OK, so, I want to talk about why some of what's been happening at this week's U.S. Digital Service All Hands meeting has reinforced my impression that I Don't Quite Fit In at #USDS, but for that to make any sense I first have to give some background about USDS for those of you who are unfamiliar with it. 🧵
There's a third way I differ from my colleagues. Many of them seem to value working on "high-profile" projects, but I've always been a more behind-the-scenes kind of guy. I actually prefer the work that isn't glamorous but is arguably just as important. I currently lead information security for VA.gov. I'm not going to win any medals for it, but keeping veterans' most personal data safe and secure is a Big Fucking Deal, and I'm honored to be doing it.
Second, they're really hammering home the gratitude angle, thanking us over and over for the sacrifices we've made to come to USDS. Maybe that motivates my colleagues, but not me. I've spent my entire life outside of work looking for ways to make the world better. Volunteerism has always been a huge part of my life. I don't need to be thanked for doing that in my job. For me, being able to do this work and get paid for it is a privilege for which I am grateful.
I'm sure that's true for most USDSers. But me? I was unemployed for six months before I started work at USDS. I got lots of interviews, no offers. I've always worked for startups, and startups don't want to hire 54yo infosec leaders. I came to USDS because it was starting to look like my only other choices were to switch from full-time work to consulting or leave the startup world and go to work as a small cog in a big company. Public service was far more attractive to me than either of those.
Having said that... Here's something that I've heard repeatedly since I joined USDS, and that has been mentioned multiple times by speakers at this week's All Hands: "All of you chose to come to USDS and serve your country, despite the fact that you could almost certainly make far more money working in the private sector. Many of you took huge pay cuts to come here."
First and foremost. USDS is FUCKING AWESOME and we do ABSOLUTELY FUCKING AMAZING WORK within the federal government, literally saving lives and making the world a better place every single day. Don't believe me? Go read the USDS 2024 impact report: https://www.usds.gov/impact-report/2024/ The stories in this report are only a small fraction of the work USDS does every year.
I'm glad USDS hired me, and I'm glad being hired by USDS enabled me to be detailed to VA where I can do the work I do every single day to help veterans. But since I got to USDS about a year ago, I haven't been able to shake the feeling that they hired me by accident and I don't quite fit in. Or maybe the other possible interpretation is that they should hire more people like me, and changing their culture and messaging to make people like me feel more at-home would help them do that. 🤔
The thing about working in #infosec is that nobody outside the organization you work for ever notices you unless something goes wrong on your watch, and nobody inside the organization you work for ever notices you unless you're making them do something they don't want to do. It's not prestigious work. And yet, it's So Fucking Important. That's the kind of work I like. I guess maybe I'm a masochist? 😉