https://www.reddit.com/r/fednews/comments/1iqt8z9/a_note_from_a_federal_employee_to_her_infant_son/

To my dearest Deacon, one of a few Easter eggs for you to find online:

This is a hard one to write, but by the time you’re old enough to stumble upon this note, and assuming the words written in this online ether withstand the societal and spiritual fight that’s upon us, your mom likely isn’t in the career that she poured her heart and mind into.

You see, your mom spent close to a decade of her life dedicated to the science of government and its operations. Money spent, passions paused, and paths turned down simply to better a country and its people that she cared deeply about supporting.

Your mom had no contacts. No connections for that critical “foot in the door” that many that seek a Federal career strive for, knowing how competitive the hiring process is.

Your mom had a vision, an education, and determination, and a willingness to start at the bottom if it meant eventually making a greater contribution from the top. Based upon sheer merit, drive and grit.

Your mom could’ve earned significantly more in the private sector. Could’ve worked her way up higher and faster without the constant career growth ceilings presented with the grade scales of the civil service and without the rampant sexism and ageism present within the patriarchal old boy’s club that is the US government and, more specifically, the defense world your mom specialized in.

In short Deacon, by the time you find this egg you won’t have a mom that’s in charge of an international military logistics program. Or a mom that travels abroad to support ally countries. Or a mom who supports domestic safety programs. You won’t know that your mom rewrote the entire SOP used for all of USCG sector 1. Or performed risk assessments for the DC silver line. Or Amtrak.

All you’ll know is that your mom was (likely) terminated from her career by an Administration that used a slogan of making America great to cover its intentions of making America crumble. You’ll know that the clueless citizens she devoted her life to supporting eventually regretted their misdirected mistrust of a workforce that was the ONLY thing keeping their country intact.

You’ll know your mom and the 2.4M like her were a victim of greed and moral failure.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5681789&forum_id=2#48666638)

Does FTM mean what I think it does

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5681789&forum_id=2#48666660)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5681789&forum_id=2#48668506)

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5 hr. ago

CollateralThrowAway

My mother told me to “just get a new job”

“If this situation is causing you so much stress, just quit.”

While also saying she didn’t want to talk to me about politics and “this is why I don’t call you as much anymore” even though she brought it up.

So when I tell her I’m scared that I’m going to lose the job I spent my entire life working for, the job my skills are only suited for, the job I chose to do in service to my country, she tells me to just shut up and get a new job.

She voted for this, is excited about all the money Ellen Moist is lying about saving us, and is perfectly fine with her kid’s dreams dying in silence.

“If you need money, I’ll just give it to you.”

That isn’t even the point. This isn’t even about me. This is the death of our country and she’s giving a standing ovation.

“I don’t even know about the emails you’ve been getting.”

That’s because you’ve never bothered to switch off FauxNews and look for yourself. I’ve told her that I’ve been threatened, insulted, threatened again, and possibly EO’d out of a job. “Well I don’t know about that.”

Then she hits me with the mom guilt and says “I just don’t know what to tell you.” Tell me you understand my fear, tell me you’re sorry this is happening and mean it. I don’t need you to do anything other than see me.

She can’t.

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(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5681789&forum_id=2#48669855)

The fed worker doesn't seem to realize that there's some tension between those two sentences.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5681789&forum_id=2#48669946)

But not proper grammar and complete sentences

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5681789&forum_id=2#48669927)

how many mymasters do you think she got?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5681789&forum_id=2#48669929)

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4 days ago

Technical_Company291

Why do federal government employees say they serve the country

I keep reading a lot of posts about federal government employees civilians, saying that they love their job and that they are serving their country. I say this because I come from the military and I did about 8 years and currently a federal government civilian employee myself, I don't understand why so many people I work with and the Reddit community says that they feel like they're making an impact on something. Can y'all please kind of give me more information about which I'll actually do cuz I work with people every single day and I have no idea what they do to make the country better or whatever y'all do in your cubicle. I just feel like if you serve your country you're in the military but I know a lot of people cannot join the military and they've tried to in the past.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5681789&forum_id=2#48978111)

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6 days ago

ThePolarisNova

I'm tired

Y'all know the drill.

I'm 23 years old and work for VBA. This month I was forced back in office like everyone else not on RA. I'm very close to getting my RA approved, I actually have a meeting at the regional office on Wednesday (meaning it's all but approved essentially, at least according to my amazing coach).

I live about 80 miles away. This means every day, I essentially have a 12 hour work day, where I still have to pay for parking and more gas than I've ever had to pay for. I know that the RA is coming soon, but I just feel so exhausted constantly. There have been days where I'm legitimately sobbing in my car before I walk into my office from the stress of NO TIME for my life. I took this job thinking I'd have to be here once a pay period which isn't bad, but now I'm just chronically sleep deprived.

I can either choose to do something fun when I get home or get a nap in. Either way the next day of work is lesser quality, no matter how good of a job I want to do for veterans. I still meet metrics and everything sure, but I know there are things slipping through the cracks.

I believe in the work I do, I really do. I'm also scared to get out of this situation with such a crazy job shortage right now.

Idk if I'm just ranting to rant or wanting some advice here but I feel like my mental health is crashing right now and nobody gets it, as there aren't a ton of people my age with federal jobs outside of military.

MAJOR EDIT: My RA got approved and I'm back to remote work, thanking God huge right now. Thanks for all of your kind words for those who gave it, I hope everyone else gets good news if they're working towards it!

Upvote

135

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5681789&forum_id=2#48978120)

•

Cultural Anthropologist | Author | Red Team Analyst

1d • 1 day ago • Visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn

Today would have been my last day of maternity leave and Monday, once upon a time, I would have walked back into a bustling center, full of human rights lawyers, war crimes investigators, veterans, targeting specialists, intelligence experts, policy analysts, Army strategists and planners, and yours truly as the lone cultural anthropologist (in the center itself). Every single person I worked with wanted to serve our country and make the world a little safer for civilians and servicemembers alike.

I probably would have dived right into a project on recognizing cognitive bias in civilian harm assessments, using my brand new red teaming skills (which have also been deemed too DEI as of late with its emphasis on creativity and critical thinking). I probably would have made another military terminology faux pas and been good naturedly reprimanded by veteran and active duty coworkers (or had a meme made of me and tacked by the "Dr. Matossian" cubicle tag).

I would have prepared a red teaming briefing and deployed to support partners as needed, but maternity leave and the DRP disrupted those plans.

I would have scheduled 1:1s with colleagues at different combatant commands and Service Components, flattered that anthropological advice and expertise was needed and valued.

With my recent upgrade in clearance, I would have been more instrumental in planning scenarios. I craved tackling the data, and had unspoken recommendations for improving existing qualitative methodologies employed by the military.

In short, I loved bringing a unique perspective to this diverse organization, and I loved learning from my coworkers. I truly hope this isn't the last opportunity we have to work together, because we were really just getting started.

Instead, I am forced to resign and start a new, uncharted chapter, as are many of my coworkers. My child will see his Mom fail and stumble, but he will never see me give up, and he will learn how magical different flavors of science are when they are used for noble causes.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5681789&forum_id=2#48997272)