<p>Hi everyone.
I'm in a bit of a funk and would really appreciate some advice.</p>
<p>I've just accepted the ASEE SMART fellowship and the work commitment is one year of service at a DoD agency (I have 'some' say in where I will be placed) per year of funding I receive.</p>
<p>However, in hindsight, I'm a little scared that I may totally and utterly hate the job (I have about another 4 years to go for my PhD) when I finish.</p>
<p>Can anyone shed some light on the work culture at a DoD lab/agency? I'd really appreciate it. Does anyone even know if the starting pay is half decent?</p>
<p>I'm not in a DoD lab, but I work for a small government contractor that does similar sorts of work, and I really like it. I suspect, though, that the culture is going to vary from lab to lab.</p>
<p>If you have a master's and are pursuing a PhD, they start your stipend at the grade 7, step 1 level, according to their website. So I would expect that, paywise, your starting salary when you graduate will be somewhere above that. The salary table is at Salary</a> Table 2007-GS</p>
<p>I'm a 2nd year PhD now and have already passed quals. Do you know where I would start on the pay scale after graduation roughly?</p>
<p>Would an 80k-a-year salary be too much to expect? I'm sure they're aware I could earn that kind of money elsewhere - but if I have a work commitment, I hope they won't take advantage of that?</p>
<p>I imagine your starting salary will be pretty much the same as any other new-hire PhD. You might want to try looking in job search databases to see what they're offering new PhDs at the various institutions you're interested in.</p>
<p>I imagine you also wouldn't offend anyone if you asked the people at ASEE about it.</p>
<p>Hi all -
I just heard back from the DoD and apparently starting salaries are between GS9 and GS10 (the Step placement is dependent on experience). So, even at the maximum, of Step 10, that's only 75k.</p>
<p>I don't mean to sound greedy, but I will be graduating from an Ivy league school here on the East coast, and hope to earn maybe a little more. Does this sound about right?</p>
<p>Depends:
Not all Ivy's are good in whatever you are specialized in.
Do you have work experience? If not, then $75 would be very generous.
There are apparently other benefits that makes the $75 more attractive.
The school you graduate only gets you to the opportunity. After that its up to you. There are a lot of smart people from a lot of schools that probably run circles around many Ivy graduates. </p>
<p>I am surprised that you have a lack of information and general knowledge.</p>
<p>Note that DoD agency experience will look pretty nice on your resume, which could lead to you getting better offers from others (like defense contractors, for instance) one you finish your term of service. Also note that the terms of the SMART fellowship itself are very generous, and you will be able to live with more financial security than most grad students.</p>
<p>Hi again all,
Thanks for the solid advice. I have some work experience, plus I've been an RA for a computational mechanics group for a year now.</p>
<p>I didn't mean to sound snobby with the whole Ivy league story - I just wanted to be complete with my background.</p>
<p>The SMART award IS generous, indeed. I can only hope the work satisfaction is there when I graduate!</p>
<p>Given all this, would people still agree a 65k salary is fair? (75k was the upper end of the scale)</p>
<p>You should also be getting pretty great benefits along with the salary, and if you're working in a DoD lab there should be a decent chance you'd get some sort of Top Secret clearance which could become a huge boost in your favor for starting with another defense company after finishing your commitment there.</p>
<p>I would be interested to hear how the job benefits at a place like the Department of Defense compare to a traditional job in industry, since I hope to work for them when I graduate too. From what I hear, all it is, is maybe a little more leave and slightly more flexible work hours.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any thoughts/experience to share?</p>
<p>IMO I think a $60,000 starting salary is more the norm even with a doctorate degree.</p>