Why I Love Working at NIST"It was during orientation that it hit me…"wow I just got hired to work at the coolest place ever"! Learning about everything that goes on here and taking the campus tour really excited me and once I got to know my fellow co-workers; I felt right at home. Everyone is very easy to get along with. There is a lot of hard work and laughter that goes on in my division. The camaraderie is refreshing. I have only been at NIST for going on 8 months now but not a day goes by without getting greeted in the hallway by a smiling face or a nice "Hi, How are you?" Coming in through the gates every morning makes me feel proud that I am a part of an organization that is changing lives and striving to make our world a better place." Sabrina Xaviar, Electronics Technician, Special Activities Group
"As a veteran and active reservist, I have always been impressed with the support and consideration that the National Institute of Standards and Technology provides for me. I enlisted in the reserves just days before I interviewed for my position at NIST, so when I got the job I knew I was in for a challenge! Luckily, my supervisors were very understanding – though my position was essentially a one-man operation, they were able to arrange coverage for me during my initial training for the reserves and continue to be very supportive." Michael Queen, Security Assistant, Police Service Group
"I started working at NIST 25 years ago. I was still a high school student, and with one year left until graduation, I truly had no idea what my future held. During my senior year, I worked at the NIST nuclear research facility and was amazed by how knowledgeable and helpful the people I worked with were. I knew that after graduation I would be unable to afford to attend college, so I decided to continue working at NIST. As soon as I graduated, I was offered a better position and work full-time. As the years passed, I grew and changed jobs within NIST a couple of times, including a wonderful 16-year period in the Director's Office that covered 5 official NIST Directors. I have been extremely lucky to have worked for some outstanding managers -- people who treated you as not only an employee, but as an individual with an outside life as well. I have successfully raised a wonderful daughter and have grown into a job that I am extremely happy with. NIST has offered many benefits -- a wonderful health benefits package, flexible work schedules, and a commitment to helping employees further their education and learn many things to help improve their job skills. Thanks to the classes and other skill-improving options that I have been offered, I was able to advance. I truly believe that NIST was one of the luckiest things to ever happen to me and I cannot imagine working anywhere else." Thelma Allen, Information Specialist, Component Software Group
"What I like most about working at NIST is the ability to plan out solutions vs. being reactive to change; NIST affords me time to plan and structure my workload in order to find the best solutions for whatever I am tasked with. What a relief!" Karen Waltermire, PMP, Office of Information Systems Management, IT Security and Networking Division, Policy Program |
