Check out the pay scale:
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2203744&enterthread=y
GS is somewhat based on education too, according to this:
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GS levels by education
* GS-1: No high school diploma
* GS-2 (GS-3 for clerk-steno positions): High school diploma
* GS-3: 1 year of full-time study after high school
* GS-4: Associate degree or 2 years of full-time study after high school
* GS-5 or GS-7: depending on agency policy and applicant's academic credentials Bachelor's degree or
4 years of full-time study after high school
* GS-7: Bachelor's degree plus 1 year of full-time graduate study
* GS-9(GS-11 for some research positions): Master's degree or 2 years of full-time graduate study
* GS-9: Law degree (J.D. or LL.B.)
* GS-11(GS-12 for some research positions): PhD. or equivalent doctorate or advanced law deg
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What I don't get is how they determine what grade/step to promote you to. Why does a GS grade 7 Step 9 ($40,204) make more than a GS grade 8 Step 5 ($39,839)? Depending on the type of promotion one gets they might be better off going up to the next Step instead of the next Grade. Can someone explain?
Also... I got offered a gov. position recently. I didn't see a description for GS8 listed on that link, but for those wondering it's probably Bachelor's Degree with 2 or more years experience, or something similar. I have my B.S. degree and 7+ years experience and was put at GS8 Step 9 to start.