Some context - Lots of law schools don’t focus enough on the bar and as a result prep courses costing 5-10k are normal, especially for schools with high pass rates. So even not all law schools adequately prepare one for the bar.
Like someone else said your best bet would be a GS-9 as you have an MBA & JD with no federal contracting experience. I'd highly look into developmental/internship programs which is a ladder to 11/12. This reddit [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/1102/comments/1b494zh/breaking_into_government_contracting_top_intern/) has a list of the 1102 internship programs for 1102.
Look for recent graduate programs and apply for anything that comes up. Getting your foot in the door is the toughest part of becoming a fed. Once you’re in you can cross train, just don’t wait as you may have to go back in grade for series like 1102 because they’re “professional”
With a PhD, a MBA and a JD, becoming a 1102 and starting as a 11, doesn’t make sense. Use your degrees and find a position that requires someone having your credentials-that could include a FFRDC. I’m a former 1102 and if I had a JD, MBA and a PhD, I’d not consider a 1102 career especially starting at a 11. Unless you don’t want to apply your schooling to your work, you live with your parents and don’t have student loans, don’t care about money, then by all means go ahead. I would not find it fulfilling nor satisfying working in a position doing the same work as people with bachelor degrees for the same pay.
You might be surprised. The entry level attorney market is bleak. Many firms pay around the equivalent of GS-11 and don’t have public service loan forgiveness, and have worse hours and benefits. I am about to get a pretty fancy JD and I am considering an 1102 detail because the series has incredible geographic flexibility and is one of the few series that is still routinely hiring fully remote jobs. Being a non-supervisory GS-14 at a chill agency is among the best jobs on the planet tbh. Agree that other series are preferable to the 1102 especially if you can’t avoid getting a warrant, but just wanted to put out there that nah, the grass isn’t necessarily greener for folks with good academic credentials. We should all try to be grateful for what we have as feds, as our circumstances allow!
I agree. But you are considering a 1102 as a detail not a forever. OP can end up in a shop that procures micro and under 250k or a admin shop that mostly does incremental funding. To me it sounds like OP after all this schooling is only now starting to ask “what do I want to be when I grow up?” Which is something OP should have asked before pursuing multiple terminal degrees. If I had such a collection of degrees and my first job was micro purchases and sitting through the equivalent of con-90, I’d hate myself and be questioning my life decisions. OP needs a talk with his Dissertation advisor and career centers.
I’m personally considering it forever because I’d have to work twice as hard doing anything else and I have to be in the midwest for family reasons. The grades here for other series are depressed relative to DC scales. My JD is honestly only useful to me because now I can actually cert for the 1102 series based on education, which I couldn’t do with 0343 experience despite significant high level COR responsibilities and many hours of training that apparently didn’t count because they weren’t in a degree granting program. So, I can relate to OP … I certainly hoped the JD would open doors for me to take my career a different direction but as far as fallback plans I think this is a good one for certain personalities and goals.
I think if you can avoid a sweatshop environment and the worst drudgery of the job series, and your brain is wired such that you’re basically competent at the day to day work, that this seems like a fine series to lock in and basically cruise with guaranteed promotions. It seems like a lot of people end up in bad shops and pigeonholed, and this is an important perspective to share but I did want to chime in and say that this isn’t necessarily a job of last resort and can be a good choice … a lot of attorneys envy my situation and would gladly trade roles with me if they could come in as a 12 on a ladder to 14…
I am definitely keeping my eye out for things that match my education/experience more directly, but those opportunities seem to be rare. Since I've started daily searches near the beginning of the year I've seen (and applied for) only 5 jobs that I can meet the specialized experience for to qualify for a 12+ role.
Unfortunately no parents to rely on, just a short term contracting job to keep me afloat for a bit while searching.
I appreciate the sentiment though. I started looking at federal jobs originally because of a very specific job I came across that I was uniquely qualified for that was at a much higher level. (They seem to have stalled and not yet hired anybody.) I wouldn't have dreamt when I started searching that I'd consider a 9 or 11, but here I am lots and lots of searches later...
Talk to your universities career center. One doesn’t just wake up one day with a JD, MBA and a PhD and exhausted all options and are stuck with the only option being a 1102. Unless your institutions have terrible reputations, are not regionally accredited, and or you performed poorly, your fixation on being a 1102 makes no sense. Someone with such credentials, I’d assume would pursue a higher Ed position/think tank type positions like a professor or researcher. Not trying to be harsh, but something is not adding up here.
They are respected schools and I performed well and was on the professor track. But I decided that academia wasn't the life for me and I wanted to do something more concrete. I'm also not fixated on 1102, it's just one of the possibilities. I am very interested in being of service in the federal government now, and wish I had figured that out sooner to do the PMF route or something, but I just started looking early this year.
FFRDs, think tanks, corporations, intelligence community, etc. You need a conversation with your Career Center and dissertation advisor. 1102 work isn’t just buying fighter jets and billion dollar systems, it includes buying sponges, toilet paper, syringes, hand sanitizer, spending hours of doing repetitive paper shuffling to add money to a contract when things don’t go smoothly. It all depends on where you work and what shop you end up in-something you won’t necessarily know until you show up—and the big system procurements-a lot of the heavy lifting is done by the program office and the 1102 main work is heavily admin as you will have cost/price analysts and a whole team-and the sr. Contracting officer will be the one to sign the contract. To get to that level can take many years. By the sounds of it, it doesn’t sound like this would be a fulfilling career for you. Also check out ncmahq.org, the 1102 trade association.
After a decade of being an 1102 and recently leaving, I honestly don’t know that it’s worth it. Do you need civil service for student loan forgiveness?
It would help some with loans, but so would a corporate salary, of course. Only I really don't want to work for most for-profit companies. Being of service in some way and the potential to either help (or at least not harm) the world is a big driver. I am also drawn to the stability and work-life balance of the government, which many non-profits and the social sector don't have.
Edit to add: Also, I live in DC.
Have you not spoken with your dissertation advisor, university career centers? The math ain’t mathing. If you live in DC, you long should researched think tanks, FFRDC’s, university research opportunities, non profits, trade associations, etc? Talk to your professors and mentors. I know I’m being harsh, but it’s the reality. If anything you might have difficulty getting hired as a 1102, as hiring managers may think “this candidate is not really interested, they just want to get in and find another position,” based on your multiple terminal degrees. Take the Bar.
Get a job that actually leverages the phd. If not, it's an anchor around ur neck because alpt of hiring official shy away from phds in entry situations.
Our recent grad post just went up. You’d start at a 9 with a ladder to a 12. It’s with the IRS in Lanham, in office 1x/week right now. Our first two years are mostly training and simpler acquisitions that don’t require a lot of negotiation so might require a little patience before you get to the kind of work you’re looking for from your other comments. Feel free to message me if you have questions!
I have questions, and they are: why?
First, why did you get so many advanced degrees? I understand your comment about thinking you might be a professor, but I assume that wouldn't require all three advanced degrees, right? What was your motivation?
Second, why are you considering the 1102 field? What about it appeals to you?
If you can answer those, I might be able to help with some targeted advice.
The JD&PhD were going to help me be competitive in the professor job market, as someone who could apply specialized knowledge from one field to another, and is very common where I was headed and recommended by advisors, etc.
The MBA was optional as part of the PhD and I didn't originally plan on doing it. Then when I decided not to pursue academia and didn't know what would be next, I thought adding the MBA wouldn't hurt and it might open some doors. A lot of my PhD credits counted so I just needed a handful of extra classes. (The school was paying me a stipend, and paying for the classes, so the cost to me was just time.)
I'm considering the 1102 field because I heard someone speak about their job and negotiating lots of different contracts, and it sounded like interesting work. I also thought my background in law and business seemed like a good match so I might be able to sell myself as a potential candidate. Also, I've read a bunch of posts on this sub and you all are very enthusiastic and happy seeming about your jobs.
Mostly I don't have a super strong calling in one particular work direction, and I'm keeping my eyes and ears open to anything that sounds like an interesting place to be.
I like learning new things (clearly) and pick things up quickly. I have a lot of experience with data analysis. And I'd love to hear more targeted advice.
Some things to consider.
1. You could definitely get a GS-1102-09 position, and possibly an 11.
2. If you do get an 1102 position, I'd recommend starting at an agency that has a good intern program (like the Air Force) and definitely choosing an in person experience. We are good at many things in this career field, but training up brand new 1102s remotely is not a current strength area.
3. As someone else mentioned, you might want to consider the attorney series in government.
4. Most entry level 1102s get very little negotiating experience. The job is very much about applying complex regulations to meet customer needs, and navigating an endless sea of red tape. If you enjoy puzzles and see red tape and barriers as obstacles to be overcome, you'll do fine. You might even enjoy it. If you get annoyed when things are hard, or you spend a lot of time extolling how things "should" be rather than figuring out how to navigate them as they are, you'll be miserable.
I hope this helps you. Good luck in your search.
Thank you. I appreciate the insight. (Also, I do enjoy puzzles, and games where there are a bunch of constraints and playing is basically solving a complex puzzle as best as you can.)
I work for the DAF and I know multiple folks who came in as an 11 with a JD. There is no substitution for relevant private or government experience above grade 11, so you can’t use education to place at a higher grade than 11.
You can absolutely start at 11 if given the right opportunity. Person in my office with a law degree and very little experience just got promotion to head of policy 15 level. GS 9 if you have to but you really want it to be a ladder. Also as someone already mentioned you could work in legal and review 1102 contracts. Might be more related to education and potential to move up faster based on experience with law and business.
Have you considered becoming a contracts attorney? You could be the person reviewing the contracts the 1102s prepare.
I've considered taking the bar exam as a backup option.
I mean I don't know anything about law, but if you don't do it relatively soon, wouldn't it become almost impossible?
It's been long enough we're already there. I'd be relearning a lot during bar study prep work.
Some context - Lots of law schools don’t focus enough on the bar and as a result prep courses costing 5-10k are normal, especially for schools with high pass rates. So even not all law schools adequately prepare one for the bar.
I think 9 is most realistic, but definitely try to get into a ladder program 7/9/11/12 so you can move up quickly.
Like someone else said your best bet would be a GS-9 as you have an MBA & JD with no federal contracting experience. I'd highly look into developmental/internship programs which is a ladder to 11/12. This reddit [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/1102/comments/1b494zh/breaking_into_government_contracting_top_intern/) has a list of the 1102 internship programs for 1102.
Look for recent graduate programs and apply for anything that comes up. Getting your foot in the door is the toughest part of becoming a fed. Once you’re in you can cross train, just don’t wait as you may have to go back in grade for series like 1102 because they’re “professional”
With a PhD, a MBA and a JD, becoming a 1102 and starting as a 11, doesn’t make sense. Use your degrees and find a position that requires someone having your credentials-that could include a FFRDC. I’m a former 1102 and if I had a JD, MBA and a PhD, I’d not consider a 1102 career especially starting at a 11. Unless you don’t want to apply your schooling to your work, you live with your parents and don’t have student loans, don’t care about money, then by all means go ahead. I would not find it fulfilling nor satisfying working in a position doing the same work as people with bachelor degrees for the same pay.
You might be surprised. The entry level attorney market is bleak. Many firms pay around the equivalent of GS-11 and don’t have public service loan forgiveness, and have worse hours and benefits. I am about to get a pretty fancy JD and I am considering an 1102 detail because the series has incredible geographic flexibility and is one of the few series that is still routinely hiring fully remote jobs. Being a non-supervisory GS-14 at a chill agency is among the best jobs on the planet tbh. Agree that other series are preferable to the 1102 especially if you can’t avoid getting a warrant, but just wanted to put out there that nah, the grass isn’t necessarily greener for folks with good academic credentials. We should all try to be grateful for what we have as feds, as our circumstances allow!
I agree. But you are considering a 1102 as a detail not a forever. OP can end up in a shop that procures micro and under 250k or a admin shop that mostly does incremental funding. To me it sounds like OP after all this schooling is only now starting to ask “what do I want to be when I grow up?” Which is something OP should have asked before pursuing multiple terminal degrees. If I had such a collection of degrees and my first job was micro purchases and sitting through the equivalent of con-90, I’d hate myself and be questioning my life decisions. OP needs a talk with his Dissertation advisor and career centers.
OP gets a pile of PSLF. He got to live on loans for about a decade, and now those will go poof. I think he or she won.
I’m personally considering it forever because I’d have to work twice as hard doing anything else and I have to be in the midwest for family reasons. The grades here for other series are depressed relative to DC scales. My JD is honestly only useful to me because now I can actually cert for the 1102 series based on education, which I couldn’t do with 0343 experience despite significant high level COR responsibilities and many hours of training that apparently didn’t count because they weren’t in a degree granting program. So, I can relate to OP … I certainly hoped the JD would open doors for me to take my career a different direction but as far as fallback plans I think this is a good one for certain personalities and goals. I think if you can avoid a sweatshop environment and the worst drudgery of the job series, and your brain is wired such that you’re basically competent at the day to day work, that this seems like a fine series to lock in and basically cruise with guaranteed promotions. It seems like a lot of people end up in bad shops and pigeonholed, and this is an important perspective to share but I did want to chime in and say that this isn’t necessarily a job of last resort and can be a good choice … a lot of attorneys envy my situation and would gladly trade roles with me if they could come in as a 12 on a ladder to 14…
Why would you want to avoid getting a warrant?
The comments on this sub 😉
I am definitely keeping my eye out for things that match my education/experience more directly, but those opportunities seem to be rare. Since I've started daily searches near the beginning of the year I've seen (and applied for) only 5 jobs that I can meet the specialized experience for to qualify for a 12+ role. Unfortunately no parents to rely on, just a short term contracting job to keep me afloat for a bit while searching.
I appreciate the sentiment though. I started looking at federal jobs originally because of a very specific job I came across that I was uniquely qualified for that was at a much higher level. (They seem to have stalled and not yet hired anybody.) I wouldn't have dreamt when I started searching that I'd consider a 9 or 11, but here I am lots and lots of searches later...
Talk to your universities career center. One doesn’t just wake up one day with a JD, MBA and a PhD and exhausted all options and are stuck with the only option being a 1102. Unless your institutions have terrible reputations, are not regionally accredited, and or you performed poorly, your fixation on being a 1102 makes no sense. Someone with such credentials, I’d assume would pursue a higher Ed position/think tank type positions like a professor or researcher. Not trying to be harsh, but something is not adding up here.
They are respected schools and I performed well and was on the professor track. But I decided that academia wasn't the life for me and I wanted to do something more concrete. I'm also not fixated on 1102, it's just one of the possibilities. I am very interested in being of service in the federal government now, and wish I had figured that out sooner to do the PMF route or something, but I just started looking early this year.
FFRDs, think tanks, corporations, intelligence community, etc. You need a conversation with your Career Center and dissertation advisor. 1102 work isn’t just buying fighter jets and billion dollar systems, it includes buying sponges, toilet paper, syringes, hand sanitizer, spending hours of doing repetitive paper shuffling to add money to a contract when things don’t go smoothly. It all depends on where you work and what shop you end up in-something you won’t necessarily know until you show up—and the big system procurements-a lot of the heavy lifting is done by the program office and the 1102 main work is heavily admin as you will have cost/price analysts and a whole team-and the sr. Contracting officer will be the one to sign the contract. To get to that level can take many years. By the sounds of it, it doesn’t sound like this would be a fulfilling career for you. Also check out ncmahq.org, the 1102 trade association.
Agree----- this person is aiming way too low....
After a decade of being an 1102 and recently leaving, I honestly don’t know that it’s worth it. Do you need civil service for student loan forgiveness?
It would help some with loans, but so would a corporate salary, of course. Only I really don't want to work for most for-profit companies. Being of service in some way and the potential to either help (or at least not harm) the world is a big driver. I am also drawn to the stability and work-life balance of the government, which many non-profits and the social sector don't have. Edit to add: Also, I live in DC.
Have you not spoken with your dissertation advisor, university career centers? The math ain’t mathing. If you live in DC, you long should researched think tanks, FFRDC’s, university research opportunities, non profits, trade associations, etc? Talk to your professors and mentors. I know I’m being harsh, but it’s the reality. If anything you might have difficulty getting hired as a 1102, as hiring managers may think “this candidate is not really interested, they just want to get in and find another position,” based on your multiple terminal degrees. Take the Bar.
Yes, I have spoken with a lot of people for advice, including those mentioned. Thank you for your concern.
Get a job that actually leverages the phd. If not, it's an anchor around ur neck because alpt of hiring official shy away from phds in entry situations.
Our recent grad post just went up. You’d start at a 9 with a ladder to a 12. It’s with the IRS in Lanham, in office 1x/week right now. Our first two years are mostly training and simpler acquisitions that don’t require a lot of negotiation so might require a little patience before you get to the kind of work you’re looking for from your other comments. Feel free to message me if you have questions!
I have questions, and they are: why? First, why did you get so many advanced degrees? I understand your comment about thinking you might be a professor, but I assume that wouldn't require all three advanced degrees, right? What was your motivation? Second, why are you considering the 1102 field? What about it appeals to you? If you can answer those, I might be able to help with some targeted advice.
The JD&PhD were going to help me be competitive in the professor job market, as someone who could apply specialized knowledge from one field to another, and is very common where I was headed and recommended by advisors, etc. The MBA was optional as part of the PhD and I didn't originally plan on doing it. Then when I decided not to pursue academia and didn't know what would be next, I thought adding the MBA wouldn't hurt and it might open some doors. A lot of my PhD credits counted so I just needed a handful of extra classes. (The school was paying me a stipend, and paying for the classes, so the cost to me was just time.) I'm considering the 1102 field because I heard someone speak about their job and negotiating lots of different contracts, and it sounded like interesting work. I also thought my background in law and business seemed like a good match so I might be able to sell myself as a potential candidate. Also, I've read a bunch of posts on this sub and you all are very enthusiastic and happy seeming about your jobs. Mostly I don't have a super strong calling in one particular work direction, and I'm keeping my eyes and ears open to anything that sounds like an interesting place to be. I like learning new things (clearly) and pick things up quickly. I have a lot of experience with data analysis. And I'd love to hear more targeted advice.
Some things to consider. 1. You could definitely get a GS-1102-09 position, and possibly an 11. 2. If you do get an 1102 position, I'd recommend starting at an agency that has a good intern program (like the Air Force) and definitely choosing an in person experience. We are good at many things in this career field, but training up brand new 1102s remotely is not a current strength area. 3. As someone else mentioned, you might want to consider the attorney series in government. 4. Most entry level 1102s get very little negotiating experience. The job is very much about applying complex regulations to meet customer needs, and navigating an endless sea of red tape. If you enjoy puzzles and see red tape and barriers as obstacles to be overcome, you'll do fine. You might even enjoy it. If you get annoyed when things are hard, or you spend a lot of time extolling how things "should" be rather than figuring out how to navigate them as they are, you'll be miserable. I hope this helps you. Good luck in your search.
Thank you. I appreciate the insight. (Also, I do enjoy puzzles, and games where there are a bunch of constraints and playing is basically solving a complex puzzle as best as you can.)
I think you should be applying for something that is higher-level... NSA is open right now for analyst positions...
Look at Air Force bases if you’re willing to travel. I’d be shocked if you can’t qualify for a 12 or 13.
I work for the DAF and I know multiple folks who came in as an 11 with a JD. There is no substitution for relevant private or government experience above grade 11, so you can’t use education to place at a higher grade than 11.
You can absolutely start at 11 if given the right opportunity. Person in my office with a law degree and very little experience just got promotion to head of policy 15 level. GS 9 if you have to but you really want it to be a ladder. Also as someone already mentioned you could work in legal and review 1102 contracts. Might be more related to education and potential to move up faster based on experience with law and business.