So, I have a friend who got his degree in mining engineering and currently works at a coal mine as a mining engineer. However he is interested in looking to get into government. Anyone know what type of engineer role at USACE he could apply for with his degree/experience?

I know he said he also would be interested in overseas work.

Thanks.

Any 51C know what battalions do what type of contracts? Also what do you suggest choose as your first duty station?

Does anyone know if there are any restrictions on folks working in Regulatory moving to private sector? Folks in my office have always mentioned it but I’ve never actually seen anything in writing that talks about those restrictions. Trying to keep options open given the countless threats at slashing regulatory positions and cutting telework with the incoming administration. TIA

First, just wanted to say thanks for current and former members of this sub for support with questions, mine and others. I made the switch from private sector to the corps recently and it was easier to understand what some of that would mean here than it was from HR/supervisor.

Wanted to share a few things I really appreciate about the corps as compared to private sector (15+ years there in consulting) for folks thinking about it. Keep in mind/I am aware that this is only representative of my personal experience:

• Got an increase in salary - negotiated step after TJO.
• Got 1 additional vacation day, 2 additional holidays, 12 actual sick days (this was part of PTO for me before), and 80 hours fitness leave on top of what I had (which I thought was pretty good). The comp/credit/OT policy here is also fantastic.
• The culture doesn’t reinforce and reward people for being or acting super stressed out - this is huge and helps my stress level a lot. We’re all busy, some people are too busy, but it’s not a “yeah and I’ll be working all weekend like you har har” situation like in consulting, coupled with jokes about how we all need to drown that stress by drinking IPAs.
• My supervisor knows what I do and it’s their job to actually be a supervisor. It’s not a tacked on box-checking extracurricular activity they need to do on top of their paid role that just stresses them out more. This is really key.
• I’m still able to work on a bunch of different and interesting projects and make meaningful contributions, but I don’t need to spend weeks and months prepping deliverables to do so. I get to review them and work with contractors on what’s really important - and I love that.

Happy holidays all.

I believe I’m on a ladder… but not sure. How do I confirm?

Finally landed a permanent ranger position (0025) and I am currently in the hiring process. Paperwork, drug test, physical, etc.

I was so excited about landing my dream career. For this position I have to move about 8 hours away. I was prepared for this, but some financial emergencies came up in the family.

Now I'm very worried I wont be financially ready to make the move when it comes time for my start date. No specific date has been mentioned yet but were looking at late January.

Has anyone else dealt with a problem like this before? Relocation assistance is already a no go. Any other options/advice for me? Any way I can delay the start date? I'm afraid to bring this up to them because I'm so hesitant to let this opportunity pass me by.

Any insight is appreciated greatly and I hope everyone is having a good holiday season.

Hello, I'm in the process of get a job at a dam in the pnw. It's still the application process but the thing I'm wondering about is once I have a job in usace, how easy is transferring to another dam. This is as long as there is an open job and I qualify. This job I'm applying for has a 1 year probation. After that is up am I open to move and I guess the more Important part I'm curious about is if it's frowned upon or if it will make it harder to get the next position.

Can some seasoned veterans give me some insight on the company and Lock and Dam Operator positions? One has recently opened within walking distance of my home. I’m leaning towards it with the pay and federal benefits. I’m looking for any info on the pros and cons of the position for a new hire and if the job is worth it for a younger male starting life. All information and opinions are appreciated.

Does anyone know the significance of the Engineer Castle having its gates open vs closed?

I can't tell you how disappointed I am in the management at USACE. No training whatsoever, and they expect you to know everything. During the hiring process, they'll tell you that you always have someone to ask a question to or to help you through the contract process, but in reality, not only are you on your own, but you'd better know the answer. After being wrongfully terminated, my former supervisor called the Dept of Labor to tell them why I shouldn't qualify for unemployment. I feel so sorry for people that are applying to USACE, not knowing how miserable they'll be nor what they're getting themselves into.

Well I was wondering about any news on SSR? I know in Portland they have it, was curious if other Midwest areas would be getting it. 0754,0753. Anyone know?

Hi, I have been researching the USACE lately - mostly out of curiosity about what they do and who they are. Was curious if these USACE jobs are only in places near a military base or district office such as Norfolk, Wilmington, Savannah, Nashville, etc. or could you live in another city/area inside of a district not near the main office area?

Again, I know very little about USACE so thanks for your response.

What should I expect if I volunteer and to go for an emergency deployment and where are they currently needing people?

Hi everyone!

New here - how hard is it to land a job specifically in Germany for a 510 series job? I recently applied for an Accountant job in Germany that was DHA & open to public. No military experience, have MBA + 3 yrs experience Accountant in state government dept of education. Job closed on 11/22 and got referred today 11/26..

I know lots of people here are saying to apply and forget but i just wanted to know what the usual timeline is from getting referred to possibly landing an interview and hopefully to getting TJO/FJO? TIA!

We are moving to Wiesbaden on a 3 year contract (no specific project, just a general project manager position) , after working with the same district in the states for 5 years. I've heard that there is a possibility there could be an extension after the 3 years in 2 year increments. Im curious how often this actually happens, and is there anything you can do to help better your chances?

Hello. My son is graduating high school and he is interested in diving. We are looking at USCG but I want to look into other opportunities.

Can anyone tell me about USACE divers? It appears to be a collateral duty? If so, what civilian USACE positions would make him eligible to become a diver?

Any info would be appreciated.

I'm thinking about volunteering to go to NC after getting a request from our district for volunteers. Anybody have any experience with debris cleanup deployments? What was the day to day like? How likely is OT to be approved on deployments like these?

Hey All! Im currently a Junior in highschool but I was looking into more information regarding the whole army corp of engineers. Im looking to be a civil engineer either structural or transportation. I plan on going into college at what not, but what are some of your recommendations. I would like to join the military at one point in my life but Im not sure when. If you guys can give any advice in regards to this, it would be awesome! Im open to basically everything right now, I dont mind working public or private, as I have much time to figure it out but an idea right now would be amazing.

Hey everyone! I’m a mid career Civil Engineer and recently discovered USACE as a place I could potentially work and travel around overseas without having to give up my civil career. Had a few questions for the experts on here if you wouldn’t mind giving some perspective, I’m pretty unfamiliar with Federal employment:

1) What level GS role should I target in an application? I’ve got 8yr experience; 4 in private for some small and large companies, 4 in public for a large municipality. I have my PE in Florida and my TE in California. However, most of this recent experience (~7yr) is in Traffic/ITS, the other 1 in drainage/general civil. As I understand it, USACE does mostly heavy civil work (thought not entirely? I’m not sure) so my experience might be less relevant, but my role for the last 4 years has been doing large scale (>$10mil) roadway improvement project management, so maybe the PM skills would be desirable? Should I try and get more water/geotech/heavy civil experience before applying if I decide to go this route?

2) How often do roles in the Kanto/Tokyo region come up? I imagine that would be a high demand location to work, but I’ve got a long time horizon and living there would be the main draw for me. Is it reasonable to look to get a specific location like that right off the bat, or do engineers often find a first position somewhere else and apply for their desired location internally when openings come up? I’m LA based and have considered that location as well.

3) I’m super unfamiliar with how working internationally as a civilian for a federal agency works. Is it true that rent and moving costs are covered? Is anything else subsidized?

Thanks 🙏

Had an interview for a Direct Hire position 2 weeks ago that went well. I sent an email after one week to the main interviewer and they responded they submitted the paper work to HR and ‘Once they process everything you should hear something. I'm hoping next week, but I don't have control of the timeline.’

I’m not sure if this means my name was on the paperwork or someone else’s.

Does USACE do reference checks before or after a TJO?

The position will be life changing and I’m really excited about it. Any insight on this concrete yet vague response?

I apologize for asking a political question, but with the new administration, could I be fired for being new? I joined USACE in August and I’ve heard rumors (taking with a grain of salt but concerned) about new hires being fired by the new administration come January/sometime next year.

A budget analyst if that helps at all.

Please be apolitical in your answer, I just want to know if I should prepare myself.

Do you all think the layoffs Trump Admin and DOGE keeps bringing up will affect anyone in USACE? And then do you think they will actually end telework?

Thanks.

A friend was separated from his soon to be Ex-wife and the police allowed her to stay at the lake house during the separation, and he was barred from having access until official eviction. During this time while she was avoiding eviction service for almost a year, her and a few meth-head friends cut down a large number of trees along the lake on public property. The Army Corps of Engineers has now hit him with a bill for almost $20,000 with a due date in January of 2025, with threats of litigation and other charges if he doesn't sign the agreement and return it with a check by this date. Everyone at the local office has been completely unresponsive and the original rangers unreachable because of reassignments. Does anyone know the best recourse to get this resolved? Thanks

It’s been 4 months since I have received my tentative job offer. I sent a negotiation for an incentive 3 months ago and they have taken this long. Weeks ago, HR said they would be sending me my final package and they had even told me to pick a start date, but still nothing. I can no longer do the start date we said before because they’ve taken so long. They told me at the beginning of last week that they had forgotten 1 signature and their goal was to get it to me by the end of last week, but that didn’t happen. They don’t answer me at all this week. Is this normal? I know things are slow getting started as I have slightly been through this process before, but this seems like such a long time. I also can’t just start immediately upon getting the incentive because I’m moving across the country for this so I can’t even apply for apartments without the package as proof of income.