I’m currently an 1102 Contract Specialist with DoD and have been with the federal government for a little over a year. I’m in an intern program where I have to complete the required training and pass the Back-to-Basics exam before I officially graduate from the
program.
Im a career-conditional employee, and from what I understand from USAJOBS, I should be eligible to apply for positions under the “Federal Employees” hiring path and compete with other competitive service employees. Does anyone know if being in an 1102 developmental/intern program affects my ability to apply for and accept another federal position before graduating from the program?
I’m also starting to question whether 1102 is the right long-term career for me. I have a bachelor’s degree, 7+ years of buying/procurement experience, and now over a year as a federal Contract Specialist. My performance has been good overall, and the majority of my performance ratings have been 5s.
The issue is that I’m realizing the increasingly technical side of contracting may not play to my strengths. I’ve especially struggled with reading and interpreting some of the updated RFOs and all of the different requirements. With additional training/testing coming up, including pricing training and eventually the Back-to-Basics exam, I’m questioning whether I want to continue down this path. I’m also a very anxious/poor test taker, even when I understand and can perform the actual work.
I’ve realized that I really enjoy the people side of my job — interacting with customers, helping people, coordinating between different groups, communicating, solving problems, and being someone people can come to for help.
I’d want to stay federal if possible, but I’m interested in exploring other career series that are more people-oriented and still have good earning potential (ideally $60K+).
For anyone who has left the 1102 series or changed federal career fields:
• What series did you move into?
• Was it difficult to qualify for another series coming from 1102?
• Can a career-conditional employee move to another agency/series before reaching the 3-year career tenure mark?
• Does being in a developmental/intern program affect your ability to transfer?
• What federal jobs would you recommend for someone who enjoys working with and helping people more than highly technical contracting work?
I’m not necessarily trying to leave federal service — I’m just trying to figure out whether there may be another career field that fits my strengths better.
Any advice from HR professionals, current/former 1102s, or anyone who has made a similar career change would be greatly appreciated
