I miraculously got hired for the same Civil Engineering position by a private firm 2 weeks later (I was literally under/unemployed for 2 years so this was insane fortune).

I got a call from USDA telling me not only am I reinstated and getting back pay, I also have the chance to do the ‘deferred resignation’ bullshit Elon came up with so I’d get paid until September.

It’s great I’m literally getting paid to do nothing, it’s great I’m literally stealing funds from the great satan but but I feel bad because…

Well, because this money is not coming directly from the private coffers of Elon.

And I actually believed in the mission of the agency.

But shrug-outta-hecks I guess I come out of this winning (?) AND unquestionably fucking over the Federal government

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[–] Beaver@hexbear.net 60 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I feel bad because…

Well, because this money is not coming directly from the private coffers of Elon.

I for one feel absolutely honored that my tax dollars are helping a fellow comrade get that bag

[–] Lussy@hexbear.net 19 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Thanks for your dollars ‘rad Care-Comrade

[–] prole@hexbear.net 49 points 2 days ago

wow such efficient DOGE

[–] nothx@hexbear.net 30 points 2 days ago

enjoy my taxes, comrade.

[–] FlakesBongler@hexbear.net 38 points 2 days ago

Squirrel that extra dough away

Trust me, this is basically how me and my partner managed to afford the down payment on our house

[–] CrookedSerpent@hexbear.net 35 points 2 days ago

Get that bag

[–] FedPosterman5000@hexbear.net 25 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Thanks for trying to work for the NRCS - they do good work (imo) but are way underfunded and have a habit of grinding down good engineers. Maybe you’ll get to do their work on contract! I’ve designed a handful of ACEP sites as a consultant - NRCS has produced so many good resources for rural engineering and ecosystem restoration - it’s too bad they’ve gotten fucked up so much by austerity (and the the capitalist desire for converting ag land to development).

[–] Lussy@hexbear.net 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Thanks for trying to work for the NRCS - they do good work (imo) but are way underfunded and have a habit of grinding down good engineers.

It was nearly a perfect job, the people there are people I would take over anyone else in this shitty country; it was a fucking dream to get seemingly the perfect role for me after jerking off at my parents’ apartment for 2 years.

I left Puerto Rico to go live in bumfuck New England for 1 month of work. I even gave it a second thought to return, even after all this skullfuckery. It’s just way too risky given I already have a job in hand.

[–] FedPosterman5000@hexbear.net 7 points 2 days ago

Yeah I hear that. I have no idea what I’m gonna do- I’m almost a “career” employee in the agency I’m at so I may as well stick it out and see if the outlook improves in that time, or see if they fire me - tbh maybe that would be the fun “change of pace” I’ve been craving haha. Good you’ve got something lined up though - the civil engineering world has been wild since 2020, kinda the opposite of the late 2000s- there’s just so much work to do - hope it’s doing something you like and can learn from in the mean time! And most importantly take some time to recover from getting jerked around

[–] anarchoilluminati@hexbear.net 15 points 2 days ago

Please don't feel bad.

[–] miz@hexbear.net 12 points 2 days ago

the only thing you should feel bad about is not getting three paychecks

[–] tombruzzo@hexbear.net 15 points 2 days ago

Hey, with how much he gets in government subsidies, it's pretty much Elon's money

[–] RedWizard@hexbear.net 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

So are you going back, staying at the private firm? Still figuring it out?

[–] Lussy@hexbear.net 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I was seriously considering it, and now that Elon is leaving, it might not be that fraught woth future terrors. But i’d probably be extremely irresponsible if I left my current job, I even make slightly more here…

[–] LaGG_3@hexbear.net 11 points 2 days ago

t’s great I’m literally getting paid to do nothing, it’s great I’m literally stealing funds from the great satan but but I feel bad because…

And I actually believed in the mission of the agency.

Just remember that they're not actually committed to the mission of the agency right now. Take the money, and work both jobs at the same time if you can get away with it.

[–] Inui@hexbear.net 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I have some experience with the NRCS (not as an engineer, but a natural resources person doing maps etc) and while the frontline workers may believe in the mission, a lot of the farmers and ranchers who are clients just see it as a piggybank and couldn't give less of a shit. They will jump to the highest bidder like Fish & Wildlife if it produces a few thousand more dollars over a 30 year period. Leadership is extremely fickle and incompetent (look how quickly they folded to DOGE), training is non-existent and you can be hired straight out of school and expected to take over programs for an entire county on your own while the rest of the office also has less than 6 months of experience. People in the state office will not help you, but will for sure call you the second you do anything wrong. It's basically the stereotype of government inefficiency DOGE claims it is, not because workers are lazy, but the terrible structure of the organization and lack of incentives for people to stay in a role they are not respected in.

It sounds like the engineering side may be better, but for some other roles, it's not great and I wouldn't feel an ounce of remorse for getting free money out of them.

[–] Lussy@hexbear.net 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

training is non-existent

you can be hired straight out of school and expected to take over programs for an entire county

Lmao but that’s the good part!

[–] Inui@hexbear.net 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

It's great for credentials and you do learn a lot, but it's not great feeling like you don't know how to do your job correctly even a year later. Real trial by fire stuff that leads straight to burnout.

[–] Lussy@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago

Oh yeah, it’s not such good thing when literal crops are rotting due to mismanaged the effluent runoff cause you literally don’t know shit

[–] XxFemboy_Stalin_420_69xX@hexbear.net 9 points 2 days ago

based

[–] Lemister@hexbear.net 6 points 2 days ago

get that check sweety

[–] buh@hexbear.net 6 points 2 days ago

swole-doge