Boricuanessa -- Despite my somewhat negative outlook on the RCA position, if your situation allows, like "blamethesub" suggested, give the post office a try. If it is not what you expected, liked, or can deal with, be like so many others and walk ( run ) away.
-- Honestly, you are about 2 decades ( or more ) too late. The RCA and regular rural carrier positions used to be "IT" as far as postal jobs went. Management was too busy micromanaging city carriers to bother the rural side of the house. And as the rural side seemed to deliver more mail than the city side ( may get some debate from city carriers on that ), but management pretty much let rural carriers do their thing without supervision. One could argue many members of management were city carriers or clerks who still don't know how the rural side works nor take the time to learn - hence the large number of grievances, but I digress!
-- Some carriers have posted of the PM or supervisor being out for days, yet the delivery of mail continued uninterrupted.
-- IMHO, the rural craft's slide down the slippery slope began when the USPS began relying upon automation. ( again, up for debate )
-- You are experiencing some of the new changes in postal procedures:
- a new type of testing ( apparently you passed as some have posted if one fails, one would have to wait a year to retest )
- no interview at the office you will be working at ( used to be RCA's were hired off a list, with the PM interviewing and than getting to choose from the top 3 on the list. Even that has changed as "blamethesub" has posted. )
- one thing that has not changed is the cost to the USPS of bringing someone off the streets and making them a rural carrier. $10,000 has been tossed out there recently as the cost. Does not seem to affect / phase the USPS of the number of personnel ( city side too ) who get through training and after a few days on the job just walk away )
-- So much will depend on the post office you get.
- the type of postmaster and or supervisor can make ( understanding ) or break ( unreasonable ) a post office and its personnel.
- easy to get overlooked in a large office where one might end up being a small cog in a large machine. On the plus side, advancement may be faster.
- smaller post offices seem to be better as most everyone contributes to the job of getting the mail delivered, even to the point of crossing crafts ( which is a no-no, but still done ) Unfortunately, there is usually a l-o-n-g wait to make regular.
-- The bottom line is that it will be YOUR choice to take on an RCA position. But to do so, give it a REAL chance -- as in several months, if you can stand it -- before deciding it is not for you.
-- Please keep us in the loop if you take the job at the post office and your opinion of how things are going. Your information could be helpful to someone else trying to make the big decision on working for the USPS.
-- Best of fortunes which ever path you take.
