What was your first government job?
Everybody remembers their first government job. It's a learning experience...
Me:
Summer of 2003 - Social Security Administration, Office of Policy. I was a "Policy Intern" where I basically crunched numbers all day. A decent job but emphasized to me that I didn't want to sit around and write papers all day. An eclectic office full of academic-types but they also had one of the best lunch breaks I've ever seen where 10-15 people would gather daily and have really fun conversations.
Me:
Summer of 2003 - Social Security Administration, Office of Policy. I was a "Policy Intern" where I basically crunched numbers all day. A decent job but emphasized to me that I didn't want to sit around and write papers all day. An eclectic office full of academic-types but they also had one of the best lunch breaks I've ever seen where 10-15 people would gather daily and have really fun conversations.
Tags: hire, just for fun, leadership, new, new hire, new hire handbook
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Al Arnold on -
I was elected Mayor of Rice Lake, WI in 1984, after 5 years of doing editorial cartoons poking fun at the incumbent Mayor.
Starting at the top was certainly a learning experience!
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Permalink Reply by Myron H. Daldrup on -
I started as a Data Control Clerk with the General Services Administration. I had the job of assigning vendor numbers (Numbers to identify the various vendors we pay.) to vendor invoices. This was done by looking through several hundred pages of computer printouts for a current vendor number. If one was not found, then we would have to determine which payment system the invoice would be paid from and set up the proper vendor number for that system.
Today, this duty rarely has a manual aspect to it. Vendor coding is done programmatically and I help write some of the code that does it.
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Permalink Reply by Emi Whittle on -
Fall of 1996 - Houston/Harris County Area Agency on Aging. I was hired to manage and supervise the Case Management Program, as authorized by the Older Americans Act and funded through the State of Texas, through the City of Houston. The program had not been running as it needed to.... I (humbly) take pride in getting it to meet and surpass contracted requirements and in creating processes that were exhibited to the rest of the State as a method of how to get it done. We had a small staff of case managers and a secretary and we all cared deeply for our clients and understood the importance of our purpose. I loved that job --- getting to provide eyeglasses, hearing aids, in-home services, and connecting seniors with all kinds and manner of assistance... That was awesome. (Of course, I also did all the contract resource management, data tracking, contract reporting, etc, and learned neat things about city government beaurocracy :). I am forever graciously thankful to have had that experience.
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Permalink Reply by I.J on -
1st Government Job: Contract Specialist at the Smithsonian Institution as an Intern in October of 2005...was very excited about the projects but very nervous that anyone would give me (just right out of college) millions of dollars in contracts to work on....I did learn a lot though...and that experience has made me a better senior contract specialist that I am now.
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Permalink Reply by Lynelle T. Frye on
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September 1989 - Capitol Hill, Office of Congressman (D-1st-MD). I was a receptionist, getting my feet wet in government and the legislative process. Moved on to staff assistant on committees and subcommittees for my five year term.
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Permalink Reply by Faith Summerlin on
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I started out with the State of Alabama, Revenue Department in 1972 as a fle clerk and that is what inspired me to continue college. I am now going back for my Masters in Education. I am currently the Director of Compensation Services. I have worked for the State of Alabama for 32 years now. I want to retire and teach school in the very rural town of Andalusia, Alabama. I work with a great bunch of really odd but fun people and we prepare payroll for 3,000+ employees.
Faith Summerlin
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Permalink Reply by William Elmore on
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Faith-Good for you. Bill Elmore
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Permalink Reply by Randy Morris on -
December 2005 - HR Manager for School District No1 1 in Butte, MT. This was my first job out of college and learned early in my career that it wasn't so much of what you know as who you know. Interesting how politically correct phrasing has changed - what was once the 'good ol boy system' is now called social networking.. "hey, don't I know you from GovLoop?"
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Permalink Reply by Kimberly T Nelson on -
An intern for Pennsylvnia Senate. Responsible for soling constituent problems. One of the best ways to learn how the government was strucutured and how it really worked.
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Permalink Reply by Dawn Washington on -
My first government job was a Branch Secretary at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (White Oak, MD).
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Permalink Reply by Mary Davie on -
I started as a GS-4 with GSA working as a student seasonal hire while still in college (Go Hokies). I made copies and collated papers for the Assistant Commissioner and the staff at FEDSIM. They hired me after college, gave me many opportunities and so here I am still at GSA. Great place to work.
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