Now that I'm less than 2 weeks from quitting work and moving away from Alaska, I've realized that this is the longest-held job of my life: roughly 3 years and 9 months. Of course, no bank will recognize it as a 'permanent' position, as it's a federal SCEP (student career employment position)... and there is the question of of how many months I TECHNICALLY worked, since they allowed me to work part-time when school was in session... but overall, it's the longest job I've every held. Between NPS, USFS, and USACE, I think I've now worked a total of 5 years for the feds.

I think, if the whole academia thing doesn't pan out, I may return to the feds. Private contractors may make a hell of a lot more money, but the benefits aren't as good and the work isn't as steady. And, although the bureaucracy often makes me want to run screaming out the window, I'm beginning to realize that there are very few employment opportunities where you can avoid it.

Hopefully by the time I'm done with school (in another 5 years) the federal hiring freeze will be over.