any tips on how not to get fired?

Don't screw up?

Just do what you need to do to get your job done and let others deal with their jobs.
The same basic advice you'd get for any other job applies here.

Memorise everything you need to know for the job, I suppose.

Remember that the daily puppy sacrifices go counterclockwise?

Seriously, do what your boss tells you and be polite as possible for the first couple of weeks, until you can figure out what you're doing.

XDXDXD

Grats. Once you have a job with the government, it takes a pretty outrageous act (like murder) to even get fired. So unless you plan on murdering someone in the near future, you're good.

Basically, just don't screw up...

Don't have sexy with the interns on your bosses desk.

Don't use the work emails for anything private. At all.

Congratulations on the new job =] The only job advice I have is to be friendly, be productive, and never EVER say anything negative about your coworkers (gossip has a way of spreading very quickly, but it's 100x worse in a government job). I'm sure you'll be fine.

I'm just plowing through the Super Temps archive because I'm cooking up a review, and this thread sooo reminded me of that strip. Hahaha.