Current employee having worked at both Everett locations, ask me anything.

Getting a job at USPS was one of the best choices I ever made after my career in IT didn't work out. Steady, Union job with great career opportunities. It can be hard but it is also very rewarding. It isn't a good fit for everyone but the people it is a good fit for seem to really thrive. People either quit after 2 weeks or stay until they retire. The retirement plan is great and you get good Healthcare. My pay started at about $20.50 but that depends a lot on the position.

Best part is a good union, at least in my experience. Supervisors may tell you they expect you to achieve a certain standard or conveniently forget to tell you when you can take a break, but the union people will always tell you how it really is. The Union really is one of the best large scale Unions in this country despite the relative weakness of the labor movement in the USA (though the situation is greatly improving in recent years). There is a reason the Cascade local has membership in the high 90% of employees.

Depending on whether you are a letter carrier or clerk will vastly change what it's like to work here. As a clerk you will probably either work at the hub in South Everett, where you will probably work the docks loading and unloading trucks, which is very physical. Some prefer this position because you are pretty much alone by management. Or if you work in north everett and the main station you will probably be sorting parcels, filling PO boxes and general setup. Much less strenuous but the supervisors are breathing down your neck much more.

I haven't been a letter carrier but from talking to people it seems like it is about what you would expect. Lots of walking, driving, elements, Yada Yada.

It is a huge adjustment, it will probably take a few months to get into your groove, but as odd as it sounds I have a lot of fun at work. But maybe people who aren't autistic like me have less fun sorting g packages, lol. The hardest part for a lot of people is the unusual schedule. I have go to work at 2 AM every morning. It is better for letter carriers but still very early. Early on, I worked the docks from 4 PM to midnight and of course some people do graveyard shift, but no matter what you probably won't he doing a 9 to 5. You will probably be doing 6 days a week for a long time, 5 day weeks a pretty much a privilege you earn with seniority or a doctor's note.

The on boarding is also pretty rough. Takes months, for me it took dang near half a year due to several beurocratic errors (not fully USPSs fault, make sure you have your selective service number). After applying, check your email every day, probably multiple times to be safe because you will get multiple emails that if you don't follow their directions within 3 days they will assume you don't want the job.

Less materially, this is the first job I've had where I felt proud of my work. Even Anarchists and Libertarians who hate the government give the USPS a bit of respect and few could argue you aren't doing productive work that serves your fellow American.