|
lwoodio posted:We were sent a memo at the start of covid giving a 12 month extension to DAWIA certification, now my supervisor is saying they expect everyone to be certified on time. I have two DAU virtual instruction courses to complete in 30 days and nothing has any slots left. Should I start looking for a new job? I have also been neglecting my DAWIA. I was hired into a position with a Level 3 requirement with no prior experience, it's a steep uphill climb. Nobody gives a crap about DAWIA in my office but I think the front office lady who manages it will eventually get on me about it because it's tracked as a metric by the leadership. I plan to roll to a sweet mid level position in industry (hopefully non-DOD) once I get two years of experience, because like previous poster said, I don't want to turn into a slug. Also, being in a pm role in DAWIA is way too much stress and unpaid overtime for a government job. Military supervisors keep rotating, leaving me to keep the house of cards from falling apart. I should be doing my DAWIA to hedge my bets in case I get cold feet about leaving to private sector but dammit I'm tired.
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2021 14:58
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 13:21 |
|
|
I let my COR cert expire as soon as I was able to shift from COR to project manager responsibilities.
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2021 15:17
|
|
|
laxbro posted:I let my COR cert expire as soon as I was able to shift from COR to project manager responsibilities. Being a COR looks like hell. It seems like government never has enough CORs to do the job properly.
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2021 15:42
|
|
|
Howard Phillips posted:Being a COR looks like hell. It seems like government never has enough CORs to do the job properly. They don’t. That was my first job out of college and within a year I was running 14 projects, none of them very well. That was the average workload at that place too, though the senior CORs were running larger programs it was still a ton of stupid paperwork 24/7. Especially frustrating because they used the same process for everything, which meant my stupid little $250,000 database maintenance contract got the same scrutiny as the 10 megabuck program to design and build an entire new class of sensors.
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2021 19:18
|
|
|
Invoice review training wasn't even part of the mandatory COR training at my agency for a looong time. On top of all the other poo poo they need to do for the cert, they always either came running to my branch for "how do I approve this invoice" or even worse, just rubberstamped them - leading to reclasses and other such pains in the rear end. And many that did know the minimum of the above didn't even know how to retrieive the CLIN structure of the contracts they were responsible for through our (actually decent) reports and so were keeping track of funding levels in some sort of bizzarro parallel process. EDIT: I trained CORs on how to handle invoices. Just me. In an agency with ~300+ CORs. And I was a contractor. Seamonster fucked around with this message at 15:39 on Feb 28, 2021 |
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2021 15:34
|
|
|
well the IRS never got back to me but FEMA did and now I’ve been an EHP environmental compliance review specialist reservist for 4 days I got issued a fancy new iPhone and stuff yesterday and it’s received 3 spam texts and a spam call already? so that’s pretty cool I read the oath of office over the phone to an HR person in Alabama which was fun but at this point I still don’t actually know anyone else that works in or for the office/directorate of environmental and historic protection
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2021 22:37
|
|
|
Spam job postings- Not Just For Monster and Indeed Anymore https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/591099500 https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/592997000
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2021 22:47
|
|
|
Christ my day at work would have been a million times smoother if my general expeditor wasn't a giant loving bully. My entire tenure at the USPS would be so much smoother if my general expeditor and one of the senior letter carriers would just disappear.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2021 00:10
|
|
|
thechosenone posted:Oh I have a four year math degree, but was thinking I could just supplement it with a few more programming classes. The idea of getting some certifications might be good. Two or three of those might help. The A plus certification is still the most basic one right? I could start with that, them get two more, and that might be a good start. Oh my god, my last gov't job had career ladders for STEM majors -- GS 09 - 12 in four years.
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2021 01:37
|
|
|
This is dependent on your ability to get a secret squirrel clearance and desire to spend the rest of your life in one of three places (Kansas, Huntsville, Maryland), but I attended a briefing at the end of undergrad a few years ago for the Missile Defense Agency's management training program, and it was impressive. 2 year program, 6 month rotation between each of their major areas, I think you hired in as a 10 or 11, and by the end of 2 years you're a GS-13 (I believe, if I remember right) with an undergrad degree. I imagine they're choosy as hell, but you've already got a leg up with a STEM degree. https://www.mda.mil/careers/recruitment_events.html
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2021 02:19
|
|
|
Hey, I was hired in as a GS-13 equivalent with just an undergrad degree. 8 years of experience as a contractor in the financial management field, 10 years overall in procurement systems.
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2021 04:10
|
|
|
This was a room full of 22-23 year olds (and middle-aged me), who all managed to look alert but unimpressed. They'll be sniffing the underbelly of 6 figures before they even get cheap car insurance. I was doing the math in my head "how much would someone have to pay me to live in Huntsville for the next 20 years", and unfortunately it's much more than a GS scale can provide
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2021 06:29
|
|
|
AntennaGeek posted:Oh my god, my last gov't job had career ladders for STEM majors -- GS 09 - 12 in four years. GS 7 to 12 ladder in 3 years (7 to 9 at year 1, 9-11 at year 2, 11-12 at year 3) is very typical for STEM grads getting hired into DOD warfare centers.
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2021 19:36
|
|
|
GD_American posted:This is dependent on your ability to get a secret squirrel clearance and desire to spend the rest of your life in one of three places (Kansas, Huntsville, Maryland), but I attended a briefing at the end of undergrad a few years ago for the Missile Defense Agency's management training program, and it was impressive. 2 year program, 6 month rotation between each of their major areas, I think you hired in as a 10 or 11, and by the end of 2 years you're a GS-13 (I believe, if I remember right) with an undergrad degree. I imagine they're choosy as hell, but you've already got a leg up with a STEM degree. MDA has a big presence in Dahlgren, VA also on their Navy side. Decent place because it's low COL with DC locality pay.
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2021 19:54
|
|
|
The ladder for STEM majors as Patent Examiners is pretty keen, most start at GS 7 or 9, with steady progression to 11 (one year), 12 (one year), 13 (one year plus pass a certification exam) and 14 (extensive work review by managers required) without going into management. First line managers, who must have been GS 14 examiners for at least a year get nice GS 15 positions.
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2021 21:34
|
|
|
Shadragul posted:The ladder for STEM majors as Patent Examiners is pretty keen, most start at GS 7 or 9, with steady progression to 11 (one year), 12 (one year), 13 (one year plus pass a certification exam) and 14 (extensive work review by managers required) without going into management. First line managers, who must have been GS 14 examiners for at least a year get nice GS 15 positions. Jesusssssss. I'm assuming mostly engineering background for these positions, no?
|
|
#
?
Mar 9, 2021 01:21
|
|
|
GD_American posted:Jesusssssss. I'm assuming mostly engineering background for these positions, no? Engineering (any discipline), computer science, biology, chemistry, and biochemistry. There's probably a few more sciences that are acceptable, but those are the major ones.
|
|
#
?
Mar 9, 2021 17:40
|
|
|
Shadragul posted:Engineering (any discipline), computer science, biology, chemistry, and biochemistry. There's probably a few more sciences that are acceptable, but those are the major ones. This is mostly true. There is at least one non-stem patent examiner role: Design Patent Examiner: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/590866400. BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To be considered for this position, you must have either: (A) Degree (BA/BS) in industrial design, product design, architecture, applied arts, graphic design, fine/studio arts or art teacher education OR courses equivalent to a major in one of the above disciplines; -OR-(B) a combination of related courses totaling at least at least 20 semester hours in industrial design, product design, architecture, applied arts, graphic design, fine/studio arts, or art teacher education, plus appropriate experience or additional education; -OR- (C) four years of experience in the field of industrial design, product design, architecture, applied arts, graphic design, fine/studio arts, or art teacher education that demonstrated knowledge of the fundamental principles of the field involved in the position to be filled equivalent to that which would have been obtained through successful completion of a full 4-year degree. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. edit: It also looks like the full performance level for patent examiners is 13, not 14 like you wrote above. Perhaps this changed recently.
|
|
#
?
Mar 9, 2021 18:43
|
|
|
PTO also offers 100% remote work after a certain period of time (assuming they don't just make it 100% remote work from the start once COVID passes) with appropriate performance. I *think* they're on a special salary rate, too, and offer copious overtime since they're understaffed.
|
|
#
?
Mar 9, 2021 19:20
|
|
|
Endless Mike posted:PTO also offers 100% remote work after a certain period of time (assuming they don't just make it 100% remote work from the start once COVID passes) with appropriate performance. I *think* they're on a special salary rate, too, and offer copious overtime since they're understaffed. They are on a special rate. I was looking at them seriously at one point and made it as far as an in-person interview. Not just any special rate, but a very generous one. It's a 33% supplement at the full journeyman level, which is slightly more generous than DC locality, and 53% at GS5/7, which is a nice little cash head start for the beginning of someone's climb. And you can enjoy that salary regardless of location too, once you're fully remote. You could live somewhere pleasant and cheap like Iowa and get paid like a big city dweller. Sometimes I regret not going for it, but at the end of the day I learned engineering to tinker with and make things, not do that kind of lawyery stuff (no offense meant if you're the type to enjoy lawyery stuff)
|
|
#
?
Mar 9, 2021 21:28
|
|
|
how is that 6.7 million return backlog coming along? poorly, or extremely poorly? Ignatius M. Meen fucked around with this message at 01:29 on Mar 10, 2021 |
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 01:23
|
|
|
Ignatius M. Meen posted:how is that 6.7 million return backlog coming along? On the Trademark side, its hosed. Post Reg is overloaded with crazy backlogs.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 02:14
|
|
|
Half of the cafeteria at our processing center has been turned into storage for work-cart overflow. We are, in the most precise terms possible, hosed from orbit.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 02:20
|
|
|
So it’s gonna take about 10 years for a paper return?
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 02:48
|
|
|
REMEMBER SPONGE MONKEYS posted:So it’s gonna take about 10 years for a paper return? I've seen paper returns take 6-9 months on the reg
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 02:52
|
|
|
Xelkelvos posted:I've seen paper returns take 6-9 months on the reg Yeah 6 is the announced span, attempted identity theft can gently caress right off.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 02:56
|
|
|
You guys have a cafeteria? Word.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 03:17
|
|
|
laxbro posted:This is mostly true. There is at least one non-stem patent examiner role: Design Patent Examiner: I always forget about the design examiners, even though they're run through my tech center. I can assure you, patent examiners go right on up to gs-14. I'm on step 8. It's been that way since long before I started 20+ years ago.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 08:10
|
|
|
Shadragul posted:I always forget about the design examiners, even though they're run through my tech center. Is the job interesting though? I would love to leave this stressful DAWIA job for an ez and interesting 14 job.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 13:36
|
|
|
Shadragul posted:I always forget about the design examiners, even though they're run through my tech center. Got it, I'm just going off USAJobs which says the FPL is 13 - which implies that the ladder ends at 13 and you would have to compete for a 14. I defer to you though - we all know USAJobs isn't always the most accurate! Howard Phillips posted:Is the job interesting though? I would love to leave this stressful DAWIA job for an ez and interesting 14 job. From what I've heard, it is neither easy nor interesting. But it does let you have an amazing lifestyle with permanent telework from anywhere in the CONUS.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 13:55
|
|
|
Yeahhhhhh no one I've ever talked to that worked there seemed to much *like* the work, but accepted it in exchange for pretty good work/life balance and solid pay (at least in so far as the government offers solid pay to STEM workers). Plus it's a function explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, so it's at least *less* likely to disappear than a lot of agencies. From what I understand, how easy and/or interesting it is depends *heavily* on your work unit.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 15:07
|
|
|
laxbro posted:Got it, I'm just going off USAJobs which says the FPL is 13 - which implies that the ladder ends at 13 and you would have to compete for a 14. I defer to you though - we all know USAJobs isn't always the most accurate! I didn't end up working for PTO so take this with a grain of salt, but I'll bet it's one of those things where you technically compete for a 14 after doing a normal ladder to 13, complete with a new USAjobs listing and a whole rear end interview process, but unless something's gone wrong, it can be reasonable to expect grabbing a 14 position if you've done the job well enough for a couple of years (...and uh, get along well enough with your chain of command). That's how things work for engineers where I'm at. The FPL for engineering new hires is 12 here, but realistically you'll never find any engineer that's been here more than 4 years or so still working under a GS-13 level, unless they're just the sorriest engineer in one sense or another.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 15:13
|
|
|
Endless Mike posted:Yeahhhhhh no one I've ever talked to that worked there seemed to much *like* the work, but accepted it in exchange for pretty good work/life balance and solid pay (at least in so far as the government offers solid pay to STEM workers). Plus it's a function explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, so it's at least *less* likely to disappear than a lot of agencies. Patents and copyrights help the rich stay rich so you can expect PTO to be among the last to fall.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 15:44
|
|
|
Howard Phillips posted:Is the job interesting though? I would love to leave this stressful DAWIA job for an ez and interesting 14 job. Interesting? On most days, yes. Easy, almost never. Quotas exist for examiners, with the quota getting higher the bigger your GS level. The quota varies depending upon what technology you work in, and can range from about 9 hours to pick up an application, read through it and understand it, search for what already exists, and write up an work product ("Office action") telling the Applicant why they don't get a patent yet. Some technologies end up with as many as 20 hours to do the same thing. Some technologies have a large percentage of applications that sail through on the first action to allowance (i.e.-allowed to become a patent), I just don't work in one of those fields, so about 98% of new applications get at least one rejection from me. Justus posted:I didn't end up working for PTO so take this with a grain of salt, but I'll bet it's one of those things where you technically compete for a 14 after doing a normal ladder to 13, complete with a new USAjobs listing and a whole rear end interview process, but unless something's gone wrong, it can be reasonable to expect grabbing a 14 position if you've done the job well enough for a couple of years (...and uh, get along well enough with your chain of command). That's how things work for engineers where I'm at. The FPL for engineering new hires is 12 here, but realistically you'll never find any engineer that's been here more than 4 years or so still working under a GS-13 level, unless they're just the sorriest engineer in one sense or another. There's no competition against other examiners for the 14 position (or any position on the ladder for that matter). The Office (USPTO) wants everyone to make it to GS-14 because they get the most work production per salary from 14s. The transition from 13 to 14 requires passing of the "full signatory authority program" where managers do a thorough review of your work and decide whether or not your work is acceptable to give you authority to act without a review from someone who already has full signatory authority.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 19:28
|
|
|
Hell that sounds great, I'm a 14 and I can't buy ink pens without at least five people signing off on it. Any substantive decision I make has at least two dozen people reviewing it, any one of whom can shitcan the whole thing with no way for me to appeal the decision.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 19:32
|
|
|
Shadragul posted:
Of course they've run metrics and realized this is the optimum pay/output. Awesome haha.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2021 21:27
|
|
|
What's the deal with some postings that don't have public positions. They only seem to be career transition/americorps/special authority hires. Do these positions ever get filled or filed publicly?
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2021 17:03
|
|
|
Goodpancakes posted:What's the deal with some postings that don't have public positions. They only seem to be career transition/americorps/special authority hires. Do these positions ever get filled or filed publicly? They’re just there to frustrate you. Mission accomplished. I can’t say specifically, but I imagine they are filled from within whatever restricted group(s).
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2021 17:55
|
|
|
Goodpancakes posted:What's the deal with some postings that don't have public positions. They only seem to be career transition/americorps/special authority hires. Do these positions ever get filled or filed publicly? The reason is it usually takes so long to get a vacancy posted and the cert list returned to the hiring division. It's a gamble if you go open to public that the cert list takes forever to screen or that the person you want takes another job. Govt only postings are usually easier to certify and hire, but you may not get anyone who qualifies. We just had an opening go out for a GS 13 government only in LA and had zero applicants. Now, we get to wait another 9 months until a new cert from a public posting, so another year until a "maybe" hire.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2021 20:35
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 13:21 |
|
|
I have applied for a vacancy that has been canceled 3 times within the past 24 hours (initial vacancy posting on 3/15). Very bizarre. I am not even that interested but I'm going to keep on reapplying just in case they are trying to sneak someone in through the announcement.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2021 20:48
|
|