I notice the two magical questions on the application page:
"Are you eligible for veteran preference?
"Are you a current or former federal employee?"
Are these civil service positions?
Join the U.S. Digital Service
201–210 of 239 posts
Re: Join the U.S. Digital Service
#202Earlier quoted context omitted.
Here in Sweden you receive a fully-filled-in tax declaration from the Tax Office. For 99% of people with normal jobs, all you have to do is confirm the declaration on their website OR by sending an SMS OR by calling a telephone number OR by using their app.
Its a lot easier when your entire country is less than 10 million. In the US, we pay state and federal tax so there may be difference in what you can deduct from one another. For example I didn't deduct my Health Care premiums from Federal because I used the standard deduction. Because of this I was able to deduct the premiums from my State taxes. This is why we can't just confirm the declaration, too many variables…
> Its a lot easier when your entire country is less than 10 million.
I just dont understand why do people use this excuse. No one is saying that you have to implement a new idea for all Americans the next day.
Start a pilot project with 1 or 10 million people. See if the idea works. If it works, implement it nationwide.
> too many variables at play someone could use for a deduction.
Going to the moon involves too many variables, are you saying that building an website to handle taxes automatically (or atleast which does most of your work) is more difficult than rocket science?
Re: Join the U.S. Digital Service
#203Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are there republicans actually criticizing the the Digital Service?(ignoring healthcare.gov) I certainly have no clue why they would, as everyone needs better IT infrastructure. A project like this, run well, would be in line with republican policy objectives.
I assume the OP meant the people who are passionate about building a sign-up system for universal healthcare might not be so passionate about building a sign-up system for, I don't know, national concealed carry permits or something.
But there are some of us (including me) that would love to work on both
Re: Join the U.S. Digital Service
#204I notice the two magical questions on the application page: "Are you eligible for veteran preference? "Are you a current or former federal employee?" Are these civil service positions?
What is the significance of if they are? I would assume that these jobs would be. Not going to be under a 3 letter acronym branch ;)
Re: Join the U.S. Digital Service
#205As someone whose gone through the hiring process for the USDA and Dept. of Interior, how is it that the USDS is bypassing the normal usajobs hiring process?
Re: Join the U.S. Digital Service
#206Earlier quoted context omitted.
Working for change from within the system is definitely a legitimate position to take. That said, the objections I'm reading here are centered around supporting a government that actively tortures political activists and captured enemies. I think the phrase "if you [disagree] with their political views" trivializes that position.
I'm not a fan of bundling up "government" like that. After all, it is a huge, huge organisation, and the torturers occupy a space entirely different from those who help you file your tax return.
No one who eats meat can have morals stronger than those of the butcher.
Of course, that implies that U.S. citizenship is already tainted---if you aren't actively protesting, working for the government in an unrelated area isn't any worse.
Re: Join the U.S. Digital Service
#207Let's say it's January 2017 and President Bush or Rubio or Paul or Walker is being inaugurated. Does the 'U.S. Digital Service' actually keep getting funded? If it does, do the staff actually want to stay? Will any of them be willing to work on government objectives that might not be in line with their personal politics? I'll believe this is actually what it claims it is when I see it and its staff persist through a…
We have had political administrations change many, many times in the U.S. There is not, that I know of, any mass layoff of an entire part of the civil service that coincides with any of them.
If you get a civil service position under this program you will have a job regardless of who's President. That doesn't mean that these initializes will still be around, or will be funded at the same level, or will be given the same latitude.
It might be different if these offices/initiatives were part of cabinet agencies with functions and authorities in various statutes, but it looks like most of them are executive initiatives.
Which is not to say that the next President (Republican or Democrat) wouldn't want digital tiger teams, but there is no guarantee that one would either. If you are interested in this primarily for the advertised flexibility to cut across cumbersome government rules, January 2017 should loom large in your thinking.
Re: Join the U.S. Digital Service
#208Earlier quoted context omitted.
Better a few weeks than a couple of years and millions of funding.
Not necessarily in the eyes of certain people, and it happens in the corporate world, too. If you're only in charge of the project for a period of time (no longer in that political role, promoted, whatever), then "it doesn't need to succeed, it just can't fail" is a term used widely. You don't want to be seen having failures in your project (even small, agile failures that are for the good)... but you don't care if t…
This certainly true, but it's my hope the culture will shift to make the waterfall option impossible.
Back in 2004 or so, I heard of a major company that only updated their website once a year. Even then that was considered ridiculous. Consumer expectations have shifted massively; plenty of places now release every week or two.
I have hope that the government culture could shift similarly, so that software projects that don't deliver anything for long periods are seen as troubled no matter how many Powerpoint decks and GANTT charts they produce in the meantime.
And I think the way to change that culture is by having enough projects that deliver early and often, so that people say, "Well, those guys are shipping monthly. What's wrong with your team?" So instead of keeping people from being blame-y, we get them to be blame-y about long project cycles.
I think that's definitely happened a fair bit in industry, so there's some chance it will happen in government, too.
Re: Join the U.S. Digital Service
#209Earlier quoted context omitted.
This not a jaunt to Korea or Vietnam, holy moly.
No, but its arguably more important. Less risky, but as a good developer the opportunity cost might be high aswell.
Ummm, those who fought in Korea are responsible for the fact that 51 million people enjoy a respectable GDP and living conditions; those who fought in Vietnam were trying to attempt to prevent a brutal takeover which led to hundreds of thousands fleeing for their lives.
I'd say that's inarguably more important then rolling out prettier government web sites.
Re: Join the U.S. Digital Service
#210I notice the two magical questions on the application page: "Are you eligible for veteran preference? "Are you a current or former federal employee?" Are these civil service positions?
These questions are typical for any application for a US Federal job. Preference is always given to current Federal employees and veterans.