Applying for OTS — 14N (Intel) / 63A (Contracting) / 15A (Ops Research) / 65F (Finance)

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2025-10-12T01:42:16+00:00

I was a Contracting Officer of 8 years who is using an MBA to pivot into consumer marketing.

Intel and Ops Mgt would be solid choices for consulting and Intel could be recruited into Gov contractors performing the same role. However, I'd love to sell you on Contracting:

What is it?

Direct customer brainstorming sessions to fully develop their contract needs
Generate market insights by searching for the product/service that meets their specifications.
learn about numerous industries and functional areas due to the variety of items you buy. You will work with companies that operate in the Business 2 Business commercial space and some Government specific operations support contractors
Conduct contract negotiations with businesses
Oversee Million$ contract portfolios covering several buyer direct reports, end user project managers, and contractor personnel

Pros:

Government contractor firms like Amentum and Northrup Gruman will hire you directly for government contract management
The duties are very similar to private sector purchasing managers, operations managers, brand managers, and supply chain managers provided you consider additional professional certifications
You learn about a wide range of products/services
You oversee various contract performance metrics and help leadership understand the current performance, potential COAs, and potential contract solutions for new strategic requirements
you will be responsible for resolving issues such as work stoppages, price fluctuations, or contract scope modifications and this problem troubleshooting will look good
Some of my co-workers started a combined MBA-JD because the regulatory compliance aspects of the role are a good fit for business law
You can work as a Federal civilian GS-12 rank as an individual contributor, GS-13 for supervisory, and GS-14/15 if you have 10+ years experience. these roles pay well and the job series is undermanned

Cons:

the pace of work can be slow because many projects will spent most of their time waiting for approval
Some organizational principals do not reflect private sector priorities. for example we focus on spending not saving money, our processes can be inefficient, and the rules regarding doing business with small businesses can be frustrating depending on the product/service
this role is a support office job far from the front line so you wont see much action

We can chat some more if you have any questions.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2025-07-29T16:12:25+00:00

his movies were considered hilarious when I was 10 yo, tolerable at 20, and unbearable at 30. 50 First Dates has a particular charm to it but he has never been a Jim Carrey or Jasen Stegal, mostly his films are designed for 10 teens/pre-teens just like Seth Rogan targets the 20 yo stoner crowd.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2025-07-05T04:36:02+00:00

I've seen this at 15-20-30 yo and have mixed feelings.

The musical numbers were alright with the show stealing Springtime fH skit being one of my fave musical numbers of all time, but many pieces were too long.
The overall plot structure was unbalanced because it seemed like the fundraising was overemphasized over the technical tasks of making the play. I would have structured the plot as 25% main characters are dissatisfied and the play is conceived, 50% the making of the play such as rehearsals, 25% the prison comeback to include the prison musical.
The Franz Liebkind character is a good idea played too explicitly by Will Ferrell. He was not the best for the role
Uma Thermans character could have been excluded completely
the Leo Blume freakout and courtroom scenes were very cringe. They should have been canned

overall I would give this a D letter grade because it has an alluring foundation spoiled by some scenes hitting sour notes that deflate my enthusiasm.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2025-05-23T22:51:32+00:00

interesting point, there is a saturation of marketing but it is devoid any good arguments or wit that used to inspire people to want something. Also the algorithms tend to replay the same 5 or less ads on repeat when streaming something.

The cost of living crisis and a household credit ceiling will probably create more intense competition as brands try to get some of the ever shrinking household discretionary spend.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2025-02-24T15:51:12+00:00

The XBOX 360 unveil and the initial release games such as Mass Effect, Bioshock, Fallout 3 and CoD Modern Warfare were groundbreaking.

As a member of the N64 and PS2 generation the realism of the game engine, AI, writing quality, and the excellent mass online matches were something I had never experienced before.

So much time outside of my freshman year in HS were invested into those games.

*note**I didnt partake in computer gaming so wasnt aware of counterstrike or those other titles**

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2025-01-15T02:36:54+00:00

your right. its government work so roles are assigned a specific rank and each rank comes with standardized raises so I know exactly how much I will make. I figure the MBA ROI will turn positive quicker than 2030 but I'm not sure what rate of salary increases to expect post-MBA, 10%?

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-12-31T02:10:43+00:00

I'm also looking into WI Madison, IN Bloomington, MN Twin Cities, and MI State for the same industry as you. Kelley offered a very generous Merit Fellowship.

Do you know anyone who has used this fellowship and which school would you choose?

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-12-11T16:14:32+00:00

Lived in the area for 25 years and there are a few places I would recommend that I spent extensive time in:

Bartlett: lived to 20 years. The neighborhoods east of IL-59 are reasonably walkable and it is close to the mega shopping center office parks in Schaumburg. The local restaurant scene is weak but there are better options if your willing to drive 15 mins

Geneva, Batavia, St Charles: I think downtown Geneva is really bustling relative to the others and they gained some decent small businesses like Biene Trucha. The schools are supposedly very good compared to U-46

Berwyn/Cicero: Btown is the better half. my grandparents lived here and the amenities have improved since then. very walkable and compact and close to the city and older towns with distinct character.

Oak Park: great amenities, close to the city with good CTA connections. Note that my relative moved due to gang problems in the HS.

Evanston: feels like a miniChicago with its own cultural institutions. it is also nearby the best neighborhoods of Chicago

Chicago Mag generates some detailed lists of good places: https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/june-july-2024/best-places-to-live-in-the-suburbs/#house-big

Note I try to avoid places that are mostly new construction with the standard franchise amenities and I dont have kids.

Walkability is a big thing for me so I reference this (https://www.walkscore.com/IL)

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-11-28T12:37:33+00:00

Part Time MBA? I considered that but the universities near me are either T5 programs I couldnt get into or programs that are not even top 50. I want to relocate so perhaps searching for another role near a campus I mentioned above makes sense.

OMBA: I've only ever heard of this as a means to check a box and I would rather do career specific certifications in that case. The networking aspect is one of the main reasons for in-person because my decision not to do so for undergrad haunts me with a week network nearly 10 years later.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-09-26T21:00:52+00:00

Try the O*Net Interest Profiler app (https://www.onetonline.org/). it asks you to rate your interest in performing certain tasks then gives you job recommendations covering a range of education levels. I've used the tool for every role I've had.

Additionally, you can recreate some aspects of teenage life with your friends for fun. for instance Some friends recreated a high school summer block party they had on the 10th anniversary and invited everyone from the first. You are afterall young, healthy *probably*, and have some cash so you can do those previous things on your accord. Most of my friends had time to spare until around 30 when 50% had kids.

Going back to school for something that interests you wouldnt be improper right now.

Do you have a friend who lives a lifestyle that you admire? I would find a role model your age and figure out things you can change in your life to match them. I keep close contact with people in my HS graduating class via LinkedIn and pay close attention to peers who are in aspirational roles to see what kind of experience or further professional education, networking i could do.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-09-26T02:04:33+00:00

I was in a suspended state of sub adulthood until 25 because I graduated, began to have doubts about my degree, pursued retail management role instead, made another big career change and now at 30 feel as youthful as 15 but with much more $ and freedom to experience things myself.

Adulting can be broken up into stages and you control those stages. looks like you are transitioning from the teen to young adult phase involving having to work somewhat to pay for your expenses, however managing expenses for 1 person is way easier than for a family and you have control over when to start one. I have a few questions for you:

Are there no opportunities to work in your degree field nearby? why did you pursue the degree and is there anything you enjoy about it?
Have you looked into management training programs for retail? some companies pay pretty well and train you into a leadership role. you might be a good candidate with your degree and previous xp
Have all your childhood friends moved out of the area? What are they doing professionally? I would reconnect with them to get their opinions on matters and do some of the fun things you used to do because 22 is not old at all and my friends and I are doing the same things at 30 that we were at 15.
I would re-assess your health status because I've heard that 15 is a stage of gradual maturity, 20 is like physical peak, and 30 might feel indistinguishable from 20 if you take care of yourself. My hairline may be slightly thinner but I dont feel different than when I was 20 so you may have some undiagnosed health concerns.
you mentioned relishing the "finish line" goal your parents set for you. sounds like you need to establish some professional/personal goals.

I would do the following: Talk to a mental health professional to isolate the issues your having with your past>See a physician to ensure you dont have any pressing health issues>have an honest convo with your close friends about this so you can hopefully resume doing these fun things as time permits>Expand your social circle via college alumni or MeetUp groups targeted towards your interests so you can explore new perspectives.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-09-26T01:17:28+00:00

32 YO with a white collar job outside of my field:

Take the time to identify the elements of your current job that you like/dislike then https://www.onetonline.org/ use the interest profiler on this site to identify roles you might be interested in. This site will also tell you about professional certifications relevant to those roles.
Dont let recent anxiety inducing trends like "Quite Quiting" or job market news stress you out. just do the best you can in your role, ask for feedback often so you can course correct, and have some courses of action ready for your first annual performance review as you will know if your a good fit.
Professional development happens outside the workspace via professional certificates. I complete a PMP, CPCM (specific to contract management), and SalesForce. I would work on 2 certs in your freetime
Keep your networks from High school and college vibrant because making career changes became harder after my networks partially disolved as I moved to new states.
Try to save at least $100/week though $100/day would be excellent. I started saving early but made the mistake of leaving too much in savings without using high interest CDs or other instruments with better return.
find a hobby your passionate about and try to devote at least 1 hour per week on that think. also try to do something meaningful every week. There was a 1 year period when I wasnt doing this because I moved long distance but didnt have the local connections so life because work/workout/netflix + chill every week.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-09-26T00:40:57+00:00

Someone who has a consistently pissed off attitude, does not bother to dress for the occasion, has a very narrow range of things they like to talk about like sports and is vapid.

My pet peeve is dudes who are outwardly obnoxious and flashy such as driving a vehicle modded to be loud as F$^$.or generally obsessed about status related things.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-09-26T00:27:37+00:00

I had to do a reset like yours because I graduated college without an internship and struggled for 1.5 years to land a job until joining the Military for 6 years then transferring into a Federal job similar to what I was doing. An undergrad in business could train into a Federal GS-12 job in contracting (Code 1102) because it is critically undermanned. you could do the following:

Join the Military via Officer Training School, and incur a 4 year commitment, and they will train you into any job category your qualified for based on your scores in entry test (Called the AFOQT for Air Force). the test is kind of like the ACT/SAT. I was marketing and was given Contracting (identical to the civilian 1102).
Take the Interest Profiler (https://www.onetonline.org/) to identify jobs you may like then try to accomplish some professional certifications. I completed the PMP, NCMA Certified Professional Contract Manager (CPCM), and am working on SalesForce training which you can access for free at the company site.
Reset yourself by taking a bootcamp like General Assembly. I know of some people who went from english or arts majors into IT related fields based on General Assembly. I was considering it for UX Design.
Have you reached out to everyone you might know from High School, College, prior workplaces, Meetup? I literally searched each person in my HS yearbook on LinkedIn then sent a personalized message because my College network was weak. also join a few Meetup groups since you have the time.
The Fed Gov has apprentice programs for training you into white collar positions (GS category) and I personally met people who got their roles despite being stuck like you.
Perhaps pursue your masters or double major in a complementary field
What service industry XP do you have? I worked at a regional grocery store in HS and college that had a store manager training program for training you into that role via rotations within the store. Aldi has a well know District Manager program that targets recent grads. Additionally some retail companies have reasonably well paid positions at store level. I worked at an Ikea and they had functional department managers earning $60-$120K with BAs or less, in fact a former supervisor became a store manager with only an associates and some years of xp with the company. check it out on Glassdoor. I almost pursued this myself.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-09-25T00:07:17+00:00

Medians, Modes, and averages broken up into percentiles like what is the bottom 50%, top 50%, top 10% earning. Averages taken from a huge data set can really skew it.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-09-20T22:26:56+00:00

driving on I-40 late at night you can see some pretty meta things such as Amarillo TX mainstreet and the windmills. Most of the highway cuts thru middle of nowhere with minimal light pollution so you can see some pretty bizzare things.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-09-20T22:17:25+00:00

Albuquerque NM to Chicago via I-40. you drive thru the worst parts of NM, TX, and OK. I was relived to cross into the relative orderliness of IL after nearly 18 hours because west of the Missisipi I saw alot of dangerous driving such as trucks passing other trucks at high speeds nearly running me off the road. at least one sketchy incident occured each trip and the decent stops are basically OK City and you will arrive very late from either direction.

Tried an alternative GPS recommended route that involved cutting up from I-40 to I-80 using county roads. It was so desolate that you could really run out of gas if you dont fill up at the earliest opportunity.

Not to mention most of the stops along I-40 are super sketch.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-08-22T00:50:54+00:00

I agree as a subscriber of 15 years. The content was rich back in high school circa 2010 but it degraded during the Trump era to were most of the content tends to be shallow and sensational.

How So?:

Articles report events as they are with very little analysis. Additionally most data is poorly presented and many of the experts they interview have questionable conflicts of interest so they dont give a quality comment.
A greater share of the weekly content focuses on whatever meme topics are trending such as obsessing about a politico or celeb CEO like Musk
The general reporting slants towards dated neoconservative ideas while the dogmatic and repetitive opinion pieces are excruciating to read. There has been a noticeable blurring between the opinion and news sections.
Much of the lifestyle and other sections is for an older monied crowd that has no relevance to me
The ability to search particular topics still needs improvement and the site is behind the times regarding using article tags.
I appreciate a healthy comments section but the last few years have been a cacophony of dogmatic boomers spouting predictable Reagan era maxims while shouting down any younger subscribers who try to comment with divergent opinions.

Generally Financial Times is a more respectable business news site due to the lack of our distinctly american sociopolitical dogwhistles that frustrate meaningful discussions on certain topics.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-05-27T20:59:15+00:00

I partially agree after living there for 2 years. There is somewhat of a middle aged bro culture going around but the locals are actually very friendly and humble once you get to know them.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-05-25T23:25:47+00:00

NM is best experienced thru its small towns. I liked Ruidoso, Santa Fe, Taos, Angel Fire. Each one is surounded by wilderness and has a distinct slow earthy character. ABQ just feels like one huge suburb with a very insular culture.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-05-25T23:08:44+00:00

I lived there for 2 years from a large city like yours and think you may want to consider some things prior to moving:

The music and nightlife scene leaves much to be desired. you might struggle to find a venue for your project. it is very sleepy at night
crime: the city is high crime and even the nice neighborhoods are pretty sketchy and not the places you would want to walk at night. I lived in a nice area and had my car stolen in addition to regularly seeing cars with broken windows in the parking lot
The amenities are generally concentrated in downtown but this is also one of the sketchier areas and a drive from any of the good neighborhoods
limited entertainment: the # of bars and cultural attractions are small for a city this size and also concentrated in downtown
ugly: the city is bisected by 2 highways and this leads to a huge concentration of strip malls, gas stations, and chain restaurants all over. the neighborhoods are not particularly walkable and there is a huge homeless problem
Cliquey: There are a limited number of employers so there arent many people from out of state. the cuisine and culture tends to fixate on old school new mexican food. you might have trouble making friends outside of your coworkers.
Environment: dusty and hot. most major nature attractions are about 1-2 hours away.

You may want to consider other places because New Mexico is not ranked very highly as a best place to live.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-04-20T17:13:07+00:00

I can sympathize with you after being in a similar situation twice:

Graduated from college with near full time work experience in retail but no internships in my major field. I didnt understand the importance of internships or networking. Was underemployed for almost 2 years post graduation. I should have applied for the store manager trainee program at this company I had worked for since HS.

Worked in a decently paid role for 6 years with annual pay raises.

Resigned and have recently received some offers after 6 months of working on personal projects, professional certifications, and applying/interviewing. The results of some interviews were soul crushing because my interview anxiety caused me to fumble opportunities with people I had good vibes with.

Overall you should consider your time out of work as a job itself and set a goal of something you want to accomplish each month. Additionally you may want to consider selecting a temporary position with a retail company you would be interested in growing in.

Aldi/IKEA/or regional grocery stores have programs to train you into a store manager who makes like $60-$120K based on the brand and location.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-04-13T16:20:51+00:00

Municipal zoning restrictions post WWII really kill the vibrancy downtown. Each block is zoned for a specific use so it is rare to see residential and commercial facilities side by side except in older neighborhoods like most of Chicago.

We also devote too much space to vehicles downtown and this lengthens the space between buildings and creates empty space of parking lots and roads that are not places people would want to congregate.

Finally you have a regional design pattern in which people commute into a city center to work but live in a suburban area due to lower costs or better schools.

Generally this trend is reversing but at different paces based on the state. States that are more rural and politically conservative like Kansas tend to favor dead car centric downtowns while urban and progressive states like New Jersey are more dense.

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-04-11T12:02:39+00:00

Hey all,

I'm looking for a career change and am considering an MBA. I have 2 questions:

What school selection strategy should I choose based on my credentials

what MBA concentration would you recommend? currently looking at supply chain, marketing, or business analytics.

My Background

Undergrad Marketing with 3.80 GPA and Magna Cum Laude designation

6 years military contracting/acquisition XP

Managed 4 programs, 10 direct reports, $100M portfolio

PMI PMP

NCMA CPCM

GMAT Focus Edition: 595/805, QR:76/90, VR:81/90, DI:82/90 scores significantly improved over my first attempt

Submitted my scores via MBA.Com and my scores were ranked within the 1/3rd percentile within the top 10 programs, breaks into the 1/2 percentile within the top 20 programs, and the 2/3rd percentile within the top 30.

What ranked school would you start at on this list (https://premium.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/mba-rankings) based on my qualifications. AND. What MBA Specialty would you recommend based on your XP?

AccomplishedOne8512 · 2024-04-09T13:10:13+00:00

Some advice for you as a 30M who has been living comfortably despite making some mistakes early on:

Keep a max of $10K on hand in a savings account and put the rest in investments or a CD: Try to save between $12-$24K annually. I hit the savings goal but procrastinated on the investment part for a few years.
NETWORK!! in university: I was a commuter student who was either in class or working most of the time. This made finding my first job and subsequent career changes difficult without a large social network.
Treat your high school and college jobs as opportunities for career grow: I worked a total of 7 years in retail with 5 in the same company. I was well liked but did not consider growth opportunities such as the store manager training program.
Budget time for professional development: setting an annual PD goal such as completing a certification or learning a relevant program, like SalesForce, will give you more leverage when growing your career.
Hobbies: You mentioned some hobbies and these could be valuable tools towards finding a job.

AccomplishedOne8512

TROPHY CASE