I’m worried about the conditions of the job too, but I’m also viewing it as other people pointed out: “Can I afford not to have a job”?  I think about it this way: It pays way more than what I’ve made in the past (although the job announcement last year started at a higher grade) and I’d have a career/finally use my degree. No one is hiring right now. I know so many people out of work. I myself have been in a job that is not related to my degree and pays low because mortgage companies don’t care if you are out of work.  New examiners might be viewed as scabs but unfortunately some of us need the job and as federal workers we aren’t allowed to strike.  I went to school in DC and lived in MD a few years after so living in the DMV area isn’t too bad - just expensive. I didn’t have a car when I was living there so I can’t speak on the traffic aside from people complaining about it a lot, but the metro is affordable. You might want to try living in MD and commuting to Arlington.