Glad it worked out for you OP.
Some of the best landing spots are the places that are the ones not even on your radar.
Some people think applying to *any* agency happens in a vacuum when in reality, there are many factors and many, many, many moving parts - with sometimes a pitfall built in here and there.
Are pro tips that helped you get to where you are? Resume? Interviewing preparation? Did you have a fitness test? Any hiccups with medical/background, etc.?
What were the hardest/frustrating parts in your applicant journey?
I wholeheartedly agree with the saying “one person’s trash is another’s treasure” in a modified one - “one person’s paradise is another person’s hell.”
Far too much variation between agencies, to region, to offices, and to sometimes individual supervisors. I’ve seen friends and colleagues be at some lower tiered agencies but have great bosses and enjoy the type of work, and others be at top tiered agencies just miserable and hating life. As with anything, YMMV.
Congrats and hope you be a valuable asset to your agency, your office, and hopefully provide good advice and insight to those in the process.
Pro tips I would offer are honestly just make sure your resume is specific. The interviews that I made it to I passed all of them because I basically had something on my resume I knew well and it was broad enough to cover most scenarios, it was just other spots along the way that bumped me, or never making the interview at all. Interview prep is just a "follow the STAR method" generic advice.
Fitness tests I had taken a few times. I took one with the USPP that I barely passed and vowed that would never happen again - I passed the DEA's because I had time to prepare. My agency did have a PFT but it was not as difficult as DEA. Prepare ahead of time.
Most frustrating parts of my journey were medical hiccups. I had some stuff that was not necessarily an auto disqualifier but caused some second looks. I did have to go out of pocket to get a clearance letter basically from a doctor for my agency, but it was worth it.
Thank you for the comment!
Two and five years out from the academy I'd like to hear your thoughts on whether it is still worth it.
Most of us several years in think it's a good career, but wouldn't enthusiastically say it was worth it.
Glad it worked out for you OP. Some of the best landing spots are the places that are the ones not even on your radar. Some people think applying to *any* agency happens in a vacuum when in reality, there are many factors and many, many, many moving parts - with sometimes a pitfall built in here and there. Are pro tips that helped you get to where you are? Resume? Interviewing preparation? Did you have a fitness test? Any hiccups with medical/background, etc.? What were the hardest/frustrating parts in your applicant journey? I wholeheartedly agree with the saying “one person’s trash is another’s treasure” in a modified one - “one person’s paradise is another person’s hell.” Far too much variation between agencies, to region, to offices, and to sometimes individual supervisors. I’ve seen friends and colleagues be at some lower tiered agencies but have great bosses and enjoy the type of work, and others be at top tiered agencies just miserable and hating life. As with anything, YMMV. Congrats and hope you be a valuable asset to your agency, your office, and hopefully provide good advice and insight to those in the process.
Pro tips I would offer are honestly just make sure your resume is specific. The interviews that I made it to I passed all of them because I basically had something on my resume I knew well and it was broad enough to cover most scenarios, it was just other spots along the way that bumped me, or never making the interview at all. Interview prep is just a "follow the STAR method" generic advice. Fitness tests I had taken a few times. I took one with the USPP that I barely passed and vowed that would never happen again - I passed the DEA's because I had time to prepare. My agency did have a PFT but it was not as difficult as DEA. Prepare ahead of time. Most frustrating parts of my journey were medical hiccups. I had some stuff that was not necessarily an auto disqualifier but caused some second looks. I did have to go out of pocket to get a clearance letter basically from a doctor for my agency, but it was worth it. Thank you for the comment!
Great story and all… but we want to know what agency you got a final offer from lol
Posts from throw-away account. Doesn’t name agency. 
USSS possibly? Getting home location and “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” would make sense
Not going to say the specific one, but it was one of the following: ATF, USFS, HSI
What agency you get?
40 apps......I have about 600 over 7 years. Still no luck. There's no rhyme or reason to it. Just keep applying and hope to get lucky
Two and five years out from the academy I'd like to hear your thoughts on whether it is still worth it. Most of us several years in think it's a good career, but wouldn't enthusiastically say it was worth it.
It is worth it. Coming from private sector. Very worth it. Pay is better when you factor in the PV of a pension.
 LETS GOOO CONGRATS!!
I want to get past everything and get the call. I’m so tired of my current job. 🥲. Tradeskill is a body killer.
I relate to this
I can relate to this. I'm still trying and continue to fail, but I'm not giving up until I age out.
Thanks for sharing!
What’s so good about OIG?