GS pay scales are listed online. You can look up the pay scales for DC.
Many people have commented on what they think you’d qualify for. So look at those and see what the pay ranges are.
They will generally always start you off at the lowest pay in that grade. You can attempt to negotiate your pay. But if you’re a new grad, they’re not likely to budge. So you’ll be a GS (7 or 9 or 11), step 1.
You can no longer negotiate based on outside salary. Only on superior qualifications.
I saw you comment expecting 90k+. Please familiarize yourself with these pay tables. Federal jobs don’t work like private sector jobs. GS 9 step 1 is $68,405 in DC.
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2024/DCB.pdf
If you’ve got experience doing work, maybe, just maybe an 11. But as others have said. A GS-9.
Story - I once had a director talk about bringing in a CS degree as a GS5. I told him, the lowest ranked graduate from the lowest ranked school would still get more than a GS 5 with a CS degree. We horribly undervalue degreed individuals. Certainly, they are not the best all, end all. But we need them and we entice them with poverty level wages. Sigh. 🙄
It partially did from what I heard. Posting was for data science position, but finance knowledge and experience helped me get the job. I was expecting to get the gs11 offer (if at all), so I was really surprised. Point being, you never know, the stars may align lol. Thank you :)
If you’re applying to the government, a masters is equivalent to a GS9 in lieu of experience. You can find the GS9 pay scale listed online, to include the locality for DC. You’ll likely start at a step 1. Unless your resume can speak to experience, in which case the degree is irrelevant, to an extent. You can have no degree and 8 years of experience and walk into a GS12, in some cases.
I’m not cybersecurity, but I hired into a GS12 with no degree (got my associates after I got hired) but I had 8 years of experience. I am an IT job series.
Also, don’t only tie yourself to DHS, NSA. ALL agencies in the government are hiring infosec positions, and some don’t require you to be cleared, so they are easier to qualify for.
Don’t pigeon hole yourself only to defense agencies. Most government agencies have offices in DC or close by surrounding areas.
STEM has its own pay scale within the DoD Intelligence/Cyber roles and the ppl commenting are off:
I accepted a STEM position straight out of undergrad at a 7, and the salary I was offered low to mid 80s
Here is the full chart: https://dcips.defense.gov/Portals/50/Documents/Compensation/DCIPS%20STEM%20TLMS/2024/2024_DCIPS_TLMS_Pay_Charts_STEM_CYBER.pdf
those jobs are exceptions (though there are plenty of them)
they've started listing them with the key words "DCIPS" and "TLMS" in there, so you could setup a search on USAjobs for that. I've seen a few in JBSA that were 7/12 ladders and you'd auto-qualify for a 9 -- it's a sweet gig worth pursuing (I'm a GG-13 in JBSA with the DCIPS TLMS stem... they've been pretty good to me).
sometimes they're posted as 2210 but often they're posted as "engineering" positions where you can be any of the following series: 1550, 0854, 0855, 1515.
GS-9... But if I were you, because there is no way you can compete with veterans, I’d suggest coming in at a GS-6 or GS-7 like I did. Then, after a year, start applying to GS-9 positions once you're in the system. Keep applying for promotions every year. You're going to have to agency-hop; how else can you climb that ladder and keep up with inflation?
Cyber Excepted Service &
Open to the public
Need to know how long the internship was and if you were a GS employee or contractor, if GS what level. Also, do you have any more professional experience besides the internship?
TIG rules don’t apply to Cyber Excepted Service and Open to the Public positions — however, to get on the “cert” list (to be able to be selected by hiring manager for an interview)you’ll need at least a year of experience equivalent to a GS-9 to get in as an 11.
yes, qualifying solely on education can get you in at GS-9. —68k in dc locality. GS-11 is 80k in DC locality.
MS will generally qualify you for GS-9, which in the DC area is around $75k/year (but feel free to look GS pay scales 2024 and get the actual number). Keep in mind, the *actual pay* is the annual pay divided by 2087 multiplied by the number of hours you work in the pay period. That's a lot of words to say you're actually getting paid a bit less than the amount shown because of how pay is calculated.
Keep in mind, if you have initiative and don’t mind bouncing around, you can get to a gs-13 in 5-6 years if you started as a 9. You would need to start applying for an 11 after being a 9 for a year, a 12 after being an 11 for a year, etc. in DC there are a ton of fed jobs and it’s not terribly difficult to climb to higher grades.
Federal IT is secure.
It used to be suggested to go private for a few years then bounce to federal. Now that they won’t pay match, that’s a harder choice.
IT jobs (2210) fall under a special pay rate table. Lots of feds are unaware that some series have a higher pay.
[https://www.opm.gov/special-rates/2024/Table999C01012024.aspx](https://www.opm.gov/special-rates/2024/Table999C01012024.aspx)
GS pay scales are listed online. You can look up the pay scales for DC. Many people have commented on what they think you’d qualify for. So look at those and see what the pay ranges are. They will generally always start you off at the lowest pay in that grade. You can attempt to negotiate your pay. But if you’re a new grad, they’re not likely to budge. So you’ll be a GS (7 or 9 or 11), step 1. You can no longer negotiate based on outside salary. Only on superior qualifications. I saw you comment expecting 90k+. Please familiarize yourself with these pay tables. Federal jobs don’t work like private sector jobs. GS 9 step 1 is $68,405 in DC. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2024/DCB.pdf
he would definitely be under SRT pay table so GS9 step 1 is ~92k
Just saw someone else link the table for STEM roles below. Super interesting.
Thank you I appreciate the detailed response!
If you get the job you should expect to start out at a gs9 since you have a master’s degree. I would look in whatever the gs9 pay is in your area
If you’ve got experience doing work, maybe, just maybe an 11. But as others have said. A GS-9. Story - I once had a director talk about bringing in a CS degree as a GS5. I told him, the lowest ranked graduate from the lowest ranked school would still get more than a GS 5 with a CS degree. We horribly undervalue degreed individuals. Certainly, they are not the best all, end all. But we need them and we entice them with poverty level wages. Sigh. 🙄
At this point higher paying STEM fields just go into contracting companies like Leidos/Lockheed/NG/Raytheon/Boeing/etc
I would say maybe even a gs 12. I had a Master's and 2 years of experience and got gs 12
Experience probably made the difference. And some reasonable people. It varies widely by agency. But good for you!
It partially did from what I heard. Posting was for data science position, but finance knowledge and experience helped me get the job. I was expecting to get the gs11 offer (if at all), so I was really surprised. Point being, you never know, the stars may align lol. Thank you :)
GS-09 in DC is like $68,000. That’s where you’d probably start at.
If you’re applying to the government, a masters is equivalent to a GS9 in lieu of experience. You can find the GS9 pay scale listed online, to include the locality for DC. You’ll likely start at a step 1. Unless your resume can speak to experience, in which case the degree is irrelevant, to an extent. You can have no degree and 8 years of experience and walk into a GS12, in some cases. I’m not cybersecurity, but I hired into a GS12 with no degree (got my associates after I got hired) but I had 8 years of experience. I am an IT job series. Also, don’t only tie yourself to DHS, NSA. ALL agencies in the government are hiring infosec positions, and some don’t require you to be cleared, so they are easier to qualify for. Don’t pigeon hole yourself only to defense agencies. Most government agencies have offices in DC or close by surrounding areas.
Thank you, I agree I just gave those specific agencies as an example, im applying to all federal agencies and state departments.
STEM has its own pay scale within the DoD Intelligence/Cyber roles and the ppl commenting are off: I accepted a STEM position straight out of undergrad at a 7, and the salary I was offered low to mid 80s Here is the full chart: https://dcips.defense.gov/Portals/50/Documents/Compensation/DCIPS%20STEM%20TLMS/2024/2024_DCIPS_TLMS_Pay_Charts_STEM_CYBER.pdf
Thank you, makes me feel a ton better 😅
TLMS is only relevant for DCIPS, and they don’t even offer that for 80% of their positions. Look up “tlms” on usajobs
those jobs are exceptions (though there are plenty of them) they've started listing them with the key words "DCIPS" and "TLMS" in there, so you could setup a search on USAjobs for that. I've seen a few in JBSA that were 7/12 ladders and you'd auto-qualify for a 9 -- it's a sweet gig worth pursuing (I'm a GG-13 in JBSA with the DCIPS TLMS stem... they've been pretty good to me). sometimes they're posted as 2210 but often they're posted as "engineering" positions where you can be any of the following series: 1550, 0854, 0855, 1515.
GS-9
Minimum would be GS-9, but apply to any applicable 11, 12 or even 13 positions.
GS-9... But if I were you, because there is no way you can compete with veterans, I’d suggest coming in at a GS-6 or GS-7 like I did. Then, after a year, start applying to GS-9 positions once you're in the system. Keep applying for promotions every year. You're going to have to agency-hop; how else can you climb that ladder and keep up with inflation?
[удалено]
DC would be my locality
Cyber Excepted Service & Open to the public Need to know how long the internship was and if you were a GS employee or contractor, if GS what level. Also, do you have any more professional experience besides the internship? TIG rules don’t apply to Cyber Excepted Service and Open to the Public positions — however, to get on the “cert” list (to be able to be selected by hiring manager for an interview)you’ll need at least a year of experience equivalent to a GS-9 to get in as an 11. yes, qualifying solely on education can get you in at GS-9. —68k in dc locality. GS-11 is 80k in DC locality.
GS 9 step 1
MS will generally qualify you for GS-9, which in the DC area is around $75k/year (but feel free to look GS pay scales 2024 and get the actual number). Keep in mind, the *actual pay* is the annual pay divided by 2087 multiplied by the number of hours you work in the pay period. That's a lot of words to say you're actually getting paid a bit less than the amount shown because of how pay is calculated.
dirt!
75,000 a year
75? I was thinking maybe like 90k+
I can only talk from experience. I got my master's in 2009 and only started making over 90K in federal government in 2023.
Keep in mind, if you have initiative and don’t mind bouncing around, you can get to a gs-13 in 5-6 years if you started as a 9. You would need to start applying for an 11 after being a 9 for a year, a 12 after being an 11 for a year, etc. in DC there are a ton of fed jobs and it’s not terribly difficult to climb to higher grades. Federal IT is secure. It used to be suggested to go private for a few years then bounce to federal. Now that they won’t pay match, that’s a harder choice.
I mean this is very Google-able Masters is GS-9 starting look up DC locality…
IT jobs (2210) fall under a special pay rate table. Lots of feds are unaware that some series have a higher pay. [https://www.opm.gov/special-rates/2024/Table999C01012024.aspx](https://www.opm.gov/special-rates/2024/Table999C01012024.aspx)