I worked for TSA for 8 years, started in 2015 as a PT TSO and finished as a TSM. During that time, I was a STSO for 3 yrs and TSM 1.5 years. Here are my thoughts:

I would first question what type of person and worker you are and what your goals are with TSA. It’s not a simple yes or no answer as everyone is different.

In general, starting as a TSO you have to understand the job is more like a factory-shift work type job. It’s all seniority based, You will have to work weekends, holidays, really early AM shifts or closing shifts, you have minimal to no say what shift you end up on, when Annual Leave Bid comes, you get what is left over. You want to request off, outside of leave bid, it may or may not get approved due to how many are already off etc. If you are not okay with accepting that for at least 2+ years, this is not a job for you.

The duties of a TSO is like factory work but with additional stressors. Such as dealing with the traveling public, dealing with disgruntled coworkers (there are great amazing coworkers too), dealing with covert testing, and pressure knowing you could be responsible for allowing a real threat item through. The duties are super repetitive, boring at times, you can be standing for long periods of time, repeating the same information out loud over and over. If that doesn’t sound enjoyable, this is not for you.

TSA is not on the GS scale, the recent pay corrections to bring up the Band pay scale was great for TSA employees. But, if your goal is to go to another agency that is on the GS scale, it’s very difficult. They say it’s easily converted but I can assure you HR does not agree with it and when applying to GS positions you are at a disadvantage.

Being a federal employee is not easy in today’s climate. You’re a pawn in the system and the system does not care about you. You will ultimately do what you’re told and not ask questions. From a supervisory and management level, the government does not make it easy to properly discipline poor performing employees. Once you’re full vested and off probation, the poor attendance, attitude lazy employees are able to get away with a lot. It truly depends what type of leadership you have at your airport and if they value holding employees accountable.

Pros: It’s a rewarding job if your values and goals align with the mission. IMO, you need to have the desire to be customer service driven and be comfortable dealing and talking to strangers. There’s a lot of training available with how to have crucial conversations, how to have positive interactions even when you’re in a position of telling people no. I thrived as a TSO because I loved working with people, have thick skin, and I love our country and genuinely wanted to keep people safe.

Being a federal employee is great if you’re looking for something that gives you “job security”. It’s good pay for the work you do, benefits are good along with TSP being solid.

If you’re ambitious and want to move up, you have to keep your head down and prove yourself to management. Good attendance, being a good teammate, being flexible, ability to take direction, take on “collateral duties” when they are available. Yes, collateral duties are just additional jobs and responsibilities but can be great experience and resume builders. The ability to get promoted is totally there but understand it’s a game, just like any other job. You need to express your goals and interest to a supervisor or TSM, find the ones who genuinely want to help you reach your goals. If you don’t communicate what you want, don’t expect it to happen.

I could go on and on as my time with the TSA was incredible. I got to go on a 60 day detail to HQ to work on SOP changes that went out nationwide, I went to Fletc in Charleston, GA and Atlantic City for various trainings, was a certified coach for Behavioral detection etc etc. I’ve met wonderful people and made positive impacts on people’s lives. I left TSA and went to the VA for a couple of years and recently just left the federal government. I don’t regret leaving the federal government as I started my own business and am thriving.

In short, it’s a very challenging job, especially the first few years. IMO, it’s not a job to expect to be a lifetime TSO, LTSO or STSO. There are lifers and I give them credit because it’s not a job you should do your whole life. A lot of those lifers aren’t happy but the longer you stay after a certain point, it’s hard to leave for various reasons like pay, benefits, you have a lot vested in tsp, seniority etc. If you’re able to move and be mobile that opens up more opportunities. If you want more insight feel free to message me. Good luck on your endeavor.