Excellence in Government Fellows Program

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone - has anyone done the Excellence in Government Fellows Program? What were their opinions on it, was it beneficial to their career, how was the work load etc?

My husband has been nominated, and I am very proud - but it starts this October, when I will be 7+ months pregnant with our first child. So I am curious how it will be for him to handle the stress of a full time job, this program, and a newborn. There is also a 3 day session the day before my due date, that complicates things as well, I hope that they would be understanding if he misses a day or two because I go into labor. We intend to discuss this weekend, but I am thinking it's a great opportunity, and while it will be a lot on our plates, i can handle things while he is busy (we have a fairly good local support network) and I intend to take maternity leave for the first three months.

Any opinions on the program would be appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Congrats on the baby and the acceptance!

DH did it several decades ago and it certainly helped with promotions and new jobs. If your DH plans to stay, unless things have changed, he should do it. DH did leave govt after awhile (should have never done that) and it's not as meaningful outside govt unless a HR screener/the computer algorithm recognizes it.

As far as having a newborn, DH worked at a high level govt job and was traveling overseas all the time when our kids were newborns - you will survive and you will need outside help if you go back to work. I stayed at home which probably made it easier to juggle but I was exhausted until youngest turned 4.

[Anonymous]

Is this a really prestigious program? I have advanced degrees in my field and already interact with agency leaders regularly. I have not had trouble being promoted. Is it worth the extra work?

[Anonymous]

Many people in my agency have done this program. In my experience, it may get you access to senior management when time to present the bulk of the work done, but it really doesn’t move the needle on promotions. The folks who are driven, demonstrate ability to problem-solve, etc. get noticed. EIG is neither a help or hindrance. I know plenty of people who have done the program and are still languishing at high 13 or 14 steps because they don’t exhibit the skills we need for management. EIG is helpful to open one’s eyes but it is not a game changer. FWIW, I went from a 13 to a 15 in 20 months without EIG. I did the work, demonstrated my value, made my higher-up’s jobs easier. I don’t get the sense EIG teaches that, certainly not in 12 or 15 full day sessions over the course of a year.

[Anonymous]

I did the EIG program, started when my baby was maybe 5 months old or so. I found it very manageable even with a pretty demanding job and infant at home. There is a 2-3 trip at the beginning, ours was in Williamsburg, but other than that I usually got home earlier than days when I was in the office. There was a good amount of reading, but used my commute to burn through most of it. However, not sure if was of great value. Thought most of it was common sense. It does depends a lot on your group lead it seems, and ours was not the best. Another training to have under your belt, but not really a career maker/breaker....

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks for the insight everyone! My husband is currently in a 14 position, but is getting pretty burnt out of this position and is looking for a change. It sounds like the workload is manageable, but whether or not it will have a pay off in terms of connections or promotions can be hit or miss. He is definitely a "go-getter" and i have no doubts that he will stand out in the program!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for the insight everyone! My husband is currently in a 14 position, but is getting pretty burnt out of this position and is looking for a change. It sounds like the workload is manageable, but whether or not it will have a pay off in terms of connections or promotions can be hit or miss. He is definitely a "go-getter" and i have no doubts that he will stand out in the program!

If he was that much of a go-getter he would already be a 15 without needing to do the leadership program.

[Anonymous]

Just reinvigorating this old thread to see. I was recently accepted into this program, and am wondering if it’s worth it by anyone who’s recently gone through it.

My promotion potential would only be SES, assuming someone retires at some point down the line. I am required to sign a 2-year continuing service agreement at the end of the program (it ends next August, so it would be practically a 3 year commitment).

[Anonymous]

Is his agency willing to pay for him to join the next cohort instead? It's not now or never.

[Anonymous]

I did it and did not think it was particularly worthwhile. A lot depends on your cohort leader - mine had never been a fed and she felt out of touch. It also depends on whether your capstone project takes off - I know someone for whom that was a jumping off point to career acceleration (she pressed management and made a pivot to another area).

For me personally it's always something I discuss in applications, interviews etc but I don't view it as particularly helpful in substance or in others being impressed by it. I wouldn't do it during a busy year where you want to focus on other personal or professional things.

[Anonymous]

I loved the program because it gave me insight and connections to other government agencies. I never imagined leaving my agency but I learned how to leverage my skills and recently moved to a different agency with a promotion to a gs15 position. It might not be life changing for everyone but like many leadership programs it is what you do with it that counts.

[Anonymous]

I did this and it wasn't that impressive. Also, getting a GS-15 is no big deal in Govt. Think higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many people in my agency have done this program. In my experience, it may get you access to senior management when time to present the bulk of the work done, but it really doesn’t move the needle on promotions. The folks who are driven, demonstrate ability to problem-solve, etc. get noticed. EIG is neither a help or hindrance. I know plenty of people who have done the program and are still languishing at high 13 or 14 steps because they don’t exhibit the skills we need for management. EIG is helpful to open one’s eyes but it is not a game changer. FWIW, I went from a 13 to a 15 in 20 months without EIG. I did the work, demonstrated my value, made my higher-up’s jobs easier. I don’t get the sense EIG teaches that, certainly not in 12 or 15 full day sessions over the course of a year.

Your 13 to 15 trajectory violated time in grade rules, but good for you

[Anonymous]

these kind of programs are dime a dozen. They are not competitive and a lot of good working professionals won't do it due to time.

[Anonymous]

My office loved this program and sent a lot of employees to it. In my opinion, it absolutely depends on your personality and the cohort leader. It was a whole lot of personality tests and how to include everyone on the team and what do you really want to do with your life. There is also a group project that I found miserable. It felt like high school where no one would do the work so in the end one person turned in some thrown together concept just to get to the end. However, I know other people who absolutely loved it and it changed the course of their career/life. I heard that the end result was supposed to be that you would be able to write your ECQs or that you would have a draft done. My group did not even discuss them.