Want to Make a Difference? Share Your Story with the ‘I Am a Federal Employee’ Blog!

If anyone had asked my speech therapist 19 years ago if he thought it likely that I would be working for the U.S. Forest Service as a Public Affairs specialist having completed a master's degree from a top ranked university, he probably would have said, "Well, I'd be happy if he could just use words to let us know he's hungry."

I had a cerebral arterial venous malformation rupture when I was nine years old that required eight brain surgeries spanning eight years of my life and even more years dedicated to intensive therapy. I've realized that health problems are often mixed blessings though. Because of all of my medical challenges, I became aware of others around my community who strugglin in other areas and was able to have a keen empathy for them and a desire to help them be fully successful.

That's why I decided I would attempt to work for the federal government. I realized growing up that there are many ways of making a difference--community outreach programs, non-profits geared around every possible social problem under the sun--but when it came down to deciding how I could make the biggest impact with the broadest scope as a federal employee.

Now I see my co-workers struggling to produce the kind of quality performance they'd like to provide for the American public. Many of them are doing the jobs of three people since recently retired employees have not been replaced. Morale is the lowest I've ever seen it, and I think this is due to the fact that my co-workers had similar ambitions to mine that motivated them to pursue federal employment instead of any of the other millions of things they could do. But their ability to make the kinds of positive impacts they'd like to make has been greatly hindered by the way they've had to scrape so thin to cover the essential roles that our country needs covered to keep our country running smoothly. And they are not able to produce the high quality work they'd like to produce.

Despite this disappointing situation, I am still thrilled to be a federal employee, and I hope that I'll be able to make the kind of difference I've been blessed to still be able to make.

If Congress fails to appropriate the funds for a pay adjustment elsewhere in the budget, the pay freeze would almost certainly continue into 2013. So cut Congeress Pay. They make such HI amout , I don't think theyed notice. They are dificult to deal with, Every year they give them sleves a raise. Why can they do that? I don;t understand Congress. When did this all get so complicated. Do let them give there self a raise this year. and we could use it use it for the Federal Emplyess cost of liveing Raise.

We have suffered enough. Ask Congress to Suffer some like not getting a pay raise for 2 years . I think Federal Employees always get the shot end of the stick. Congress don;t come to work every day like we do so I think they should be payed only when their in. They stall the goverment anyway.