Hi congratulations on receiving the SMART scholarship. This program has been a blessing to me. I am a EE major and got sponsored by the AF so please keep that in mind as I share my experience.
Good questions to ask your SF:
1.) On what pay scale will I be payed on and how do I fluctuate up the scale?
***Depending on the facility and the hiring role, depends the scale that you will be payed on. Some use the GS scale, some use a special in house pay scale. Also depending on where your SF is located, you might be getting locality pay which is added to your salary to help adjust to the local economy.
2.) Ask about any 401K or pension plans that they offer?
*** I know we are young, but time flies by, I remember being in your shoes when I first got this scholarship and now I am fixing to start working this summer, so definitely something to consider.
3.) How would my schedule look like?
*** Depending on the position, depends what hours you work. Typically from what I have seen, you would be working 40 hours per week, now the question comes to whether you can work 4-10s or 5-8s.
4.) Will I have to travel a lot working in this position?
*** Some positions have the option to travel for work, so if you are into that, you can ask for more information about that, but if you want to just settle down and come home everyday, I would definitely ask this question as well just for peace of mind.
5.) What skills are you asked of me to have to fulfill this position efficiently?
*** As we all know, not everything that we learn in school will be applied to the job, but there are key subjects and topics that will play a significant role in our job, so I would definitely ask so that way you are prepared for what is expected of you. You will also get a feel of how it is to work there if your SF has a good internship program.
Good questions to ask during your site visit:
1.) Ask if you will be touring the building in which you will be working at
*** Now depending on the facility, you may or may not get as lucky as to see the exact part of the building in which you will be working in, but the lobby is a great start as to see where in base the building is located
2.) Ask your touring guides questions about how they like working there?
*** From my experience, the people escorting you during your site visit are very nice, and they tend share majors with you. Just be friendly and ask questions dont be nervous, they are engineers just like you are.
3.) Ask about the amenities that your base has
*** Depending on your base, depends the size and amenities available to you as a civilian, they are typically really cool amenities to use
Regarding upwards mobility:
I personally do see a future for me in within my SF, and I am basing this based out of the people that I got to interact with while in my summer internships. In my SF there are a lot of young people, and some older people, and lets just say that the older people are pretty happy to be there and when it came to talking about their retirement, they say they are pretty comfortable on how thats going to turn out for them. When it comes to the young employees, from the wisdom they have shared is, the DOD is where you want to start your career, and where you want to end it, because of all of the experience and benefits that you gain, now what you do in the middle between starting and ending is up to you. Some plan on working there for like 5 years ( or just enough to leave a door open) and then moving to another job in the private sector, get payed better for a bit, do that for like 10 years and then come back to base and work till retirement, and its all based out of the benefits that you get for working for the government. Some others I spoke too had that plan but scaled up in the ladder and dont have a need to find a job in the private sector. You will definitely get a better feel on this when you get to do your summer internships, and see if that is the case for your field and SF. Dont be afraid to ask questions, and you can even bring this up during the Site Visit.
My personal experience when it comes to smart:
Its been a blessing. I dont have to worry about paying for school any more, and can fully focus on school and build my self to the best version of my self. For context, before the scholarship I would go to school, work part time during the school year and work full time during the summer to make ends meet at home and at school. The goal was to work as much as possible in the summer and build some savings to get me through the school year, along with the extra cash that would come in from me working part time. Now that would take a tool in my grades and my overall social life. Now that I have the scholarship, school has become my job, which is great because I used to pay to go to school, now I am being paid to go to school. I now have more of a social life, my grades are on the A range where I have always wanted them to be, and I do not have to go through the anxiety of worrying about finding a Job. In regards to anxiety, I originally got very anxious when DOGE came in and President Trump did the Hiring Freeze, I thought that this was it, I was going to graduate and not have a job. To this I say to you, build connections in school, continue to network with people and talk to recruiters and establish a good profile with them, they are a good plan B to have. Again this a plan B, SMART being part A. SMART has been very nice to ease the anxiety by telling us that if the hiring freeze continues up to six months from our graduation date, we are free from any debt and are free to go and find a job. During the mean time our stipends will continue. My SF has been very kind as well by personally calling me and letting me know that I do have a job, and I will be processed as soon as the hiring freeze is up. So my worst case scenario is that my school got paid for, and I got paid to go to school in return of no job or commitment, which now gives me the freedom to contact the recruiters that I have networked with and get a job there, debt free. Doesnt sound too bad to me. This is my experience, again the SMART scholarship was a blessing to me, and I pray that If you choose to accept it, it will be a blessing to you too.
I hope this helps
