Compare US Department of Veterans Affairs vs CH2M-WG BETA

Pros

I’m fairly new to the VA and working for the federal government, but so far the work environment seems to be great. The benefits are really good and they give you so many options! They match 5% into... your choice of retirement plan—and I’m in my mid-20s so I’m taking full advantage of this! The HR representatives are really wonderful. I only spoke with one HR person when I had questions during the hiring process, I’ve heard that someone else never spoke with the same person twice and always heard conflicting information. My information always lined up between HR, hiring manager, the lady’s who did my background check—everyone. I would say the pay is more than fair! At my old job I was making significantly less (under $15) despite 7 and a half years of experience in the medical field (receptionist and medical assistant) plus my certifications/PCT license/bachelor’s degree. The facility at Cape is brand new still and is impeccable. They keep the environment well maintained and you can tell that they’re all proud to serve those who have served us and their families. The atmosphere is welcoming and you can feel that management really tries their best to keep everyone happy, because they all seem to be! Excited for this opportunity! This job, in particular, seems to have a good work-life balance. Hours of operation are 7am-5pm Monday through Friday (my hours are 8am-4:30pm) with a half hour lunch. Weekends are off, as well as all major federal holidays. This is really exciting for me, I have a large background in private home health (kind of always on call, potentially having to work all holidays if they needed), hospital (emergency room specifically, had to work rotating holidays and every other weekend—but typically more like 3 weekends out of the month due to staffing) and private practice (primary care, no weekends, high drama, very unbalanced work-life balance, hours were 7:30am-?? Monday-Thursday. Office was open 8am to 5 pm, appointment slots stopped at 4 pm, but the nursing staff could be there until after 8 pm sometimes. Fridays were different: office was open 8am-noon, nursing staff from 7:30 am and alternated a half day on either Wednesday or Friday afternoons, so you were there either there until noon or all day until it’s all done). Fingers crossed the year probational period is as easy as I think it’ll be!

Cons

As I mentioned above, I’m fairly new here so I don’t have any right now! HR was always nice and pleasant in their replies, and always very prompt! So far, management seems very accommodating and just... happy to have people who are passionate.