u/EatATacoTonight

Pretty much the title. My California State Government job in Los Angeles ended prematurely due to a lack of extended funding for the contract I was working. I'm at a crossroads with doing a temp agency or peeking around federal jobs.

If I need work urgently, would pursuing federal employee be the wrong path to choose?

Los Angeles, CA. I'm a former Data Analyst with a degree in political science.

I imagine both are hard, but I just wanted to tap into others' thoughts about this subject.

Just want to learn more about the MOS and the work that goes into it.

Not sure if it's my ADHD, or if it's just short-term adrenaline, but it's like a seasonal pattern I struggle with where I lift for 6-12 weeks, and then plateau. Then I restart, make great gains, pause, and it's a loop. Has anyone dealt with something like this before?

In April 2026, I applied for Active Duty enlistment in the U.S. Army. Unfortunately, the waiver authority denied me on medical grounds due to comorbid ADHD and a recent grief-related diagnosis. Both conditions were treated within the past 24 months. ADHD was treated with therapy and a short course of Adderall (about 2 months). Grief was treated with therapy only, no medication. I was given a 12-month wait period before I can reapply, which would put reapplying around April/May 2027.

My current Army recruiter was a bit shocked. His boss believes that resubmitting additional documentation (5 years of pharmacy records, a clarified medication end date, and updated letters from my doctor and psychiatrist supporting fitness for duty) would GUARANTEE a shortened wait period to around 6 months. I will also note I never submitted pharmacy records.

When I visited recruiters from other branches, I ran into very conflicting guidance that didn’t really line up. The Navy warned that trying to resubmit or push reconsideration would probably backfire and trigger a risky psych eval or a longer wait. The National Guard said resubmitting updated records is expected and shouldn’t negatively affect the process. I don’t know which interpretation is correct, but the disagreement itself is making it harder to decide what to do, and I’m almost resigned to giving up until next year. 🤦‍♂️

Edit: Meant to say 2.5x the rent

Lost my job and I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to cover everything once my co-habitant is gone since I’ll be on the hook for everything. Does anyone know how it typically works if you lose your job and need to qualify? Can a LL ask me to leave because of my job situation?

Or does the California Tenant Housing Act + LA County shield residents from this? I’m on a month to month

Late-20s Adult here diagnosed with ADHD 6 months ago, so maybe this explains some of the situation.

After 3 years, my resume looks like a series of short-term stints with nothing extending beyond 14 months.
My last job I resigned in lieu of being fired for poor performance, so I take accountability.

At a glance, it either looks like I’m a contractor, a job hopper, or a bad employee. I realize I’m the common denominator in all this, but I’m doing my best to stay hopeful and not mentally shut down.

I’m trying to figure out what my next big move is, since it’ll probably be major for whatever happens next in my life. Some have advised me to leave my last job off my resume, and not mention it at all. Others have warned against omitting since it can populate in a background check. I don’t know what the right move is nor how to salvage this work background.

For the record, I have bachelors degree in International Relations and have worked in government/public service roles since roughly 2022.

Just wondering about the backgrounds people are coming from before they became EA assistants. Seems like many came from Admin Assistance and internal-hires from their companies.

As the title says, I’m starting to feel genuinely anxious about how my resume looks from the outside.

Over the last three years, I’ve technically only accumulated around 1.5 years of actual work experience. My most recent role lasted 4 months before I resigned, and the role before that ended in a Mutual Separation Agreement right at the 12-month mark after a suicide in my family completely destabilized my life and mental state at the time.

What’s making this harder mentally is that I did actually progress upward during these roles. I took on more responsibility, supported higher-level work, and felt like I was building momentum career-wise. So internally it feels like I was growing, but on paper it probably just looks chaotic and unreliable.

I think I’m struggling with the fear that recruiters or hiring managers are going to immediately disqualify me once they see the timelines.

Has anyone here recovered from a resume that looked unstable for a few years? At what point do employers stop caring about short stints if you can demonstrate growth and self-awareness?

I'm in Los Angeles, in my 20s, and I primarily worked in government, non-profit, and analyst/admin-type roles.

Which is why you don’t see them mentioned here a lot because there’s not much to discuss.

It’ll sound dumb but it’s been on my mind a lot. I’m evaluating if I should even apply for an Intel job (35F) that needs a TS.

I’m completely clean on paper. No legal issues, no drugs/alcohol problems. Pretty NPC. But my life background is kinda heavy.

My dad has a pretty bad gambling problem, like $50k+ losses, and there’s a lot of tension between us after I caught him and called him out. It got heated on a few occasions and I definitely lost my temper whenever he got busted. For my mom, she has some very serious mental health issues (I’ve seen her use physical violence) and she refuses to get help. Most people in the family have distanced themselves from her, including my father and I.

Then on my end, my ex died by suicide after I broke up with them. They were struggling with drug and alcohol use and cheated, which is primarily why I left. Their family didn’t blame me and even invited me to the funeral, but it messed me up for a while and I had to get into therapy and get medicated until I was better.

It’s a lot of drama. Idk if it’s a big deal (I only ever passed the SF-86 twice like 7 years ago) or if it’s just in my head, but I figured I’d ask since it’s been making me go back and forth if I should go TS, or just settle for a secret clearance job since I don’t wanna screw my chances of being able to get any cleared job in the Army altogether.

Years back, (after mannyy years of government internships in highschool/college) I started as an Admin Assistant supporting 2 VPs + occasionally the CEO/President for about 14 months before getting laid off.

After that I moved into a government analyst admin role that’s kind of a mix of data analysis, research, and some director-level support. I was working with department leadership and helping support higher-up folks across government teams. I often worked with high-level government officials and career executives on a regular basis.

I think this could translate into an Executive Assistant role (since it’s still a lot of high-level support + coordination), but I’m not sure if that actually tracks or if I’m reaching?? 🤷

Do you think this is a realistic move? And how would you spin/frame this background if you were me?

I couldn’t take it anymore. So I left my job. After scoring well on the ASVAB, the U.S. Army (Active Duty) offered me the Military Intelligence MOS, but I got DQ’d at my MEPS health screening for 12-months. It was for mental health.

Now at 27, I’m stuck for a year, have no job, no car, a thin savings, and no unemployment insurance. I feel like an idiot, but I do take full responsibility.

The situation is pretty bad. I’m in Los Angeles paying $1500 for Rent/Utilities and have a bachelors degree in political science. At this point, I figure my best option is trying to find an Executive Assistant role as a placeholder.

Wondering what others might have to offer in terms of advice for what to do for the next 12 months.

Does anybody do this? Wondering if it would be fine to leave it there for a couple hours while I workout.

^ The title. Not a trick question. Just be honest. Even if it’s shallow.

Just curious for an aspiring recruit.

My boyfriend and I live local and wanna go in blind. We’re just big Peanuts fans. Is it mostly kid stuff or can adults have a good time there as well?

Background: For a guy and a guy in Mid-20s?