Youngest GS-15?

[Anonymous]

Not normal at my agency. The youngest I know of in my agency was promoted to a 15 around age 35.

Almost all of our SES and a lot of our 15s have been in their jobs for a long time. I feel like in the next 5 years, there will be a lot of retirements in leadership and opportunities to move up. I'm 36 and a GS-14.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone I work with just got a GS-15 and they are only 31 years old. I'm finding myself very envious being a 45 year old GS-13. Is obtaining a GS-15 at 31 normal? Who is the youngest 15 you know and what age was it achieved? Just trying to see if I'm seriously behind the curve.

At what age did they start and with which degree or experience?

[Anonymous]

What helps people get there at young age? Any tips?

[Anonymous]

At my agency we have a lot of Ph.D. scientists who typically come in at age about 30, but at a GS-13. If they do well (as I did), you can make GS-14 at about 35 and non-supervisory GS-15 in your early 40s (41 for me and several of my peers), but then you're probably stuck at a GS-15 for the rest of your career. One of us -- a real high-flier -- made GS-15 at 37, but he's the youngest I've seen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my agency we have a lot of Ph.D. scientists who typically come in at age about 30, but at a GS-13. If they do well (as I did), you can make GS-14 at about 35 and non-supervisory GS-15 in your early 40s (41 for me and several of my peers), but then you're probably stuck at a GS-15 for the rest of your career. One of us -- a real high-flier -- made GS-15 at 37, but he's the youngest I've seen.

Are those spots competed? Meaning, is the GS-14 or -15 position advertised, requiring a resume submittal, interview process, etc.?

[Anonymous]

My husband took a 40 pct pay cut to join the USG and became a GS15 in his mid-late 30s. It’s all about the options someone has.

[Anonymous]

I made GS-15 at 33 (with 5 years of federal service at that point). I was a very young 15 at my agency; fortunately I aged kind of prematurely and everyone just assumed I was in my 40s - and I always kept my age under wraps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my agency we have a lot of Ph.D. scientists who typically come in at age about 30, but at a GS-13. If they do well (as I did), you can make GS-14 at about 35 and non-supervisory GS-15 in your early 40s (41 for me and several of my peers), but then you're probably stuck at a GS-15 for the rest of your career. One of us -- a real high-flier -- made GS-15 at 37, but he's the youngest I've seen.

Are those spots competed? Meaning, is the GS-14 or -15 position advertised, requiring a resume submittal, interview process, etc.?

PP here -- yes, to get the first GS-13 position it's an open opportunity. There's usually a second internal-only process to get promoted each time, which does require the resume evaluation but not an interview; I recall that for the GS-15 advancement letters of recommendation from peers outside the government were necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not normal at my agency. The youngest I know of in my agency was promoted to a 15 around age 35.

Almost all of our SES and a lot of our 15s have been in their jobs for a long time. I feel like in the next 5 years, there will be a lot of retirements in leadership and opportunities to move up. I'm 36 and a GS-14.

Same here (NIH). GS 15s are difficult to attain and people are typically well into their 40s before they get it.