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Congratulations to me! Fourteen (14) years ago I began working for the gummint, 1/25/95 (today being the first workday following the actual anniversary date). I was a GS-7 hired through my career center at George Mason University, which at the time was about $24,400 (now about $41,210), through the honor scholar program (gpa >= 3.5). Before that I was making $12-12.50/hr running copy machines in a print shop (industrial / factory, not kinkos level work) with my MA degree. In the honor scholar program, I was given nearly-automatic promotions for the first few years until I was a "journeyman level" which for my first career ended at GS-11...that's to say that after my first year I'd be promoted to a GS-9 if I was performing ok, one more year to GS-11. By the time I reached the GS-11 they raised our career ladder to the GS-12, so I hit my GS-12 a year later. I meant to retire as a GS-12. At the time most agencies had automatic step increases (many still do, but some agencies are going to pay banding systems where pay is more performance-based than seniority based) and of course the pay is indexed for inflation each year.
Somewhere I got the bug and entered management; only job-hopping did I wind up at this place where they trained me from scratch and I stumbled into this career that I love now. I moved up sure, but it was more of a coincidence than some super goal-oriented conduct of my own.
Some of the main benefits of gummint I still pimp to...well anyone that will listen. It's usually only 40 hours of work a week, you have TEN (10) paid Fed holidays. Throughout your career you get sick time of 104 hours per year, accrued at a rate of 4 hours a pay period / two weeks. Similarly you get 104 hours of paid vacation/leave for your first 3 years of service. Then from years 3-14 you get 160 hours of leave. I'm excited that from years 15 on you get 208 hours of paid leave a year. So, now I get about a month off a year plus holidays plus sick time...then in a year I get a month and a half PLUS sick PLUS holidays. All that at only 40 hours a week.
Somewhere I got the bug and entered management; only job-hopping did I wind up at this place where they trained me from scratch and I stumbled into this career that I love now. I moved up sure, but it was more of a coincidence than some super goal-oriented conduct of my own.
Some of the main benefits of gummint I still pimp to...well anyone that will listen. It's usually only 40 hours of work a week, you have TEN (10) paid Fed holidays. Throughout your career you get sick time of 104 hours per year, accrued at a rate of 4 hours a pay period / two weeks. Similarly you get 104 hours of paid vacation/leave for your first 3 years of service. Then from years 3-14 you get 160 hours of leave. I'm excited that from years 15 on you get 208 hours of paid leave a year. So, now I get about a month off a year plus holidays plus sick time...then in a year I get a month and a half PLUS sick PLUS holidays. All that at only 40 hours a week.
