AUTHOR ARCHIVES

Brittany Ballenstedt

Blogger Reporter Portrait for GovernmentExecutive.com Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
Results 11-20 of 1651

Is IT the Department of 'No?'

May 30, 2013 FROM NEXTGOV arrow There is an interesting conversation going on at GovLoop about how a number of government leaders are often turned down when they try to convince their IT shops to try new technologies. “I’ve spoken to a number of government leaders who have told me, ‘I’d love to try a lot ...

Millennials Are Rewriting the Definition of Work

May 29, 2013 FROM NEXTGOV arrow Federal agencies may be wise to expand benefits like telework and other mobile work programs in order to attract, hire and retain the younger generation of workers, almost all of whom are demanding schedules that allow them to work where and when they want, a new survey suggests. The survey ...

OPM Launches Job Search, Operating Status Apps

May 24, 2013 FROM NEXTGOV arrow The Office of Personnel Management on Thursday announced a new Android app and improved iOS app for its USAJOBS website, as well as a new application programming interface to help broaden the reach of USAJOBS. The new USAJOBS Android app and improved iOS app enable users to search for and ...

Get a Computer Science Degree for Just $7,000

May 24, 2013 FROM NEXTGOV arrow Three years ago, Microsoft founder Bill Gates predicted that technology and the Internet would bring the cost of a college education down to $2,000 by 2015. While we clearly are not there yet, one university is inching toward that goal by offering a low-cost online Master’s degree in computer science. ...

Bill Would Extend Defense IT Worker Exchange Program

May 23, 2013 FROM NEXTGOV arrow Two House lawmakers on Wednesday introduced legislation that would extend a pilot program at the Defense Department that enables the exchange of Defense IT workers with their counterparts in private industry. The bill (H.R. 2105), sponsored by Reps. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla., would enable the Defense Department ...

Ten Key Skills for Landing a Big Data Job

May 22, 2013 FROM NEXTGOV arrow Federal agencies and private sector companies alike are finding big data talent is in short supply. A recent study by the Government Business Council (the research arm of Government Executive Media Group, Nextgov's parent organization) and Booz Allen Hamilton found that while most federal managers are optimistic about promise of ...

If You Want a Job in Tech, Learn to Code

May 21, 2013 FROM NEXTGOV arrow Commencement ceremonies are going on at universities across the country during the month of May, unveiling a new crop of college graduates eager to find their dream jobs. And according to a study released last week, technology and engineering grads should have no trouble finding jobs, right? That’s not necessarily ...

Mobile Strategies Maturing at One-Year Mark

May 20, 2013 FROM NEXTGOV arrow This week marks one year since the White House released its Digital Government Strategy, and more than half of federal IT executives believe the strategy has helped their agencies make progress on implementing mobile IT strategies over the past year, according to a new survey. The report, released Monday by ...

Five Things IT Staff Value More Than Salary

May 17, 2013 FROM NEXTGOV arrow The conversation this week has largely been around the issue of recruiting and retaining highly skilled science and technology professionals in the federal government. And with the federal pay freeze now in its third year, agencies may be interested to know that salary is not really what matters to most ...

Government's Edge in Attracting Science Pros? Mission

May 16, 2013 FROM NEXTGOV arrow Branding the exciting missions of the federal government and allowing for more mobility among federal workers may be the keys to recruiting, hiring and retaining top-notch workers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medical, or STEMM, fields, several panelists said Thursday. The event, which launched the new report, “The Biggest ...