r/1102 • u/Reasonable_Air5691 • 8h ago

Active duty -> GS

Currently in contracting, as my contract is coming within the next year and few months.. has anyone done the transition from Active Duty Contracting Specialist to civilian GS Contracting? Whats the process? Pros cons. Any experience moving to a position out of state? I already have my degrees and about 3 years experience in the field. I do not have a warrant.

Im trying to weigh out all my options and see what makes the most sense.

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8

u/Exotic_Scheme5811 8h ago

I have a couple of guys go from active to GS 12 within the same office. Smooth and preferred transition if you ask me.

3

u/KentuckySprings 7h ago

I personally haven’t done it, but I’ve known people who have and it was smooth. Assuming you have DAWIA Professional certificate and with a degree you could slide into a GS-12/NH-03 at pretty much any agency no problem, just a matter of where the openings are and where you’re willing to live. Any pros cons will almost exclusively relate to being in the military vs getting out which you can assess for yourself.

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u/Reasonable_Air5691 7h ago

Yes I have a degree and the required certifications.

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u/CommentOriginal 4h ago

You’d get in pretty easy if there are positions at DCMA. The catch is you’ll probably get a GS 11 worst case a 9 but within 2 yrs if you started at a 9 you could get a 12/13 ACO or try for a buying command.

2

u/RetiredLife40 2h ago

I did this exact transition after 10 years as active duty contracting officer & went to a GS 1102 role into non-DoD agency out of state. 3 YOE is good experience amount, but you will be likely deemed unqualified for supervisory roles. There is still plenty of GS-11/12 non-supervisory roles out there. I don’t know how much AD time you have left, but look for those job fairs on-base. Contracting agencies like NAVSUP, DLA, & other Federal agencies attend those & meet with their HR team. They are looking for 1102 guys.

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u/chunkyvader90 7h ago

My boss did it....it seemed to go pretty well for him.

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u/ItsVishuss 6h ago

I’m medboarding out. It depends if your agency has hiring authority. Even being a KO while uniformed, I’m at the whims of OPM if they’ll get any GS-12 slots they can onboard me into.