My wife wanted to take the test to perhaps work on the upcoming census. Just for the hell of it, I took it also. Well, they called me and want me to fill a supervisor position for a couple of months. I wasn’t really intending to work again, let alone for the government. As in ever. But it would pay for the work we’ve had done on the house, I guess. I’m just not sure that $15.75/hr is worth the aggravation of working for the fed.
Hey, that’s what I got payed for being a manager in 2000.
I thought it was really quite cool. Oh, the central office of my region was primarily employed by full-time(permanent) fed. workers. It was very frustrating getting anything done. Most people were on break all the time, drinking coffee and watching TV in the break room. My pay was wrong every single check and I had to have it fixed every time.
My job was not a cushy government job. The permanent ones really were.
I’m here. Count me! Count me!
I’m here. Count me! Count me!
There, now you only have like… 300 million more to count.
I spent a lot of years working for the government in the past. It was frustrating then to the point where my wife and I both resigned. But this is only for a couple of months, so how bad could it be?
BWA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
They didn’t call me so when my form comes, I’m gonna toss it out and throw off their numbers
Hee hee hee hee hee
If you’re looking for an enumerator position, they won’t start filling those until around April 1st, as I recall.
>cough<… if you don’t really want the job I could use it…
Actually, I went for Census testing last week. Hoping to get a supervisor position, but I’ll settle for enumerator (had one of those last year, in fact).
I’m going for testing on Thursday. What kinds of jobs do they have? The flyer at the post office didn’t say – it just gave the time and place for testing.
It depends on a few factors, like how well you do on your test, how close you are to your local Census office, and what your area’s needs are. If you live close enough to your office, you may end up being offered an office job, like data entry. If not, you may be an enumerator.
Good luck on your exam!
Markxxx, I know you’re just kidding, but there is a LOT of money on the table available to communities that is allocated based on Census data. ($435 million a year over the next 10 years.) Other things also depend on your filling out and returning your Census form, like Congressional representation.
::fills out a 308 so she can get paid for this PSA.::
I worked the 2000 census in Pomona, CA at the old General Dynamics building. My shift: Friday, Saturday, Sunday evenings which was tiresome since I had a normal 9 to 5 during the week.
It was actually a fun job. One of my coworkers is my friend to this day. Good memories.
Work as much overtime as possible. It will be offered/ required, especially towards the end of the contract. If you get hired, let us know what scanners they are using this time.
I was going to apply for that last year, but that was the time I moved to an area where I am apparantly the only person left who doesn’t know Spanish, so…I can just imagine how much fun that would have been.
Make sure you do the practice test online. The tests are not easy, in that they require you to read carefully and analytically, and only 30 minutes is allotted for 28 questions. I scored a 98 and my wife aced it, but we both went back to check our answers and changed a couple that were wrong because of reading too fast.
On the application, make sure you let them know if you have any supervisory experience. The difference in pay between the Crew Leader position and Enumerator position is only 50 cents/hour, but the Crew Leader doesn’t necessarily have to go door-to-door (a plus, in my opinion). On the other hand, I get to deal with evaluations and data management, so we’ll see how far my patience can stretch.
Here’s a link that includes the on-line test (over to the right).
I missed a couple too, for the same reason ChefGuy gave – read the question too quickly. Math and math-related stuff isn’t my strong suit but I did better than I thought I would.
I’m hoping for something clerical. I have a bad hip. Walking might actually be good for it, but I’m also lazy.
I looked at the first couple of questions on the practice test before I took mine (on the 6th of this month) and decided I didn’t need the practice. Should have done it, I only got 25 answers correct. :mad: Don’t even know which ones I missed. 
Now I just need them to actually call me to do something, cause I can really use the money, how ever much they decide to pay.
Thank you, Chefguy and any other Dopers who end up working on the Census. It’s important work and a lot of money and political clout is riding on it.
And for anyone who actually does end up working for them… be careful out there. We don’t want any Dopers shot for trespassing while in their official capacity.
I worked as an enumerator and an office clerk during the 2000 census. Loved it! There were some issues when I was an enumerator;
[ol]
The skinhead that sent his German Shepard after me. After all, I worked for the government and was therefore an enemy (or something like that). He had the obligatory shaved head and a swastika tattooed on his chest. He obviously worked out a lot, because he was BUFF. Luckily for me, I had two dogs at the time and had just had some beef jerky from the local party store. I smelled good to the dog and she didn’t bite me, but she did rip my sleeve.
The must-have-been-illegal Mexican dudes who ran away from me. The woman answered the door and was just flat out scared to death. As I had the short form, she answered my questions fairly quickly and I left. Behind their rented house was a large field with woods beyond the field, and there were three guys running towards the woods. They must have thought I would deport them or something.
The time I went to Jeff Daniel’s house. I was scheduled to enumerate a house to see if it was a vacation home or a year round residence, and was irritated to see the closed gate that blocked me from accessing the house from the road. I parked at a neighbor’s house and walked over from the water side (it is on a lake). After knocking on the door and not getting any answer, I interviewed the neighbor to see when a good time for a re-visit would be. LOL. Nice house by the way, but nothing too extravagant. Hardwood floors, beautiful art, nice yard (with a baseball diamond set up for the kids) and very pretty house. Jeff Daniels has good taste.
The wanted felon who threatened to shoot me. He really did scare me, and that was the last straw. I decided to work in the office and enjoyed that experience very much. [/ol]
My worst experience with the Census last year were the white folks who stopped me on the street, expressed their EXTREME displeasure that I, another white person, was working for the Federal government with a [racial slur] [vulgar word for sexual act] up the White House. The phrase “race traitor” was used, along with “whore”. Fortunately, they were all talk and nothing more but it was… uncomfortable. Three of them, one of me, and they were between me and my car. That was in the “nice, white neighborhood”
Oddly enough, walking around with a vampire-white skin in the black slums of Gary people were actually nice to me, or at the worst indifferent/cold. Not that I dropped my guard, I mean, you need to be aware no matter what neighborhood you’re in. Plenty of people peeking out of the living room curtains wondering who the heck I was no matter where I went.
But for the most part, it was one of the better jobs I’ve had.
First day of training today. Holy mother of pearl, I’d forgotten what a bunch of inept knuckleheads work for the government. But I sort of expected that. The other people in the room were okay except for the 40-somthing hottie who thinks she’s a 20-something hottie and is a dimwit to boot. She’ll never survive as a supervisor without being fired. The woman can’t figure out the simplest of paperwork tasks. Or maybe she’s just an attention whore. Either way, I have zero patience with high maintenance fools. Hope it gets better.