I joined the USDS...!
The United States Digital Service (USDS) was created under the Obama administration after the healthcare.gov disaster because the US government wanted and needed to create a tech pipeline of talent to transform the way government uses and delivers technology. They created a tour-of-duty model to encourage tech folks to join government for 2-4 year (or less) term-limited positions and use their tech skills to improve government services. You can see the USDS reports to Congress and the organization’s amazing impact over the last two years here and here.
I’m honored to have this opportunity to contribute my tech skills to the government after living in DC and being an engineer in the federal government consulting space for 2.5 years.
Some people might be asking — what? Why would you want to join this administration? I thought about joining for the USDS for some time. Even though the election results gave me pause, I read this article about the Defense Digital Service (DDS) team here then met and spoke with many former and current USDS members to give me perspective.
I decided to join the USDS because I want to use my tech skills for the benefit of the American people. The impact I have will outlast any administration. I specifically chose the Department of Defense to work on tech projects directly affecting our national security, military service members, and their families.
Today marks the end of my eighth week at USDS (It’s been two months!). This work isn’t easy or trendy in the tech sense. But after the 2016 election, how better to have an impact than to join the government? If you’re interested in joining, please don’t hesitate to reach out. https://www.usds.gov/join
Furthermore, I am launching my personal blog site with this first post. After leaving my job at Deloitte Digital, I traveled around Japan, the Pacific Southwest, and Southeast Asia. I want to share my lessons learned, reflections, and tips about backpacking for 7 weeks in 7 countries.
This was my final itinerary -
- Japan - Tokyo, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Okayama, Hakone
- Pacific Southwest - Las Vegas, Zion National Park, Page/Flagstaff, AZ & Grand Canyon
- Singapore
- Indonesia - Bali
- Thailand - Chiang Mai, Phuket
- Cambodia - Siem Reap
- Philippines - Coron Island/Palawan, Cebu City
Some people might have called my itinerary crazy, but it was one of the best experiences I’ve had. I learned so much about how food, fashion, weather, religion, war, poverty, tourism, western ideals all influence the people and cultures of the countries I visited. I also developed a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of the United States of America. This trip pushed me out of my comfort zone as I traveled alone on some legs of my itinerary. #solotravel
Thanks so much for reading if you got this far — I’m excited to hear what you think! Are you interested in visiting these places? Want to meet up to learn more? Over all, this blog will be my thoughts on travel, tech, tips, and trends. Please reach out if there is something you want to learn more about!
Photo Credits to Emmad Mazhari via Unsplash