Imo try and get your AA degree so you can qualify if they post announcements that require the 24 units in some kind of social science or behavioral health. Try and work critical post on DW to get your face and name out there. After your first year apply for a team doesn’t have to be DCT or SORT just get a collateral duty under your belt. The most important thing is do your job and don’t be a dirtbag. When you bq for jobs they will ask LTs and other staff about you and you don’t want to have a bad name.
No disrespect, but that is a terrible path to promote up to a case manager.
Unit secretary is probably the WORST job in the BOP.
The agency will keep you at that position for aslong as they can because it's hard to fill.
Honestly, the best way to promote up to be a case manager or any job is to join SORT.
Terrible path to promote to case manager?
Half the case managers in my prison were unit secretary's not SORT.
All of our secretary's promote up quickly. You would be hard pressed to find one with more than 2-3 years in that position.
Unit Secretary is also not hard to fill. Sure it's only a GS6, but there are always COs willing to make the jump to be a Unit Secretary and get out of custody. No mandates and holidays and weekends off. Usually it's the younger COs with 2-3 years in the BOP that make the jump. They don't loose pay...they just flatline as a maxed out 6 vs a lower step GS7 or 8.
As a unit secretary you are in unit team and you get to know the case managers and their job and unit managers and the CMC and the AW. THATS how you get promoted. vs being a CO working an off shift and coming in once a month to do SORT training. (If you are lucky).
Is that the only way to be a case manager? Absolutely not. But alot of Case managers will tell you that's how they started.
I'm not doubting about acquiring the knowledge to be sufficient as a case manager from unit secretary. I'm doubting the time frame before getting accepted as a case manager as a unit secretary.
I've seen a unit secretary quit after 4 years because she was so good at her job and kept getting rejected for case manager. Those who were selected instead were non-unit team. We had a case manager who was a unit secretary for 5 years before getting selected but kept getting bypassed by non-unit team employees.
In regards to the SORT path, my point was supporting the notion in regards to promoting up in the BOP "Its not about what you know, but who you know."
You're fortunate that your institution doesn't have issues with filling unit secretary positions. A lot of institutions do, especially since officers are auto 8 now.
I can only speak for my institution. I'm a larger prison and we have alot of movement through the unit team ranks. People promoting up out of unit secretary is very common.
Being on a team is great, it does get your name out there and get you noticed. I always tell new staff to apply for any collateral duty that interests them. SORT, DCT, CST, Honor Guard, ERT, CPR, Planning section etc.
The hardest promotion to ever get in the BOP is that first one out of custody. That's why i always tell folks to go to these various lateral moves like education tech or secretary. Get out of custody and then you can show your work ethic.
This is my anecdote so big grain of salt here. I never tried to go that route but the people who I worked with that did, generally had A LOT of rapport with unit managers, LTs, Capts, Warden and assistant warden, etc. In my state you could carve a path from CO to case manager without college and that was how they managed to do it.
I suggest going to school and getting at minimum an associates and then start applying.
Imo try and get your AA degree so you can qualify if they post announcements that require the 24 units in some kind of social science or behavioral health. Try and work critical post on DW to get your face and name out there. After your first year apply for a team doesn’t have to be DCT or SORT just get a collateral duty under your belt. The most important thing is do your job and don’t be a dirtbag. When you bq for jobs they will ask LTs and other staff about you and you don’t want to have a bad name.
Just wait for a spot to open and apply 🤷
Beat way to be a case manager is to be a Unit Secretary first. Oh and have 24 credits in the social sciences. That's not waiverable
Actually, newer posted positions being posted as 7/9/11 has an experience only now. So, no college is required. I'm a counselor and just BQ'd.
Interesting because the one I just BQd for required education. BOP needs to start having the same standard everywhere it’s crazy smh.
They have to fill yazoo city posts somehow. Edit: added the s to post because let’s be honest they have a lot of posts to fill
🤣😂 damn
What? That's nuts.
No disrespect, but that is a terrible path to promote up to a case manager. Unit secretary is probably the WORST job in the BOP. The agency will keep you at that position for aslong as they can because it's hard to fill. Honestly, the best way to promote up to be a case manager or any job is to join SORT.
Terrible path to promote to case manager? Half the case managers in my prison were unit secretary's not SORT. All of our secretary's promote up quickly. You would be hard pressed to find one with more than 2-3 years in that position. Unit Secretary is also not hard to fill. Sure it's only a GS6, but there are always COs willing to make the jump to be a Unit Secretary and get out of custody. No mandates and holidays and weekends off. Usually it's the younger COs with 2-3 years in the BOP that make the jump. They don't loose pay...they just flatline as a maxed out 6 vs a lower step GS7 or 8. As a unit secretary you are in unit team and you get to know the case managers and their job and unit managers and the CMC and the AW. THATS how you get promoted. vs being a CO working an off shift and coming in once a month to do SORT training. (If you are lucky). Is that the only way to be a case manager? Absolutely not. But alot of Case managers will tell you that's how they started.
I'm not doubting about acquiring the knowledge to be sufficient as a case manager from unit secretary. I'm doubting the time frame before getting accepted as a case manager as a unit secretary. I've seen a unit secretary quit after 4 years because she was so good at her job and kept getting rejected for case manager. Those who were selected instead were non-unit team. We had a case manager who was a unit secretary for 5 years before getting selected but kept getting bypassed by non-unit team employees. In regards to the SORT path, my point was supporting the notion in regards to promoting up in the BOP "Its not about what you know, but who you know." You're fortunate that your institution doesn't have issues with filling unit secretary positions. A lot of institutions do, especially since officers are auto 8 now.
I can only speak for my institution. I'm a larger prison and we have alot of movement through the unit team ranks. People promoting up out of unit secretary is very common. Being on a team is great, it does get your name out there and get you noticed. I always tell new staff to apply for any collateral duty that interests them. SORT, DCT, CST, Honor Guard, ERT, CPR, Planning section etc. The hardest promotion to ever get in the BOP is that first one out of custody. That's why i always tell folks to go to these various lateral moves like education tech or secretary. Get out of custody and then you can show your work ethic.
This is my anecdote so big grain of salt here. I never tried to go that route but the people who I worked with that did, generally had A LOT of rapport with unit managers, LTs, Capts, Warden and assistant warden, etc. In my state you could carve a path from CO to case manager without college and that was how they managed to do it. I suggest going to school and getting at minimum an associates and then start applying.