clerical assistant

administrative officer

sales associate

administrative assistant

accounting manager

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Under the general supervision of the Administrative Correspondence Center Supervisor, Correspondence and Coding Section, incumbent performs general and legal typing work for the Administrative and Claims Management. This included transferring information from dictation recording media and handwritten forms by typing a large variety of correspondence, legal documents, speeches, forms, reports, budgets, graphs, listings, records and decisions. This also included typing and proper setup of automatic typing equipment spacing, paragraphing, punctuation and numbering of typed documents. Typing sometimes requires rearranging sentencing before reproducing into draft and final form.
 As there were times that there was not enough work to keep us busy, I would volunteer to assist in other divisions, starting with the Record division. I learned the complete process of procedures that need to be followed when reporting a claim for workers' compensation and this was the first department the claims would go to. After the claims were entered into the system, they were then sent to the Claims Division.
 I was honored that they allowed me to continue to follow the process of workers' compensation claims, in which there are several types and the Claims Division would decide which category the claim would fall under and then direct the claim to the next division to continue to be processed.
 We also had a division called Supersedeas Fund Reimbursement (better known as black lung disease). This division's top priority was for black lung cases and since there was such an abundance (unfortunately) of this disease, they felt it necessary to open an entire division to specialize ONLY with Supersedeas Fund Reimbursement. As this was a brand new division, and they brought in a Director whose position was abolished from another Labor and Industry Division, I was completely honored to be given the task to open and set this division to a smooth running operation and getting checks processed in a very timely manner. We had the Director, myself and then the legal team that did the legal legwork behind the scenes and forwarded it back to our division for processing and issuing checks. Prior to the division being made exclusive, it took months for these poor suffering people to receive reimbursement and within about three (3) months of hard work, teamwork and listening to everyone's suggestions, we were processing these checks usually within a 30-day timeframe.
 Under the general supervision of the Administrative Correspondence Center

Literally on day 1 I realized working for the PA Department of Revenue - Cigarette/Tobacco Enforcement Division was a mistake.  My immediate supervisors openly criticized middle and upper management from Harrisburg, PA with derogatory language and the other Investigators operating on fear being forced to do assignments not in their job description.

The supervisors will tell you one thing and tell their superiors another creating constant chaos.  There was no form of communication nor policies in place to follow.  The limited procedures to follow one day would be different the next with no warning and it's your fault when it's not done the new way.  Explaining these issues with management was looked at as challenging authority so keeping your mouth shut was made quite clear.

Doing inspections in stores in Philadelphia was the crux of my work load.  A very simple job except for the fact that the stores are met with armed drug dealers.  There were no guidelines or training involved except if you felt unsafe to leave the store haha.  On a weekly basis there were minor to major incidents happening with management turning a blind eye to this.  This was brought to the attention of the Director & Human Resources about safety concerns; plus anti-semetic remarks made by a supervisor and supervisors making threats if certain things were spoke about to upper management that it wouldn't be in my best interest.  All this did was for me to be marked as a turn coat where the good old boy system was alive and well for management.

After the Department invested a year in me I was assuming they were going to make sure I would remain an employee because all my assignments were completed and I stayed out of everyone's business the best I could.   I was wrong again; the last couple months I was shunned because management's egos trump all concerns for the job.  

This position was suppose to be my career job but became my bridge job to my new career job.  So it ended up being good for me that things didn't work out here.  Stay away if you're looking to not hate your employers.

I came to DEP from "the outside" (what we call people who previously did not work in state government) and it was quite the culture shock. Within the first week I was told I needed to "slow down" because my boss was going to run out of work to give me. That was true for a while until I gradually was given more responsibilities above my pay grade to keep me busy.

Good benefits in terms of PTO (you get annual leave and separate sick time as well as extra holidays you wouldn't normally get in the private sector). Other benefits are okay but not as good as they used to be. Older folks at the state that have been there for a while have a very good pension, which helped to make up for the lower pay and measly, borderline-insulting "cost of living" raises which don't even match up to inflation rates. Great work life balance... normally only have to work 37.5 hours a week, sometimes a bit more if absolutely necessary. 

The experience you have depends on the agency you are at and the management. The upper level management at DEP the has been awful. I love my Bureau Director, but upper level management is out of touch and makes everyone's lives more difficult. This would apply to all other agencies, too.

In addition, there are a LOT of rules at the state and many processes seem to be made much more difficult than necessary. They preach "LEAN" and yet if you have a suggestion to make things run smoother or more efficiently, your suggestion is ignored. There is a lot of time wasted at the state, many times beyond the employees' immediate control due to ridiculous policies. This is the biggest reason I am looking to leave - I am sick of my own employer making my job extremely difficult. 

The Commonwealth will continue to lose great employees who actually WANT to work and make a difference if they continue to ignore our suggestions and continue to ignore the fact that the wages are not competitive. 

Pros: Mission-driven work; opportunity to contribute to public-sector digital initiatives
Cons: Weak leadership, unclear strategy, limited career development

1. Management & Leadership
The program is led by individuals who appear to lack experience managing initiatives of this scale and complexity. As a result, decision-making is inconsistent and often reactive rather than strategic. Advancement and influence do not seem to be driven by performance, but rather by a willingness to conform. This creates an environment where strong product thinking and constructive challenge are not consistently rewarded.

2. Lack of Direction & Strategy
Code PA lacks a clear identity and long-term vision. It appears to have evolved from a series of one-off project engagements with agencies into driving enterprise products without the foundational structure to support that shift. There is no cohesive product strategy, and key roles required to build sustainable enterprise solutions—such as dedicated designers, engineers, or architects—are either missing or inconsistently engaged. As a result, outcomes feel fragmented, and it’s often unclear what the program is ultimately trying to achieve or stand for.

3. Career Growth 
Career development within the program is opaque. There is limited clarity around expectations or how individuals can develop their skills over time. While promotions may not be the primary concern, there is a noticeable lack of coaching and professional development—particularly surprising for a program that positions itself as a modernization initiative aimed at attracting experienced professionals.

Overall Assessment
Code PA may be a fit for individuals seeking exposure to government work or short-term public-sector experience. However, for professionals coming from the private sector—especially those accustomed to mature product organizations, clear accountability, and intentional career development—the program is unlikely to meet expectations. 

A typical day in the life of a Penn DOT intern working for the district includes collecting material tickets from dump trucks, observing road and bridge construction and maintenance, and reporting to the inspectors and supervisors. 

The work required at the materials testing lab included logging materials to test, preparing materials to be tested, and assisting lab technicians and geologists with tests. Tests included wet-dry test, air entrainment, rapid chloride ion test, petrographic analysis, and freeze-thaw test.

Duties of the interns at the Central Office were projects as assigned. these projects included research projects, plans reading course, organizing publications, entering locations of old road plans into the Penn DOT database, and attending meetings. 

What I have learned from working on the street, in the materials testing lab, and at the central office is how plans and procedure come together on the job site, the importance of materials being approved for the job site, and quality assurance. 

The management personnel with the commonwealth are knowledgeable, responsive, and helpful. 

Co-workers at the Commonwealth were alert, hard working, and punctual. 

The hardest and most enjoyable part about having a summer internship is the learning curve.Working for the Commonwealth i was exposed to various parts of the industry that are not taught in college classes. Whether working on the street or working in the office, there was always a variety of work to do to keep things interesting.

Being a position through Civil Service for the state of Pennsylvania, this is not a job that would easily be recommended for just anyone.  All state positions require being tested for skills required for the job.  I was a Clerk Typist 2, which is basically the same no matter what agency of the state employment would be for.  I actually didn't work that long for Public Welfare but did spend 9 years with the Department of Health.

My day would start by checking emails since that is how we communicated with our District Office and supervisors who were at various locations throughout the week.  If it was a clinic day, then making sure that everything was set up and ready for patients to be seen.  After clinic I would enter patient information into the correlating database.  

I thoroughly enjoyed my position with the Department of Health but downsizing of the agency placed me into the Department of Public Welfare.

In the Department of Public Welfare at Selinsgrove Center, I did not have public contact.  It is a facility that houses and cares for the needs of people with intellectual and physical disabilities.  My duties were more aimed at assisting the staff in scheduling, supplies, and taking minutes of ISP meetings held regularly to monitor the care and needs of the individuals.

In this position, as some of the individuals had problems communicating or would sometimes have violent outbursts, I'd have to say it was always having an eye on the lookout in case an individual would need help or to be prepared to protect myself or another individual.  Fortunately, those were rare occasions.

During my time at this company, I found the work environment to be increasingly difficult. Supervisors became more strict and detail-oriented, often focusing on minor issues. There were frequent changes to workplace standards, which made it hard to keep up with expectations, and communication about these changes was often unclear.

Interactions with some nursing staff were negative, as I often overheard unprofessional comments when they thought employees were out of earshot. I also experienced situations where team members would make inaccurate statements that could lead to misunderstandings with management.

The company has very specific procedures for tasks, such as mopping, and I received coaching for not following the exact method, even when the result was a clean floor. Attendance policies are very strict; being even one minute late resulted in corrective action, and employees are required to call in again if they are going to be later than originally reported.

There are also challenges related to working with residents who have special needs, and I was discouraged from using personal protective equipment like earplugs or respirator masks, even in situations where it felt necessary for my safety and well-being.

Advice:
The state benefits are as good as advertised, but the work environment can be very stressful and unsupportive. I would recommend looking elsewhere unless improvements are made, as these issues seemed to affect multiple departments.

• SAP ABAP Developer with over 8+ years of experience in analysis, design and development of business applications using workbench tools.
• Experience in implementation, support and upgrade projects.
• Experience and knowledge in developing applications for SCM, MM, SD, FI/CO, PP, WM and HR modules.
• Reports: General, Interactive reports; ALV reports using function modules and classes.
• Data Dictionary: Data elements, domains, tables, structures, views, search helps and lock objects.
• Forms: Designing and modifying forms using SAP Scripts, Smart Forms, migration of SAP scripts in to Smart Forms. Extensive knowledge in developing Adobe forms.
• Enhancements: Experience implementing User Exits, Menu/Screen/Function exits and BADI’s. Knowledge in working with Implicit/Explicit enhancements
• Data Migration: Experienced in Conversion, Mapping & Migration of Legacy data using LSMW Tool (Legacy System Migration Workbench), developed BDC programs (Batch Data Communication), for transferring data from legacy system to SAP R/3 system.
• Experience in developing custom BAPI’s and RFC’s for business applications.
• ALE/EDI/IDOCS: IDOC’s segment creation/extension. Creating Ports, Partner profiles, RFC destinations, ALE model distribution. Developing custom function modules inbound/outbound Idoc’s and linking them to process codes. Archiving/Serialization and error handling of Idoc’s.
• Experience and knowledge in ABAP objects such as developing custom classes/methods and interfaces.
• Expertise in performance tuning using ST05/SE30 to improve runtime performance of ABAP and dump analysis using ST22.
• Good Interpersonal skills, analytical skills and technical documentation skills

This was a wonderful experience and provided the opportunity to work individually with constituents, government officials, State Representatives, and State Agencies such as PA DOT, PA Dept. of Aging, PA Dept. of Ed., etc... Additionally, I was in regular contact with local government officials such as York County Commissioners, York City officials, and many local organizations such as the York Economic Alliance, the Spring Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, and area Senior Centers.

There was also daily interaction with State Rep. Grove's constituents who contacted the District Office daily with a variety of often complex state related problems.

This position required appearing publicly on State Rep. Grove's behalf and a lot of public speaking.  Although that aspect of my position was rewarding, many of these engagements occurred after normal business hours, weekends, etc...and compromised my personal life and family commitments.

I left this position after great deliberation when dealing with the failing health of my ailing, elderly mother and her subsequent death in a nursing facility.

When I started at the Summer Food Service Program, I was in the monitor position. As a monitor I drove Western PA to different sites and locations that would hold meals for children in needy areas. My job as a monitor was to make sure that the children were being fed according to SFSP standards and regulations. I would then complete a site review form and communicate with the site supervisors on how the review went and give any helpful feedback or areas they could improve in. Near the end of the ten week program, I conduct administrative reviews on sponsors in the program. I would drive to sponsor locations and review their administrative and financial documents for the summer program to make sure that they were running a program to the correct rules and regulations. Then I was promoted to Assistant Regional Coordinator of Western PA. As the assistant, I worked in the office instead of driving to the sites themselves. I communicate with the sponsors directly and help them with solutions they would have during the summer to improve their program. I helped coordinate the monitor schedules and schedule them on their routes that they would have to take on a day to day basis. I also completed administrative reviews when necessary and assisted the Regional Coordinator in his duties when asked. Overall the two positions allowed me to enhanced my communication, problem solving, and time organization skills.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Clerical assistant 285 salaries reported	$46,863 per year
Administrative officer 129 salaries reported	$73,895 per year
Sales associate 103 salaries reported	$17.39 per hour
Administrative assistant 67 salaries reported	$57,790 per year
Accounting manager 57 salaries reported	$76,906 per year

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