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I transitioned back to the federal government to finish off my career and get away from the horrible economy.
šµ Accountant
You can learn more about me and my career journey here:
But to sum it upā¦
- I have always loved tech and was going to be a computer science major, but I had applied to probably about a 1,000 intern jobs with barely any interviews. This was around the time where white males (not many women nor Black Americans in tech back then) were having to train their foreign replacements and Dice.com had forums where you would read horror stories and how the IT profession is dead. I switched to accountingā¦šØ
- I hated financial accounting and managerial accounting at that time but tax and audit was what I loved. I got a job with the federal government quick as a Pension Investigator then Auditor. No crazy rounds of interviews or tests to jump through.
- I thought Iād retire as a fed, but life has a way of laughing at your plans š. My mother died from blood cancer and that jump started my new life as an expat/immigrant. I ran away to healā¦didnāt think Iād actually end up staying 6 years off and on. š¤·šæ
- COVID hit and I decided to come back to the states once I wasnāt trapped anymore with no flights. I was recruited by a big tech company off of LinkedIn (yes Iām bragging šš¾) for an Azure Consultant type role. I came back to the US for 2 years not stepping foot back in my other country once. I would do pre-sales, post sales, training, and technical writing.
- Left big tech didnāt think it would be so hard to get back in so pivoted back to my old career of compliance. I was having dĆ©jĆ vu to almost 20 years agoā¦applying and interviewing for no reason. Went back to my other country and started seeing all these posts of people saying they canāt find a job and theyāre losing their homes. š The hell is going on!?!? In my case, Iām lucky I have another country to go to and a bunch of skills to keep me afloat. Iām a firm believer the jobs just donāt exist.
- Literally made the decision to come back to the states, get a job with the federal government around April 6, 2023. My mother (RIP) had been in my ear telling me to come back home and get ready for the shit š© to hit the fan with the economy. Soā¦
- Iām still going to work on my Masterās in Data Science and complete thatā¦I think lol. Iām still running Switch Into Tech because thatās my baby!!! Iām still applying to other federal jobs so I might not stay with the Accountant job, but thatās what I got for right now. Accountant does sound nice though and I can finally get my CPA license that I wanted badly before my mother passed away in 2016.
- People believe accounting is just numbers. Itās actually LAW! The math is simple with 1 + 1 = 2 type of math nothing too hard. It involves data analysis though so lots of Excel and other statistical tools like Power BI (the feds LOVE Microsoft products!). Lots of interviews, research, and writing. With my new job Iāll be doing all of the above so it will give me great experience to tie back into Data Science.
- Accounting involves mostly basic arithmetic, but when it comes to creating accounting reports, statistics plays a key role. When balancing and checking accounts, exactness is very important, but when using those reports to decide how well the company is doing and the trends within the business. You can also use statistics in accounting to create projections for the next fiscal year.
- I was offered 3 federal jobs the week of 04/09/2023. A remote internship (it would be in data science, but I rather go with a steady, full time job in this economy), another internship that played games with telling me what the job was for days š, and the Accountant position.
- I expect more offers to roll in soon, so I might not be an Accountant? š¤·šæ
- IT Specialist seems to be harder to get interviews vs. Accountant/Auditor roles. I wonder why that isā¦when even the government claims shortages. š I thought my big tech, programming, and cloud experience would help me but obviously not. I have had 2 permanent IT interviews, the other 2 were limited term positions so I donāt necessarily count them, versus 5 permanent Auditor interviews.
- Of course, Iāll be taking a major pay/benefits cut than if I kept pursuing big tech, but security is worth more than anything else in the world. Iāll miss the free stock and discounted stock especially but we canāt have it all. My job comes with extra perks that other feds donāt get since Iāll be Department of Defense (DOD) again so Iām happy about that.
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ā Why The Government?
- I tout the benefits of working for the government all the time but no one wants to hear me. š¤·šæ I do a seminar here and there too on different opportunities in the government.
- The economy is BAD. I see posts from people everyday that are laid off suddenly, saying they canāt find work, have been looking for months, and applied to hundreds of jobs. These are people from top companies (not to say that they should get hired first but having a brand name usually means something). Itās very scary out here.
- Iām an exfed and truly enjoyed the work that I did. I already have time in towards my retirement and status.
- Itās time to be an adult and start working back on my retirement. I left for 6 years to have fun in other countries š²š½ š¬š¹ šØš³.
- I get a pension and 401k.
- You can work remote now and MANY positions pay for relocation.
- No one cares if you have gaps on your resume.
- Paid training. No one asks if youāve done something before because they will train.
- They hire REAL entry level people and will train.
- The government hires without tedious interviews.
- Guaranteed raises each year.
- That highly coveted security clearance for certain positions.
- I can be my natural, Black American woman self. If you know you know. ššæ
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ā³ Timeline
- 02/25/2023 - Applied to the job announcement. You had to apply through email and not through the normal application process of applying through USAjobs. I applied with a copy of my resume from USAjobs (you can download it as a pdf), SF-50 (document showing Iām a prior federal employee and that I get first dibs on jobs), Schedule A (shows that Iām disabled and I get first dibs on jobs), and college transcripts.
- 02/27/2023 - Job bulletin closed
- 04/12/2023 - Tentative offer. I never received an email saying I was qualified nor referred for consideration. I already knew I was qualified as I have a more than a half finished masterās in accounting (I quit to take care of my mother and family when she had blood cancer and my credits expired when I decided to go back runs out the room and cries as I only had 2 courses left), and used to be an Auditor for the Department of Defense. I did not interview for the position.
- 04/12/2023 - I asked if I could be remote as the position is located in a city I could never live. Honestly, donāt even know why I applied for the position due to the location of the position š¤·šæ, but glad I did.
- 04/13/2023 - They said I could be remote and offered me more money that I didnāt even ask forā¦I just wanted to be remote. š CLOSED MOUTHS DONāT GET FED!
- 04/14/2023 - They asked for me to send over my last paycheck at the last place I worked so I can get my higher pay approved and receive my final offer.
- 04/14/2023 - They asked for me to send over my official transcripts. I sent over my undergraduate, graduate transcript with my unfinished MS in Accounting courses, and current transcript from my MS in Data Science program.
- 04/17/2023 - They requested my background check.
- 04/17/2023 - They viewed all 3 of my transcripts.
- 04/19/2023 - They said my background check came back. I received a bunch of internship offers this summer. I officially accepted 3 and went through the background checks. Iām still in the process for one since it requires a secret clearance. So Iām guessing they took one of those background checks and got me a start date quick. I could choose May 8th or May 22nd and of course I chose May 8th as Iām ready to start back as a fed and work on my retirement.
- 04/26/2023 - Notified that my pay increase was with the right people finally. Iām hoping and praying I can start May 8th.
- 04/28/2023 - My boss calls me and we had a chat.
- 05/01/2023 - HR emailed me to let me know the process is still ongoing for my final offer. I was also sent instructions on how to get my official work ID. Of course there are no appointments for miles and months so I sent an email to see if I can do a walk in 35 miles away.
- 05/03/2023 - They had me calling around to see if I can get an appointment for no reason. It takes about a week to even get into their system.
- 05/03/2023 - The person that needs to sign my pay increase is not there. So I donāt know if Iāll start on Monday, May 8th.
- 05/05/2023 - Email sent on how sorry they are and I wonāt be starting 05/08/2023. š¢
- 05/09/2023 - Final offer sent.
- 05/11/2023 - Received details on how to register for benefits and what time I should āreportā on 5/22.
- 05/22/2023 - Iām in there! Got my badge so itās official.
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Elyse Y. Robinson, an enterprising entrepreneur, is the mastermind behind Taxes and Services, a multifaceted holding company that doubles as her accounting firm. Her ventures encompass an array of innovative projects. One of her key initiatives is Switch Into Tech, a dynamic weekly newsletter that doubles as a platform for advertising monthly career seminars, offering weekly tech-related freebies, and promoting her latest podcast episodes of Nobody Wants To Work Tho. Additionally, Elyse shares her insights through her blog at Data.gal, where she delves into various data-related topics. Elyseās passions extend beyond her businesses; she is deeply enamored with Mexico, has an insatiable appetite for research, and is dedicated to assisting others in transitioning into technology careers.