Unauthorized commitment

Hi everyone,

Figured I would try my luck with a career development question.

I am an 1102 with 6 years of experience at GSA and the Navy. I completed my MBA 3 years ago, and while I am pursuing my DAWIA III, I am craving additional professional development. From a career perspective, I am eyeing to eventually transition to a role which offers project management opportunities on the program side. 

My DAU instructors advocated for a PMP or a master’s in Project Management. Others have said adding IT qualifications or certs (ITIL etc.) could help in an assisted acquisition environment or in acquisition roles focused on IT requirements. While I work to finish my DAWIA III, what would you guys recommend? 

Thank you for your time! 
 

Thank you everyone for the input. Below are some of the responsibilities from the COR opportunity that I am considering: 

-You will be responsible for contract performance, policy compliance, and
contract oversight and execution to ensure financial and technical
compliance with contract terms and conditions.

-You will troubleshoot contracting, tasking and funding issues and monitor
contract reports for consistency with technical and financial tasking and
anticipated future tasking.

-You will assist the Contracting Officer in the pre-award and post-award
phase, determining the degree of contract risk, recommending contract
changes, and recommending consideration on waivers, deviations, and engineering change proposals.

-You will monitor the use and rate of expenditure of budget funds through
continuing dialogue with program managers and staff, government contractors, and review of written documentation or accounting records.

They require a business financial management certification Level I in the first year. 

I am realizing this could be a disruptive move if I want to keep the grade promotion and return to contracting at some point. Nothing is simple! 

Hey everyone, thank you for the input and comments. I am glad that I posted this question as everyone has contributed valuable perspective. It appears this move has some risk. If it doesn’t work out, I would need to be prepared to step back to my current grade if I transition back to the 1102 series. My only hope would be to secure “highest previous rate” to recover my salary loss after a year. Of course, this is not guaranteed either. Nothing is easy! 

Thank you for the response. I had a suspicion that this might be the case and you confirmed it. I appreciate the insights! 

Hi Joel, we support customers who commit UACs from time to time. It makes for a rough day when it happens. 👍 

Hey guys, 

I am hoping to get insights on the COR career path. I currently work for DOD as an 1102 and I am considering taking a promotion to a COR position (1101) at another DOD agency. It would be a grade increase and potentially less stress. Based on feedback from my limited network, they say it’s a good career path but lacks the transferability that an 1102 position offers. The 1102 opportunities seem abundant in the Government and I would be concerned about getting pigeon holed if I switch to an 1101. Additionally, the COR opportunities in my locale seem rare and lower graded. Any input or feedback is extremely appreciated!