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There are a slew of new digital services firms that are trying to build exactly this. Government has a workforce challenge -- it is aging out, being starved of

by tomrod 5y ago

There are a slew of new digital services firms that are trying to build exactly this. Government has a workforce challenge -- it is aging out, being starved of resources, and technology isn't core to agency mission(s). For decades they have outsourced to the same set of big companies that often failed to deliver. 18F and USDS are more than small departments -- they are bootcamps for the people who go through and then impact the the agencies and firms they move on to after. They were really inspired by the failure, then success, of healthcare.gov. 10 years ago upwards of 80% of government IT projects failed. This is improving.

wing-_-nuts 5y ago
I interned with the navy in college. I wanted to be a federal employee when I graduated. I even had special consideration due to my internship, and my disability. Did I? No. I did not. The experience of trying to get a federal job was abysmally bad. First, there are precious few GS positions that actually do coding. Everything seems to be contracted out. The few positions that were there were very hard to apply for. I applied to every position I found across 5 different states, and my resume simply disappeared into a bureaucratic black hole. After a month or so of that nonsense, I threw in the towel and looked for something in the private sector. The difference was a breath of fresh air. I got interviews in days, offers in weeks, and I've made enough money that I'm basically financially independent at this point. The government has a long way to go with their hiring process.
mattmcknight 5y ago
They also refuse to pay market rates on the basis of skills.
- tomrod 5y ago
  This is due to the starving of resources: both in budget, and in policy to address mismatches from the market for employees.
  - mattmcknight 5y ago
    I would say it is due to a bureaucracy that does not value those skills- they don't want developers making more than some managers.
- packetslave 5y ago
  By law, no government employee can have a salary higher than a member of congress (174,000).
  - tomrod 5y ago
    You might be missing some nuance. From January 2022: Level I: $226,300 Level II: $203,700 Level III: $187,300 Level IV: $176,300 Level V: $165,300 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Schedule https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Schedule
    - mandevil 5y ago
      Well, but Executive Schedule people are essentially all political appointees, not individual contributors. This is the several hundred people who get appointed by the President- most of them requiring Senate approval- and come in to be the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs or whatever. This is not the Civil Service but the political appointees who sit on top of them and cycle out regularly back to think-tanks or industry jobs when their party loses an election. (https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-PLUMBOOK-2020/ https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-PLUMBOOK-2020/ is the full list of these positions)
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
      - count 5y ago
        SES is not political appointees. SES are career executives, and generally serve through many administrations. Political appointees are usually 'Secretaries' and that ilk, which may be 'SES' equivalent, non-career/competitive appointments, but are not Career SES. There are TONS of SES folks below the appointee level.
        5y ago

by tomrod 5y ago

wing-_-nuts 5y ago

I interned with the navy in college. I wanted to be a federal employee when I graduated. I even had special consideration due to my internship, and my disability. Did I? No. I did not. The experience of trying to get a federal job was abysmally bad. First, there are precious few GS positions that actually do coding. Everything seems to be contracted out. The few positions that were there were very hard to apply for. I applied to every position I found across 5 different states, and my resume simply disappeared into a bureaucratic black hole. After a month or so of that nonsense, I threw in the towel and looked for something in the private sector. The difference was a breath of fresh air. I got interviews in days, offers in weeks, and I've made enough money that I'm basically financially independent at this point. The government has a long way to go with their hiring process.

mattmcknight 5y ago

They also refuse to pay market rates on the basis of skills.

tomrod 5y ago
This is due to the starving of resources: both in budget, and in policy to address mismatches from the market for employees.
- mattmcknight 5y ago
  I would say it is due to a bureaucracy that does not value those skills- they don't want developers making more than some managers.
packetslave 5y ago
By law, no government employee can have a salary higher than a member of congress (174,000).
- tomrod 5y ago
  You might be missing some nuance. From January 2022: Level I: $226,300 Level II: $203,700 Level III: $187,300 Level IV: $176,300 Level V: $165,300 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Schedule https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Schedule
  - mandevil 5y ago
    Well, but Executive Schedule people are essentially all political appointees, not individual contributors. This is the several hundred people who get appointed by the President- most of them requiring Senate approval- and come in to be the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs or whatever. This is not the Civil Service but the political appointees who sit on top of them and cycle out regularly back to think-tanks or industry jobs when their party loses an election. (https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-PLUMBOOK-2020/ https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-PLUMBOOK-2020/ is the full list of these positions)
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - count 5y ago
      SES is not political appointees. SES are career executives, and generally serve through many administrations. Political appointees are usually 'Secretaries' and that ilk, which may be 'SES' equivalent, non-career/competitive appointments, but are not Career SES. There are TONS of SES folks below the appointee level.
      - 5y ago