Mobilizations, when did you tell your employer?

[SELRES_AMDO]

Did you not click on the link?

Your salary ABSOLUTELY can exceed GS-15 Step 10 when you work at agencies that do not use that goofy GS pay system.

I read the link. You posted three pages of jobs out of 1000s on USAJOBS. The majority of federal service employees are not ever going to work in that system.

I said very few exceptions. There are very few agencies that have the authorization to exceed the GS pay system and they are not part of the DOD where the majority of former active duty people in this thread are likely to work.

-You can't exceed GS-15 step 10 in the DOD except in very rare circumstances.
-OT pay in one period can't exceed what a GS-15 step makes in a pay period in the DOD.
-OT is not paid on a regular basis. The majority of the time it is comp time for the DOD.
-DOD pay band jobs that are not part of the GS scale still have to meet GS pay caps.

 

[Deleted member 67144 scul]

I'm guessing you work at a FAANG. Because I'm a techie too, and I can't think of anywhere else where that level of compensation for "middle management" is anywhere remotely possible. I'm happy for you, but this is an extreme outlier, and I'd be wary of describing it as the norm anywhere outside a few specialized situations that don't exist outside a few specific tech companies or the most senior of airline captains.

I'm an O-5 aviator living in Greater Seattle. That means when I'm on active duty, I'm pulling down a pro-rated paycheck of $165K pre-tax/$142K after tax. You need to be doing pretty freaking well in the civ world for your civ paycheck to equal or exceed that; go on PayScale or Glassdoor if you don't believe me. I realize that JOs and enlisted folks are going to have a different calculus, but if you're a career officer and you're at the point where you're worried that your SELRES pay isn't measuring up to your civ pay . . . you're doing pretty damned well for yourself either way.

Agreed, and I really appreciate you understand the tech world (including FAANGMULA and tech companies similar or better in compensation) and some of the ridiculous TC for engineers and engineering management. I understand my circumstances are outside the norm of most reservists and Guardsmen, and people in general. Just for perspective, many of my friends and colleagues in their 20s and early 30s are millionaires. It's practically the norm for this particular world.

I'll be the first to admit it is an absolutely overcompensated field+industry, and apparently this level of compensation is unique to the United States. Even the same companies pay significantly less for the same titles and roles in overly expensive cities like London.

Hey, you’re preaching to the choir. I think Navy DCO reservists should commission no more than a month before reporting to ODS - and that ODS is where they’ll get gained initially, get their uniforms, CAC card, Navy email, HIV blood draw, vaccines, PHA, first PRT, etc. At the end of ODS is where they would get their NOSC and unit assignments, and have the opportunity to get a quota for their career-specific training if they want to go soon.

100% this, but I want to take it one step further. The qualification program for each designator should be revised and changed as needed to get people qualified in a timely manner. For example, how is it justifiable to take 5 years (and more thanks to COVID ROM) to qualify an officer in a designator? Doesn't the Navy lose value in having people sit on their thumbs that long just to qualify, for jobs that are nowhere near as complex nor require the same intensive degree of training as aviation or special warfare?

 

[Pags]

No thanks. Not in my DNA.

The level of bureaucracy involved is going to vary with agency, job, responsibilities, etc. The fed govt has almost every job you could imagine.
You could be a NEX manager, do travel claims at PSD, field biologist, cutting edge researcher, engineer, pilot, LEO, etc. I've been very impressed with the lack of bureaucracy at my org. Sure, there's some but nothing obscene or insurmountable.

 

[nodropinufaka]

The level of bureaucracy involved is going to vary with agency, job, responsibilities, etc. The fed govt has almost every job you could imagine.
You could be a NEX manager, do travel claims at PSD, field biologist, cutting edge researcher, engineer, pilot, LEO, etc. I've been very impressed with the lack of bureaucracy at my org. Sure, there's some but nothing obscene or insurmountable.

Are you in the DOD

 

[nodropinufaka]

Also-

DOD and fed jobs aren’t terrible. There’s a lot of good ones out there. Nothing wrong with them.


I only left cause there was an opportunity that offered a better and higher quality of life

 

[wink]

why can’t they just do OCS?

If my roommate was 39 at ocs then anyone can make it

The Navy does not send off the street Reservists to URL jobs. That is why no OCS. That RL types that ordinarily go to OCS are good to go as a DIRCOM and ODS if largely due to the needs of the community.

The Navy did have straight to SELRES aviators and SWOs at one point. That program required OCS and active duty through qualification.

 

[nodropinufaka]

The Navy does not send off the street Reservists to URL jobs. That is why no OCS. That RL types that ordinarily go to OCS are good to go as a DIRCOM and ODS if largely due to the needs of the community.

The Navy did have straight to SELRES aviators and SWOs at one point. That program required OCS and active duty through qualification.

if that’s the case then why do they send those very same RL designators through OCS for AD accessions?

I understand Staff corps and reserve/active go through the same ODS

 

[Pags]

Are you in the DOD

Yes. I do T&E stuff. I largely enjoy my job, am happy with my pay, and also enjoy my work/life balance. I know I could make more elsewhere but it would be at the expense of my work/life balance which I value more than money. Also was a good way to do something nwith my ACDU time served and put it towards the GS pension.

 

[Hair Warrior]

i get that’s what the Navy says.

I am suggesting Navy makes their program mirror USMCR and USAR and go to ocs and then onto training and then their billet.

Eh. Supply and demand. Evidently Navy leaders see value in continuing the DCO program.

if that’s the case then why do they send those very same RL designators through OCS for AD accessions?

I understand Staff corps and reserve/active go through the same ODS

I think some stuff here is wrong.

SUPPO and CEC are staff corps but go to OCS not ODS. NUPOC are URL but go ODS not OCS.

It’s just the needs of the Navy. There isn’t always a rhyme or reason.

The Navy now has the authority to direct commission cyber officers off the street at up to O6 (and the new NDAA just made the IWC to be URL allegedly, but I’ve yet to see the exact clause). But they aren’t going to do that unless there is some crazy need for it.

 

[nodropinufaka]

Eh. Supply and demand. Evidently Navy leaders see value in continuing the DCO program.

I think some stuff here is wrong.

SUPPO and CEC are staff corps but go to OCS not ODS. NUPOC are URL but go ODS not OCS.

It’s just the needs of the Navy. There isn’t always a rhyme or reason.

The Navy now has the authority to direct commission cyber officers off the street at up to O6 (and the new NDAA just made the IWC to be URL allegedly, but I’ve yet to see the exact clause). But they aren’t going to do that unless there is some crazy need for it.

NUPOC most definitely go to ocs. SWO-Nuke and SUB-Nuke are all URL.

unless you’re talking about the instructors in which case they may go ODS but are not URL.

I mean just cause it’s needs of the navy doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good idea. The Navy is notorious for mismanaging talent

 

[Hair Warrior]

Yeah I was thinking of the nuke reactor officers who get a commission with their degree program.

 

[taxi1]

I actually went from GS to the Navy. Was working at NARF Norfolk (may it rest in peace) and was working on and around F-14s and A-6s, and decided I really, really wanted to actually fly them. Applied and got in. Off to AOCS.

In our reserve community we had a DCO LTJG decide they wanted to fly airplanes too. Put in the designator change request, got accepted, and off they went to flight school and now they're in the fleet. Never went to OCS.

 

[snake020]

100% this, but I want to take it one step further. The qualification program for each designator should be revised and changed as needed to get people qualified in a timely manner. For example, how is it justifiable to take 5 years (and more thanks to COVID ROM) to qualify an officer in a designator? Doesn't the Navy lose value in having people sit on their thumbs that long just to qualify, for jobs that are nowhere near as complex nor require the same intensive degree of training as aviation or special warfare?

I fail to see the point you're trying to make here. The only reasonable way I see to qualify DCO Reservists more quickly is to have them go on definite recall orders for 2-3 years, which itself is more likely to have a disparate impact on someone's civilian career and drive them away from serving.

 

[nodropinufaka]

I fail to see the point you're trying to make here. The only reasonable way I see to qualify DCO Reservists more quickly is to have them go on definite recall orders for 2-3 years, which itself is more likely to have a disparate impact on someone's civilian career and drive them away from serving.

also a good point.

I mean it takes a significant amount of time to qualify on active duty and that’s doing it everyday

 

[nittany03]

I fail to see the point you're trying to make here. The only reasonable way I see to qualify DCO Reservists more quickly is to have them go on definite recall orders for 2-3 years, which itself is more likely to have a disparate impact on someone's civilian career and drive them away from serving.

ADOS . . . definite recall orders are for putting SELRES in gapped AC billets.