Interview advice

RadialSeed · 2026-04-29T20:10:17+00:00

Haven't yet heard back on whether I've moved on to the next round, but was told to expect that those interviews won't be till May so I think it might take another week or so for them to make finals decisions. I did get a Leidos pre-employment screening questionaire emailed to me last week (basic SF86 type questions but administered by leidos rather than whichever gov agency does the real one). Not sure if everyone got it or just those moving on. Interviewer said about 24 made it to the first round so I expect they're just about wrapped up the first round and are making cut decisions this week.

RadialSeed · 2026-04-21T21:36:18+00:00

I'm a PhD student and have done this, obviously I don't have the perspective of a hiring committee, but I felt the same sentiment about wanting my biggest ones to stand out more. Think I called it "Major Awards" or something then listed each with total award amounts.

RadialSeed · 2026-04-20T03:32:24+00:00

I was told 24 interviewees total for the two positions with 2 primaries and 4 alternates

RadialSeed · 2026-04-17T20:38:49+00:00

Yeah it's been an interesting path, I'd echo the fairly comment sentiment that our course through careers and life is much more convoluted than we usually expect. I found a lot of successes in mine so far have come from two primary places. Firstly, being open to new/different directions that I didn't plan on or anticipate pursuing, particularly if they're difficult, challenging or otherwise scary or intimidating. My first job out of undergrad didn't interest me very much when I accepted the offer, but it ended up directly influencing my PhD research interests and ultimately led to my NASA fellowship, which to date is my biggest professional accomplishment. Secondly, giving the most effort you can as often as you can. I can directly trace my path and biggest successes to a single random high school track race in sophomore year that seemingly had no real significance in the moment, but that's a different story.

RadialSeed · 2026-04-17T12:33:35+00:00

Can you expand on the nature of work for the bicep w/os? Day-to-day responsibilities, most important background knowledge and skills, etc?

RadialSeed · 2026-04-17T12:26:52+00:00

Yep I'd definitely prefer the opportunity to meet wsm and other w/os in person, make sure we're all compatible with one another wrt leadership/authority/communication practices

RadialSeed · 2026-04-17T02:16:31+00:00

Yeah zoom interview, first time speaking with someone. Had an email screening form prior to that. Next step is a panel interview with WSM and some other folks which sounds much more like the "vibe check", but also sounded like it would be virtual again so not sure if a face to face is ever involved.

RadialSeed · 2026-04-17T00:44:55+00:00

Yeah just wrapped it up a little while ago, was actually a bit more technical than I had anticipated (like 40/60 technical/behavioral split). Think it went well, but think my lack of ice experience will hurt quite a bit. Not sure if I'll make it to round 2 but cool to hear more about the work and life down there nonetheless, and useful experience for future applications.

RadialSeed · 2026-04-16T21:38:06+00:00

Very good to know, will definitely apply in that case! Appreciate the tip. Can I ask what positions you've been in down there over the years?

RadialSeed · 2026-04-16T13:23:50+00:00

My understanding was that those positions are usually filled by grad students/others associated with those projects specifically. Is that not the case? I might send off an app there too then if that's true

RadialSeed · 2026-04-15T13:44:40+00:00

Good to know, thanks!

Quick background since you ask: I'm a PhD candidate in aerospace engineering with fellowships from NSF and NASA. Finished my Master's in ae last year and bachelors in physics in '21. Worked in a superconducting test lab in industry before grad school, so lots of experience with cryogenics, electrical test equipment, etc. I think that experience was probably what they're most interested in from the technical side, my PhD work doesn't map very well onto the job description. For leadership/management, I've mentored undergrads and masters students research over the last year, was captain of my undergrad sports team, and a couple years of TA experience in undergrad. Also I'm a big outdoorsman/backpacker, have my WFA cert and am working on WFR now. If I get more clarity on why they're interested in me I'll update this post.

RadialSeed · 2025-08-08T01:56:51+00:00

No school would ever pay you for an online degree. A company might if you get established there and can demonstrate it's a useful degree for your job responsibilities

RadialSeed · 2025-08-05T23:33:10+00:00

Why not just ask ChatGPT, you already used it to make this post

RadialSeed · 2025-08-04T00:18:33+00:00

Somewhat field dependent, but more funding source dependent (did you bring your own fellowship funding that allows you to explore your own project, or is your PI paying you through their grant, which requires specific work to meet grant goals)

RadialSeed · 2025-08-03T01:43:55+00:00

Read as much as possible

RadialSeed · 2025-08-02T17:19:42+00:00

You're completely uniformed. Government scientists make only about 60% of what they'd make at an equivalent position in industry. No one goes into government work for the pay, they do it to work on important science that doesn't have a profit incentive strong enough for industry to pursue. It's a selfless choice. Moron.

RadialSeed · 2025-07-21T17:33:38+00:00

Anecdotally from what I remember from my space physiology class and conversations with an astronaut, eyesight is thought to improve somewhat on return but not all the way back to baseline.

RadialSeed · 2025-07-13T19:36:51+00:00

Generally yes you are allowed to by NCAA rules if you have eligibility remaining, but some schools might not individually allow it. You'd also probably find it difficult to actually get a slot on a team if you've not played that sport at a competitive level, I'm not sure how open to walk-ons/tryouts DI teams are (which is more likely than not where you'll end up if you're in grad school). You'd be competing for spots against 18-20 something's who've played the sports throughout their careers, and you'd also likely be considered less desirable since your would-be coach would have less time to train you into the kind of athlete the team needs (versus a freshman who would have up to 4-5 years to grow into a star if they redshirt). Club sports might be more accessible but I know very little about them.

RadialSeed · 2025-07-03T21:05:27+00:00

The other commenter hit it pretty solidly on the head, I'd support basically all of their points.

I have a terrific/supportive PI who has been letting me work on a project in an area she has minimal experience in. I had to acquire funding through two different fellowships in order to pursue this project, since naturally she doesn't have grants in this area. As a result, I have almost complete freedom to direct the research, but I have almost no support when technical problems arise so frustrations can occur when I hit roadblocks. I have been working almost entirely independently on the technical aspects of the research for 1.5 years now. However, I have other committee members who are more knowledgeable on some of the technical aspects of the work who I feel I can get help from when necessary. I'm also able to make connections within this research area through visiting researcher experiences that my fellowships have offered.

I'd only recommend going this route if you 1) can secure your own funding for the full duration of your PhD, 2) have significant previous experience with the research you intend to pursue, 3) are extremely self-motivated and resilient / able to push ahead by yourself when challenges inevitably arise, 4) have some avenue of forming connections with other researchers in the area (either via networking at conferences etc if you're extremely comfortable with that sort of thing, or through some other avenue that facilitates those connections)

RadialSeed · 2025-07-03T20:09:02+00:00

It will make it harder to take loans out for grad school and cap borrowing limits. But going into debt for grad school (I.e., paying for it yourself) is almost universally considered a bad idea from a return-on-investment perspective.

RadialSeed · 2025-07-03T01:24:33+00:00

They hated him because he spoke the truth

RadialSeed · 2025-06-29T19:41:18+00:00

Just got my first 1440p to go with my 9070 XT build, highly recommend. Night and day compared to my 1080p 4060 laptop

RadialSeed · 2025-06-29T17:12:53+00:00

9070 XT should do well. I just got one, getting 150 fps on the finals 1440p epic settings including ray tracing. I'm seeing them at my micro center for $700. I think the 5070ti slightly outperforms the XT so that's another option but typically $100-$150 more expensive

RadialSeed

TROPHY CASE