The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

fish_ wrote:@ nunya,

don't you get a chance to rotate to other departments in the command? depends on the sf of course, but some of them let you work in other places for a short amount of time to get an idea of what goes on within the fenceline.

Yes, actually I’m out working for a different part of the SF currently. Unfortunately, everywhere I’ve looked is that same thing. I haven’t found anyone actually “doing” anything. Raytheon, Lockheed, etc., do all the actual work. All we do is manage what they do. Basically we liaison between “the government” and the contractor. We tell the contractor what the government tells us to, ask them if they’re doing it, then tell the government the response. It’s basically a giant circle jerk. I know there is some “work” happening here, but it really is only about 5% of what everyone does. This could be just my SF, but there have been a lot of people at others reporting the same/similar experiences.

@ nunya,

don't you get a chance to rotate to other departments in the command? depends on the sf of course, but some of them let you work in other places for a short amount of time to get an idea of what goes on within the fenceline.

If you go through the recipients posts you’ll see that commonly the job will have little to nothing to do with your field. Most likely you’ll end up processing paperwork >90% of your time. There are a few that have managed to do meaningful work, but they are definitely the minority on this forum. The work environment is actually pretty good (at least where I am), but generally very slow in every meaningful way. The people are generally nice, and I haven’t met a tyrant of a manager (at least not yet), and the only stressful thing has been sequestration. Mostly I’m given a task that my lead (not my supervisor, which I only see a few times a year) has no idea how to do, has no idea how long it should take, and can’t provide any direction in the least. I somehow have to discover what/how I’m supposed to do my job, and provide a timeline for it. I overestimate as much as I can to cover all this unknown, and I still seem to give timeframes much shorter then they expect. Also, no one has yet requested something get done faster. The work is related to my degree in only the remotest sense, and staying here for long would definitely ruin any chances of getting a job outside the fence. I will definitely not be staying here beyond Phase II if I even stay through it.

head over to the recipients forum. You'll find a few people who love their experience, and many others who feel like they were sold some false goods.

what is the work like for the service commitment, I am considering applying but I am worried about being held over a barrell at aome place I hate, so what is it actually like, what is the culture of wherever you work?