Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

Hi,

I will be finishing my graduate program in international relations at the end of this year and will be looking for jobs soon. I was wondering if working for the government is completely out of the question in the U.S. (particularly the state department) because I have played online poker. I started playing this year but have not declared taxes yet. Will playing online poker prevent me from getting jobs?

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

It kinda depends how high security your job will be and how deep they will look into your stuff. A basic background check probably will only look into criminal histories. Other ones can go deeper: credit, finances, associations, the works. If you are not a criminal (ie. pay your taxes) and don't lie, I don't see it being a problem but I am just guessing.

Jeff

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

What about foreign service?

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

playing online poker is not a crime. yet.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

Doesn't the justice department have a hostile stance towards online gambling?

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

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Doesn't the justice department have a hostile stance towards online gambling?

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Yes, but it's largely irrelevant to your question. Unless you're going to be either at an extremely high security area, or be an extremely public presence, then nobody is going to care that you have played poker online in the past.

Actually, some will, but it will be because of the person not the fact that it's the federal government.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

No, but that faggy Avatar will.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

it is very unlikely that nobody in the doj plays online poker. i wouldnt worry about it too much.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

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No, but that faggy Avatar will.

[/ QUOTE ]


It's John F. Kennedy from the show Clone High. Thanks for the constructive criticism.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

I am in the military and I know at least 20 other military members that play online regularly. Most of us have secret or top secret clearances and there has never been a problem.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I am in the military and I know at least 20 other military members that play online regularly. Most of us have secret or top secret clearances and there has never been a problem.

[/ QUOTE ]

This was the answer I was looking for. Did you get the clearance before or after you started playing? Do you pay taxes on winnings?

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

Online poker player = fine.
Gay = not fine.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

Not fine, but fabulous.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

The new Avatar is much better, what are your salary requirements.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

With a Master's, probably 40K.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

I have a friend who sits in one of those bunkers babysitting ICBMs. He plays poker, so I wouldn't worry about you not getting a job.

Melch

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

As I sit at my desk working for the man, I can safely say it won't be a problem.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

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The new Avatar is much better, what are your salary requirements.

[/ QUOTE ]

what was the original avater?

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

As I said, it was a picture of JFK from the cartoon Clone High. It was a great show only on for a season and a great character. I guess former president JFK is "faggy".

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

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As I sit at my desk working for the man, I can safely say it won't be a problem.

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NH

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

Very reassuring. I hope he never misclicks "Launch" when he meant to fold.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

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Very reassuring. I hope he never misclicks "Launch" when he meant to fold.

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That would be a bad beat for the U.S.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

Working for the government in general: not a problem.
Working for State: might be a problem. They're weird.
Working for the CIA/NSA: likely a problem. Definitely don't lie about it.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

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Online poker player = fine.
Gay = not fine.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is a popular misconception.

Being in the closet is not fine. Having homosexual affairs is not fine. Being openly gay, so that you can't be blackmailed into revealing secrets, is fine.

Having a legal gambling problem is not ok, since it may lead you to have debts you can't cover. Evading taxes is not ok. In the OP's position, I would make sure everything is documented, including that I am a winning player if possible. I would pay all taxes, and start paying estimated taxes on a quarterly basis. I would pay a lawyer to tell me in writing that it is or may be legal to play poker online.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

The most important thing is TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT IT. It probably won't come up unless you're going for TS which has a lifestyle polygraph. You might get some questions where you'll have to admit to it.

Truthfully, unless you have comitted felonies, they would rather know. The idea is they don't want you to have information because then some foreign enemy could blackmail you with that info. If they find out you lied about something they will be MUCH MUCH more likely to turn down your clearance than if you had admitted it.

I know many people who admitted to trying all sorts of drugs on their clearance apps (I work for the DoD). I know one person who didn't admit to a tax lien and didn't get his [censored] cause they found out he lied.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

If they reject you for it, the job aint worth it.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

Stay in the private sector...working for the government is very -EV.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

This is the most important post within this thread. If you go to post-secondary school for 6-7 years and settle for $40k, you might want to revisit your opportunity.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

[ QUOTE ]
This is the most important post within this thread. If you go to post-secondary school for 6-7 years and settle for $40k, you might want to revisit your opportunity.

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Private sector requires 2-10 years of relevant work experience (depending on job). It's either this or some crappy internship for the U.N.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

[ QUOTE ]
This is the most important post within this thread. If you go to post-secondary school for 6-7 years and settle for $40k, you might want to revisit your opportunity.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's a 1-year MA at University of Chicago.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
This is the most important post within this thread. If you go to post-secondary school for 6-7 years and settle for $40k, you might want to revisit your opportunity.

[/ QUOTE ]

Private sector requires 2-10 years of relevant work experience (depending on job). It's either this or some crappy internship for the U.N.

[/ QUOTE ]

Government work is +EV. It is because after working for the government you are extremely hireable by any number of private companies. Generally for a much better job than you would get right out of school.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

The time value of the money you are giving up now for anticipated higher wages in the future isn't even close. Compound the 10-20% more you get in the private sector across raises over 10 years and you'll see you're way behind.

Of course, I'm not taking into account all the extraneous bribe income those in the public sector take in.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

If it helps, I know a Homeland Security Immigration Agent who plays online, and he dosn't seem to have a problem.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

I'm sure they won't care.

Almost any reasonable "lifestyle choice" is not going to be a problem for a civilian position unless it's a big secret. They don't want you being blackmailed into compromising security.

The biggest reason decent people are unable to get clearances is foreign connections. Foreigners living in your household, foreign business partners, foreign relatives, foreign lovers, etc. are red flags. I knew a naturalized American with Canadian parents who couldn't get to square one.

Don't tell any lies. Don't admit to something you are apt to be prosecuted for because they don't promise not to share with the police. I'm talking about real crimes that people care about not playing poker.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

OK, I am a dual citizen Canadian and American. I was born and grew up in the states but my parents are both Canadian and never became American citizens.. You think that will be a problem?

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

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OK, I am a dual citizen Canadian and American. I was born and grew up in the states but my parents are both Canadian and never became American citizens.. You think that will be a problem?

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Really? Very, very similar, but my story was some years ago. This is one of those situations where you probably need to ask and see what happpens. But my guess is that there are certain jobs you can't have.

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

Do you work for the U.S. government now? What happened?

Re: Is working for the U.S. government out of the question?
 

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OK, I am a dual citizen Canadian and American. I was born and grew up in the states but my parents are both Canadian and never became American citizens.. You think that will be a problem?

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I highly doubt that this will be a problem, I know plenty of immigrants who work for the Federal government.