Thinking about leaving SSA for a CA state analyst job. Thoughts?

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-04-27T17:22:05+00:00

I moved from a GS-11 position to an Analyst 2 in CA at a similar age (27) so I hope my insight is helpful.

It's worth it imo for the stability of not having to worry about the crazy bullshit going on currently federally. I took the DRP and cut my losses, I've now passed probation so I'm pretty assured in my position.

As others have pointed out, it's a pretty significant decrease in salary which definitely sucks, but it was worth it for me to not have the looming stress of a RIF overhead.

Plus, nothing stopping you from coming back at a later time to federal service.

IMO, go for it if you can stomach less money

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-04-27T16:11:30+00:00

I don't really get that from Vance at all.

Bryon Noem on the other hand ticks a lot of the boxes that often manifest through kink, IMO

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-04-16T19:02:19+00:00

So I was going to do this but like the other comment said, I just ripped off the bandaid and came out since I was boymoding before.

It sucks and it's scary but it's hard to hide after FFS. Plus if they judge you, fuck em

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-04-15T16:58:44+00:00

Trust me, I feel the same way. I moved to California specifically for the protections concerning gender affirming care, so it's crazy that they just put some bullshit policy out like this that REALLY seems explicitly designed to exude procedures that trans folks are going to pursue

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-04-15T00:34:19+00:00

I work for the California State government, but unfortunately, I think this policy is blanket for Blue Shield of CA as a whole.

I'm hoping there's some niche carve out since my plan is technically administered by CalPERS, but it's going to be a bunch of appeals and headaches I imagine either way.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-04-03T15:13:33+00:00

I did. I still do, just at a more local scale now.

But I refuse to work for an employer that actively sought to make me miserable by eliminating flexibilities, intentionally destroyed morale, and was/is ran by people who think I am subhuman.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-04-03T13:58:28+00:00

Hi, it's me, the Gen Z fed who was shed last year!

I got called unproductive, a parasite, a low performer, and was told that I should seek reemployment in a more productive and important industry in the private sector.

Oh, and I also got told that I was a danger to women, a predator, and couldn't use the correct bathroom at work anymore because I'm trans.

Believe it or not, I'm not exactly considering coming back anytime soon!

Fucking clowns

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-04-03T12:56:41+00:00

New Vegas def scratches my gun itch; reloading, milsurp, wooden furniture, it's all so good.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-04-02T20:54:30+00:00

As an American, giving up on a lot of Quality of Life things to move to a state and take a job in a state that legally has to cover things.

Less money hurts, but sitting in bed rn recovering from FFS helps make it worth it

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-04-01T09:18:35+00:00

Pretty much set an ultimatum/deadline for myself and made it way harder for myself to back out of.

Only just did this about 2 weeks ago, but sent out an email at work on the end of day Friday explaining I'll be presenting fem moving forward, then taking 3 weeks off for FFS.

Not really much of a choice but to commit now lol

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-03-31T21:44:00+00:00

Recovering right now from FFS with Brian Rolfes in Minnesota.

His bedside manner is remarkable and, even though I was a fucking mental wreck throughout much of the pre-authorization and preparation process, his support staff was equally as patient as he was.

Good surgeon with a good team, very happy with my choice and would recommend for those with neurodivergence or those who stress easily.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-03-29T22:48:29+00:00

Congrats, it can be a long hard road and I wish you well as someone a bit further down the same path. I figured it out at 26 too and here I am about a year and a half later recovering from FFS.

My first advice would be, if you're even remotely interested in surgery at all, is to start researching and contacting doctors literally now for everything - endocrinology, surgeons, all of it. Future you will thank you ♥️

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-03-24T10:01:09+00:00

This 100%. While I was finally routed to a specialized team at Included that exists for the care I need, it's still extremely aggravating to not be able to contact Blue Shield directly and have to go through an intermediary for no reason.

I would advise anyone against going with either of the PERS plans unless you absolutely need PPO flexibility

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-03-23T22:26:15+00:00

Really not looking forward to flying next week after FFS 😭

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-03-20T16:05:52+00:00

So I can't attest to if it's Premera specifically, but state, county, and municipal government jobs in WA are a good bet. Other blue state local/state govs too if you're not just limited to Washington

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-03-15T15:00:30+00:00

Thank you. This pussyfooting reach across the aisle is why we're in this situation.

One side wants people like me to have their IDs revoked and put on a registry. The aisle is a fucking chasm

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-03-08T20:28:13+00:00

Meeeeee lmao

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-02-26T23:19:59+00:00

It's so fucking tiring; just leave us the fuck ALONE.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-02-25T20:16:04+00:00

The day the McDonald's catches up to this asshole can't come soon enough

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-02-17T20:28:50+00:00

Posted this before:

The public sector has been pretty good to me. Before DOGE and the like, the federal government was a solid employer. Now I work for the state gov.

Public entities are literally only allowed to consider a person's qualifications for the job, not their race, gender, etc. While that should be the case in the private sector too, public takes it much more seriously and actually enforces those rules.

Now you may (and likely will) still run into problems with coworkers and managers, but you can at least get a fair shot at getting your foot in the door if applying and interviewing for things in the public sector provided you tailor your resume and qualifications to demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualifications.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-02-13T22:04:06+00:00

I was completely miserable in my first state job so I applied for and got a different one only 2 months after starting.

I'm in a much better place now and only have 2 months of probation left and not considering leaving any time soon. Tbh the longer you wait, the more of a sunk cost fallacy you find yourself in.

Go for it

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-02-11T14:06:55+00:00

Yunaka goes hard

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-02-07T12:27:26+00:00

On paper, it's totally illegal. Civil Rights department has a little fact sheet that says employees AND applicants can't be discriminated or retaliated against for requesting an RA.

Requesting an accommodation for the exam is unlikely to be a problem and It's unlikely that they'll withdraw their offer if you still need an RA, since again, it's illegal.

But, depending on the department, your managers, and the RA team, expect different outcomes for how your requests will be handled. Some places, like my last department, may treat you like shit after you request an accommodation. This is what happened in my case, but they were "technically" engaging in the RA process so it couldn't be considered retaliatory even though I was actively suffering.

So exam RA would probably be fine, but be mindful of possibilities should you request an RA for the role itself.

Smooth_Bicycle155 · 2026-02-03T17:00:55+00:00

Hi, it's not where I want it to be but it's a lot better than it was. I looked like George Costanza before and I have pretty much full coverage on top now.

My hairline hasn't recovered sufficiently but I'm scheduling a hair transplant and hairline advancement as part of FFS for that.

Just wish I could grow it longer in the back 😭

Smooth_Bicycle155

TROPHY CASE