Career feds

[Anonymous]

How do you feel, especially those of you who work in agencies that have had major changes or those who interact directly with politicals? A few of my colleagues have left since the admin change because they didn't want to work under this administration.

[Anonymous]

I don't care, I follow my marching orders and do my job.

[Anonymous]

I view my continuing to work as a way to mitigate damage by continuing to do my best within the constraints of a bad administration. And I'll be here when things go back to normal to get things back on course as quickly as possible.

--EPA employee

[Anonymous]

Well, they have hired so few politicals it doesn't really feel different at all, other than a few poorly thought out policies that I assume any Republican administration would have wanted.

[Anonymous]

I’m not at a super controversial agency like EPA, but things have definitely gotten more political. After seeing kids separated from their families, I’m mentally done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not at a super controversial agency like EPA, but things have definitely gotten more political. After seeing kids separated from their families, I’m mentally done.

Me, too. Even though my work is not even tangentially related, I am starting to feel complicit by supporting the government juggernaut at all. I had been telling myself that staying and trying to uphold standards was the morally correct thing to do, but now I am not so sure.

[Anonymous]

Morale is terrible, lately, and lots of great, career employees have left. I keep thinking it may be time to do the same and have sent out a few resumes. But, to be honest, I love my job and it offers me levers of powers to push on at least. I have the chance, sometimes, to make it a little better. Sometimes. Sometimes not. Each fresh outrage or noxious political appointee makes me look at job listings, however.

[Anonymous]

I quit. Couldn't deal with the heavy sinking feeling every morning walking into the building and wondering what terrible thing they/we were going to do today.

[Anonymous]

These things come and go. You have to keep your head down and stay down until it's over. Keep your mouth shut and keep your head down.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t seen a difference and I’m not pro-Trump at all. My agency is one the current POTUS likes. If anything he wants to give us more money.

I have bills to pay and my own family to worry about although it’s getting harder to watch the news. I keep my mouth shut about my political beliefs, do my job.

[Anonymous]

Morale is bad. We all have bills to pay. Just tryiing to make it to 2020.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't care, I follow my marching orders and do my job.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Morale is bad. We all have bills to pay. Just tryiing to make it to 2020.

+1. And I’m SSA. No Commissioner yet. No Trump appointees at all. And a budget that is basically holding steady. You still need your benefits, so we’re trying to do the best job we can for you.

But wow does morale stink. A lot of people have quit. Upper management is paranoid that they are going to end in in the Administration’s crosshairs, and and micromanaging to an unbelievable degree. I’m doing 60% telework right now, or I’m not sure I’d be able to hang on.

[kburggraf]

I am a RN and trying to get a job with the feds and I have applied to various jobs and my applications have been 'received' and even some 'referred' but have not heard anything.... I have a Masters degree and great experience with Hopkins and other hospitals. Should I email the person on the application as I would think that they are just an HR person and are not the person to hire me? Should I mail a certified letter or call? How long should I wait and is it possible for a civilian to enter the federal government in their 40's from the private sector? My dream job is with NIH or CDC as I love research. Any input is welcomed and appreciated as I am frustrated and want to see some change.
Thanks,
Karen

[Anonymous]

My job so far has been largely unaffected, but I work in a fringe area that doesn’t get much attention, positive or negative. The administration has only proposed (relatively) minor cuts to my work. We have very good relationships on the Hill and have been plussed up significantly in Congressional budgets. We have very few politicals in place, though the few I have worked with have been totally fine/reasonable people. We absolutely do not discuss/acknowledge politics at all. One woman is overtly Christian, and routinely asks about my plans for religious holidays. I’m an athiest, but haven’t said anything to contradict her assumption that I am also a Christian - but I’ve always taken that approach at work.

More generally speaking, I’ve seen a lot if retirements among older folks who were already eligible to retire, but no younger folks have left. We’ve scooped up a number of folks from EPA. My agency is very mission driven, so I don’t doubt that there would be more losses if we were directly involved in work that people objected to morally.

I stopped following the news regularly after the election to manage my stress. I check in on occassion, and hear about very big things (like I did hear about the family separations). But not hearing every assinine thing this administration is trying helps a lot. Some of the news strikes me as sensationalist and only telling half the story. Like very fear mongering articles about the President’s propsed budget without every clarifying that the propsed budget isn’t the Real budget. They don’t say Congress sets the budget, and funding levels would unlikely reflect the President’s request. And we’re talking NYTimes and WAPO even.