Another Day in D.C.

It is strange having a career. In most ways it is unlike anything else I have ever done before. There aren't a set number of years I will be here and there is no final product that will complete it. I am really enjoying everything about the job so far and am optimistic about it continuing that way. I am consistently amazed by how happy people are in their different positions at GAO. One recent announcement was of the retirement of a person that had been with the GAO for forty-one years. It is amazing to think that if I were to work there that long I would be sixty-seven at retiring. It just seems so far away. Similar stories of long tenures at the GAO are not uncommon. One of the other analysts was saying that, statistically, if you stay at GAO past three years you will be there for your whole career. I am beginning to really understand how that is possible. The GAO prides itself on being a model federal agency and is constantly trying to improve itself. Despite the high expectations that are placed upon workers there is an atmosphere of calm and relaxation at all levels. Each worker is treated with respect and expected to carry out there work with little supervision. Understanding what its like to be treated as a professional is not something that comes easy after working at places where you had to document how your time was spent.

Another thing I have really come to appreciate about GAO is truly how flat the organization is hierarchically. When I heard this comment in my interview I was intrigued but skeptical. Over the past month it has become clear how true this really is. The people at the top of the organization are all approachable and engaged, which must be a hard thing to juggle considering the GAO overall has around 3,000 employees and the Health Care team has over 200. I had a really great meeting with the Managing Director of the team, in which it was made clear that everyone was accountable to each other, especially those at the top. Another interesting thing there are surveys of both the analysts and the management that foster discussion about what each can do better to make continual improvements. Both the analysts and the directors seem to really think that these measures have really helped keep people engaged and aware of what needs to be improved as well as what is going quite well.

After leaving work today, I took advantage of the warmer temperatures (40s today up from 10s over the weekend). I walked over to a nearby bookstore and picked up a couple new books and spent some time at the cafe. It still feels so funny when walking a couple blocks to pass by Chinatown, the National Portrait Gallery, the Spy Museum, the Ford Theater (where Lincoln was assassinated) among other nationally important sites. It is still hard to wrap my head around all of the things that exist within blocks of where I work and live. It is hard to imagine how long it would take to hit all the things Heather and I have talked about visiting. Looking back, Heather and I took a risk coming out here with only our M.A.s in hand and some idea of what we wanted to do. I could never have imagined it would work out as well as it has.