arabic speakers? :psyduck:

Leif.
Mar 27, 2005

Son of the Defender
Formerly Diplomaticus/SWATJester
Woot, FP 5 Step 9. Not as high as I'd hoped, but good enough I guess.

Skandiaavity
Apr 20, 2005
Congratulations, SWATJester!

To recap, how long was it since you took the FSOT to you got the offer today?

Pompous Rhombus
Mar 11, 2007

Ramms+ein posted:

They have a strict policy of not hiring anyone full time straight off the bat because then it's hard to fire that person. However, depending on the airport, I know people who get full time just from volunteering to work extra hours so you could easily get the extra five hours so you can get the thirty hours required to be considered full time.
This is just what I heard from talking to other Boren alumni at an event so take it with a grain of salt, but as long as you applied to at least 20 jobs, then you are fine and you will not have to pay back the scholarship. Also, I studied Arabic for my Boren and no Federal Agency really gives a poo poo. NSA: Oh, we're not looking for Arabic speakers at the moment.

Joshie Please tell us about nepotism in the USG. My father works for DHS at the ICE Headquarters and he has been absolutely worthless about helping me get my foot in the door. Who does he need to suck up to? HR?

Ah, that makes sense (sucks though). How are you holding up?

That's interesting about the 20 jobs thing, I couldn't get anything out of my Boren rep, although it make sense that they'd keep it intentionally vague to discourage malingering. One thing he did say was that if I went overseas to work (as opposed to study and apply for a deferment) I would almost definitely have to repay it, since it's hard if not impossible to apply for a lot of fed jobs from overseas. Did you hear anything similar to that from other Boren people? If I get accepted for the JET program and have no government offers that look like they're going to bear fruit, I'll most likely take it.

Seems crazy that nobody wants Arabic speakers right now, have you tried any of the DoD civilian agencies? I guess it shouldn't surprise me though, even though I enjoy learning languages (and plan to keep on with it in the future), I'll admit that it's about the worst possible investment of time/professional benefit you can make. Almost would have been better off going to law school or something :v:

psydude
Apr 1, 2008

I've seen a lot of defense contractors hiring arab linguists.

Ramms+ein
Nov 11, 2003
Henshin-a-go-go, baby!

Pompous Rhombus posted:

Ah, that makes sense (sucks though). How are you holding up?

That's interesting about the 20 jobs thing, I couldn't get anything out of my Boren rep, although it make sense that they'd keep it intentionally vague to discourage malingering. One thing he did say was that if I went overseas to work (as opposed to study and apply for a deferment) I would almost definitely have to repay it, since it's hard if not impossible to apply for a lot of fed jobs from overseas. Did you hear anything similar to that from other Boren people? If I get accepted for the JET program and have no government offers that look like they're going to bear fruit, I'll most likely take it.

Seems crazy that nobody wants Arabic speakers right now, have you tried any of the DoD civilian agencies? I guess it shouldn't surprise me though, even though I enjoy learning languages (and plan to keep on with it in the future), I'll admit that it's about the worst possible investment of time/professional benefit you can make. Almost would have been better off going to law school or something :v:

I can sort of see the rationale behind saying that you would have to repay it if you went overseas to work, but what is the difference between living in Bozeman, Montana and working a non-Fed job while applying to jobs on USAjobs all the time vs. being in Japan and applying to Fed-jobs if the success rate through USAjobs is basically zero. Even if you do get accepted for a job while in Japan, you could always come back to start the process.

TSA is awful, I don't see myself lasting too much longer, I would prefer working back at the Supermarket or another unpaid internship. At least with those jobs it's not embarrassing to tell people where you work. However, I have a couple of leads for Arabic jobs. Some passenger overheard me talking about my interview for an Arabic linguist position today, gave me his business card (Qatari Airways) and told me to send him his resume. So, inshallah. It seems like languages are a terrible investment but then tomorrow, I guarantee, I can open the newspaper and find an article about how not enough Americans know foreign languages.

The Boren scholarship should be more of a commitment. It should involve multiple years of language study, like continuing on with the Flagship program. I just don't understand the point of spending millions of dollars to help Americans only partly learn a language and then do nothing about utilizing them. Especially since the few Boren scholars that actually do get a job to fulfill their requirement don't even use the language they study.

grover
Jan 23, 2002

PEW PEW PEW
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:
:circlefap::circlefap::circlefap:

Pompous Rhombus posted:

Yeah, pretty much. I do qualify for the GS-7 positions since I had good grades in school, and I noticed that DSS was even going to give me equivalent points to having a Master's for my second BA.
Sorry, I misunderstood what you were saying. I think what it boils down to is that there are a number of positions where there is no entry level work, only work that requires an experienced person, regardless of how well educated th entry level applicant might be. It's the ages old catch-22. There ARE entry level positions out there, but it may take a lot of time to find them.

Zoo
Oct 24, 2004

I hate to break it to you, but there is no big lie, there is no system. The universe is indifferent.
The successful entry-level people I've seen in the last year or so have often come from internships (sometimes little-known programs like PALACE ACQUIRE).

Those of you dead set on getting into intelligence could also consider the military, but that's not recommended as a jobs program, even though it's often treated that way -- let's just put it that way.

Pompous Rhombus
Mar 11, 2007

Ramms+ein posted:

I can sort of see the rationale behind saying that you would have to repay it if you went overseas to work, but what is the difference between living in Bozeman, Montana and working a non-Fed job while applying to jobs on USAjobs all the time vs. being in Japan and applying to Fed-jobs if the success rate through USAjobs is basically zero. Even if you do get accepted for a job while in Japan, you could always come back to start the process.

TSA is awful, I don't see myself lasting too much longer, I would prefer working back at the Supermarket or another unpaid internship. At least with those jobs it's not embarrassing to tell people where you work. However, I have a couple of leads for Arabic jobs. Some passenger overheard me talking about my interview for an Arabic linguist position today, gave me his business card (Qatari Airways) and told me to send him his resume. So, inshallah. It seems like languages are a terrible investment but then tomorrow, I guarantee, I can open the newspaper and find an article about how not enough Americans know foreign languages.

The Boren scholarship should be more of a commitment. It should involve multiple years of language study, like continuing on with the Flagship program. I just don't understand the point of spending millions of dollars to help Americans only partly learn a language and then do nothing about utilizing them. Especially since the few Boren scholars that actually do get a job to fulfill their requirement don't even use the language they study.

Yeah, that's basically how I look at it. I'd keep looking for and applying for jobs, and if the agency seems serious I'd fly to Hawaii or whatever for an interview. My goal with the first half of the year is to get through as many applications to the "must be in US to apply" agencies as possible, and save the rest for later.

That sucks about TSA, I figured it'd probably be pretty thankless work. It's cool that you have the opportunity to potentially network with a broad range of people like that though; can you get like an "I speak Arabic" patch on your uniform or something to increase your profile?

I've noticed it's not just Americans who suck at foreign languages, it's the whole Anglosphere; there's scarcely any motivation to invest all the time and effort into it when your language is king poo poo in the global hierarchy. Anyone who wants to be anyone in another country learns English (even China), so there are tons of bilingual people with their L1/L2 opposite from you to compete with.

They do seem to encourage you to go on and apply for the Boren Fellowship, Fulbright, etc if you were a Scholar and were intimating that having Boren on your resume already would give you a leg up, but you're right about it not really being enough time, especially for languages like Arabic and Chinese. My language was only a level 3 on the FSI so I managed to get pretty good for starting from 0; not fluent but probably a 2+/3- spoken, and able to read and write well enough to feel okay about doing undergrad course in my L2 (this is more due to how good the program was, not me being especially brilliant or insanely dedicated on my own). Of course, two years later back in the US I can barely hold even a simple conversation and my spelling is about as good as a third grader's, but oh well. I can still read and listen at probably 85% of my former capacity though, try to keep sharp reading newspapers, a dwindling supply of books I brought back, and listening to news radio/Voice of America podcasts at work.

Zoo posted:

Those of you dead set on getting into intelligence could also consider the military, but that's not recommended as a jobs program, even though it's often treated that way -- let's just put it that way.

I've been considering it (doing research on the various OTS forums), but with the budget cuts and lovely economy it's not really as easy as it used to be, at least not for commissioning. Plus, I'd be signing away 4-6 years to pay back 9 months of obligation. (Speaking of which, did you do NLSC Ramms+ein?)

grover posted:

Sorry, I misunderstood what you were saying. I think what it boils down to is that there are a number of positions where there is no entry level work, only work that requires an experienced person, regardless of how well educated th entry level applicant might be. It's the ages old catch-22. There ARE entry level positions out there, but it may take a lot of time to find them.

Yeah, I'm kind of locked outside the job/experience ouroboros. I wish I'd been more proactive in doing those unpaid internships (ugh) as an undergrad to get my foot in the door, but I spent so much time abroad there wasn't really a lot of opportunity :-\

Zoo
Oct 24, 2004

I hate to break it to you, but there is no big lie, there is no system. The universe is indifferent.

Pompous Rhombus posted:

I've been considering it (doing research on the various OTS forums), but with the budget cuts and lovely economy it's not really as easy as it used to be, at least not for commissioning

It would offer you the years of experience needed to qualify for beyond entry-level; that's where it helps (and networking potential). Beyond that, well, yup, you're just joining the military.

Grand Fromage
Jan 30, 2006

L-l-look at you bar-bartender, a-a pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, un-underestimating my l-l-liver's ability to metab-meTABolize t-toxins. How can you p-poison a perfect, immortal alcohOLIC?


Are there any paid internship programs left? The problem with so much of the entry level being replaced by interns is that it makes it impossible for poor people to get these jobs. Even before I had student loans to pay I couldn't possibly live in DC for months without getting paid.

Xandu
Feb 19, 2006


It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.
There are some, but I think they're pretty competitive. The vast majority of federal internships are unpaid, though. Here's a few that do pay:

http://careers.state.gov/uploads/56/30/56308eff565e785509e26685e5fa93b7/4.0_Student_COOP.pdf
http://www.fbijobs.gov/231.asp
https://www.cia.gov/careers/student-opportunities/undergraduate-scholarship-program.html
http://www.dia.mil/careers/students/2011%20Co-op%20Bulletin.pdf

JetsGuy
Sep 17, 2003

science + hockey
=
LASER SKATES

Zoo posted:

Those of you dead set on getting into intelligence could also consider the military, but that's not recommended as a jobs program, even though it's often treated that way -- let's just put it that way.

This is something I wish I had considered more before I went into my PhD program. If you go into OCS with a physics degree, you come out O-1 (der)... what was kinda disappointing to me was that even the recruiter told me that no accommodations would be made for me with a PhD. Oh sure, I'd probably be placed in a lab somewhere that a PhD is required for, but I'd still be paid the same as someone with a B.S. Had I realized that the gov't cares so goddamned much about having military experience, I'd probably have heavily considered not getting the PhD.

Needless to say, I never called the Air Force back after that.

So take a lesson from me if you're looking for jobs and you are thinking about that advanced degree.

psydude
Apr 1, 2008

Grand Fromage posted:

Are there any paid internship programs left? The problem with so much of the entry level being replaced by interns is that it makes it impossible for poor people to get these jobs. Even before I had student loans to pay I couldn't possibly live in DC for months without getting paid.

I've seen several, although most of them were for public corporations. Some of the law enforcement and intelligence agencies do a co-op scholarship/internship program that pays for your schooling and gives you a paid internship in the summer. I know the CIA does this for certain - you do two summers with them as a paid intern and when you're done you're basically guaranteed a job there.

Pompous Rhombus posted:

Yeah, I'm kind of locked outside the job/experience ouroboros. I wish I'd been more proactive in doing those unpaid internships (ugh) as an undergrad to get my foot in the door, but I spent so much time abroad there wasn't really a lot of opportunity :-\
Yeah, I definitely hear that.

Crazyweasel
Oct 29, 2006
lazy

I was talking to a Special Agent with the Secret Service at a career fair; I was a junior at the time. It seems like the SS has a lot more openings and is overall more accessible to applicants, but after chatting him up for 10 minutes or so he said I'd make a great agent and should definitely apply when I graduate. Then before I could even get the words "Internship program" out of my mouth he enthusiastically told me "Don't waste your time with that crap, I've never seen any real students get one of those."

Idk, YMMV but from his comments and in talking to a few people in the Gov't that signed up as career mentors at my Uni, I basically have to accept that I'm gonna have to pay my dues for a few years. Work private sector for a few years before I get a real whiff of the government, unless I happen upon a goldmine. I imagine the same is for everyone else but it's exponentially worse if you want to work in some area of the government that doesn't really affiliate with the private sector too much.

Zoo
Oct 24, 2004

I hate to break it to you, but there is no big lie, there is no system. The universe is indifferent.
The intern programs vary based on organization. Don't let USSS discourage you; he may or may not be right about USSS, though since he works for them I'd estimate that he's right. The general rule in getting into government jobs is that you should always "give it a shot" (well, the real general rule is a little something about who-you-know and what-not, but you get what I mean).

Zoo
Oct 24, 2004

I hate to break it to you, but there is no big lie, there is no system. The universe is indifferent.

psydude posted:

I know the CIA does this for certain - you do two summers with them as a paid intern and when you're done you're basically guaranteed a job there.

The major national level intelligence agencies all do this. Surprisingly, you generally apply on their web site (though of course, as usual, don't expect a response soon or at all). DIA's is here. You would want to investigate the master's in intelligence program, which pays you pennies to go through a master's program at a government-run, regionally accredited intelligence school, following which you start a permanent position. This degree doesn't make you Mr. Intelligence Analysis, but it helps with your career later down the line; at about mid-level. A clearance is still required but you know by now that luck and waiting are part of any of these opportunities at all.

There are NSA programs for all levels of education. In particular, NSA internships are for real; it's relatively common for them to bring on interns, even during high school (less common), and they will really keep you forever. But luck, timing, GPA, math/physics degrees, etc. Although definitely don't be afraid of having a liberal arts degree. If you can sell yourself and timing, etc., is right, you are still a potential candidate.

In all cases, unless you've bombed in a big way, you're more or less guaranteed a job. It will suck seeing luckier people come in with GG-11 at a place like DIA with bare-bones qualifications while you languish at -9 equivalency, but you will indeed get your permanent position. In this environment of cutbacks, that's where your priority should be.

The Air Force intern program I pasted above, PALACE ACQUIRE, is also a good way to get a job. You start out low, but you are essentially assured a position when finished (though sometimes it may not be in the location you want; many people end up in DC or San Antonio). It's a competitive program, but it does have intelligence and other positions.

I have not gone through this program, but few people seem to know about it and I do know five people--that number is precise, because I can recall names of PALACE ACQUIRE former interns-- who've had great success with it. I think it's a three-year program. While three of them are still "languishing" at ~GS/GG-11 a year after completion (not too bad however) and one is a -12 equivalent with a master's degree (could do better, could do worse), one required only nine years to land a senior position in a major intelligence agency, albeit part of that is testament to her capabilities. This isn't so much because the program is so good, I'd guess, but more just because it's a way to get your foot in the door and that's what matters.

There are also programs like the cyber-for-service DHS program discussed briefly up-thread, which I'm not qualified to drop knowledge on. Someone else might know about it. But there are programs; that's the takeaway.

edit: didn't notice that Xandu linked to some of those already; just more fuel for your fire.

Zoo fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Jan 22, 2011

GreySkies
Apr 16, 2006
armchair cynic
Thanks for all the intelligence info, Zoo.

Some day I'll be an analyst. I just need to join the military, or get a master's, or learn another language that's not useless...:smith:

psydude
Apr 1, 2008

Zoo posted:

I have not gone through this program, but few people seem to know about it and I do know five people--that number is precise, because I can recall names of PALACE ACQUIRE former interns-- who've had great success with it. I think it's a three-year program. While three of them are still "languishing" at ~GS/GG-11 a year after completion (not too bad however) and one is a -12 equivalent with a master's degree (could do better, could do worse), one required only nine years to land a senior position in a major intelligence agency, albeit part of that is testament to her capabilities. This isn't so much because the program is so good, I'd guess, but more just because it's a way to get your foot in the door and that's what matters.

There are also programs like the cyber-for-service DHS program discussed briefly up-thread, which I'm not qualified to drop knowledge on. Someone else might know about it. But there are programs; that's the takeaway.

edit: didn't notice that Xandu linked to some of those already; just more fuel for your fire.
I was at the final round of interviews for the Department of the Army equivalent to this program. They're all currently FCIP positions though, and will be suspended after March until the OPM gives them the go ahead to hire under the new programs (hence why my application is now in limbo).

They seem to be a really good gig, though. Even if you only spend a few years with the federal government after you transition to permanent status, the amount of training and experience they give you (the DA one actually send its employees through Quartermaster/Transportation BOLC, including all of the FTXs) would make it incredibly easy to transition to another job in the private sector.

DubDisciple
Jan 9, 2005
Jah Jah never fail I yet
Reading this thread for the first time, lots of good information. I just started using USAJobs and applied for my first job last week. A big deal for me because I have 10 years private sector experience and my current job is just fine, but I'm applying for longshot-type jobs. As you all know, some of these jobs are a bit tough to apply for and require a number of documents to be uploaded, so the tips and tricks I am reading about which jobs to SKIP save me a huge amount of time.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Salo
Aug 31, 2004

....meh

Zoo posted:

The Air Force intern program I pasted above, PALACE ACQUIRE, is also a good way to get a job. You start out low, but you are essentially assured a position when finished (though sometimes it may not be in the location you want; many people end up in DC or San Antonio). It's a competitive program, but it does have intelligence and other positions.

I have not gone through this program, but few people seem to know about it and I do know five people--that number is precise, because I can recall names of PALACE ACQUIRE former interns-- who've had great success with it. I think it's a three-year program. While three of them are still "languishing" at ~GS/GG-11 a year after completion (not too bad however) and one is a -12 equivalent with a master's degree (could do better, could do worse), one required only nine years to land a senior position in a major intelligence agency, albeit part of that is testament to her capabilities. This isn't so much because the program is so good, I'd guess, but more just because it's a way to get your foot in the door and that's what matters.

I'm in the program myself and this is spot-on. The training opportunities are excellent if you make the most of your time. Plus, you are essentially guaranteed a job after you finish as long as you meet the minimum qualifications, however, overseas positions are getting tougher to come by.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply