Comment by rdl | Hacker News Reader

Comment by rdl | Hacker News Reader

I've met a lot of the U.S. Digital Service people and it is an amazing organization. I had a list of concerns (how they work with contractors already in place, how things would evolve with a new administration, whether they would get sucked into long term staffing at agencies, etc) and they had addressed all of them.

There are a few negative things as overhang from the rest of government (requirement for citizenship: so many of the great people I know are non citizens, even if many have green cards; drug testing, which doesn't really serve a meaningful purpose), but those are the reality, and don't diminish the value of the program in any way.

I would strongly recommend looking into USDS to anyone who who wants to make a difference in tech. It is a great place to go in the middle of a longer career at a post IPO company like Google/FB, or are between projects.

> (requirement for citizenship: so many of the great people I know are non citizens, even if many have green cards; drug testing, which doesn't really serve a meaningful purpose)

As an 18F employee, I can't speak for USDS, but I know 18F can (and does, I think) employ non-US citizens who are already authorized to work (we can't sponsor). I've also never taken a drug test.

Ah! It probably depends a lot on role. Good to know.

Yes, the USDS HQ team is part of the White House which means you have to be a US citizen. 18F is part of GSA and they have more flexibility in hiring. Agency Digital Service teams are being hired directly into various agencies, and each agency will have its own citizenship requirements I think.

> employ non-US citizens who are already authorized to work (we can't sponsor)

Doesn't that just mean permanent residents?

I think work permits and green cards are separate things.

Not necessarily. For example a L-1A visa is a non-immigrant visa for intra-company executive or manager transferees. Spouses of L-1A visas are in L2 status, which allows them to apply for work authorization.

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, we have made progress. Yes, there are still quirks. Yes, there is more to do. Come help!

As a YC alum, while I find some strong similarities between Digital Service and a small growing startup, there are indeed some additional hoops that we go through as a part of the US government and that's part of the tradeoff you get for being able to help government agencies that have huge impact!

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