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These are some great suggestions for much-needed reform to the tech pipeline in government. I’d add just a few more from my 6 yrs in civil service -> reform the background check process, find ways to incentivize & compete for talent, abandon outdated performance models https://twitter.com/corizarek/status/1353847909444247555
We lose tons of candidates with vital tech and language proficiency in the multi-year wait for clearances. It suppresses diverse talent born overseas, people who have lived abroad, and weakens the federal talent pool. You won’t hire away from tech with 2yr waits for jobs
Gov is also unlikely to ever compete directly w/ private sctr on comp, but makes up for it with mission impact. That said: folks need to eat. Decouple tech from the GS scale or scale comp to enable new tech talent to pay rent, car payment, student loans, and save for retirement
With federal retirement benefits significantly scaled back for new civil servants, take-home pay and the ability to remain current in the field are even more important. Gone are the days of a 25-yr career and a pension.
Finally - the pace of career growth in tech far outstrips public sector work, which incentivizes talent to stay out of government or only seek short-term appointments mid-career. We need to make it easier to move up the lower rungs of the ladder quickly...
... and avoid trapping junior employees in the GS7-11 purgatory. They’re developmental grades for a reason - a full performance analyst, developer, or eng shouldn’t be stuck there indefinitely.
