Public employment offers a range of possibilities. Professional careers range from social worker to departmental executive. This means that anyone with a college degree could find interesting public employment with advancement possibilities.
Before considering a job with government, consider your education status. A public administration or a public policy undergraduate degree is one way to a job, but it is just as likely that your degree needs to be specialized. A science degree is required for certain jobs pertaining to the environment or water quality. An engineering degree is desirable when applying for many different positions within departments that are involved in either construction or oversight. A public relations degree or prior PR experience can get you hired since almost every agency or department needs someone to handle press inquiries, press releases and media campaigns. The courts and the justice department need lawyers and paralegals. An energy department applicant might want a physics or geology degree to become part of the push for alternative energy. An agriculture degree will help get you hired by the federal overseer of the food supply.
Plan on volunteering or interning with the agencies that interest you. Get to know politicians. Political ties can often help you cut through red tape and get an interview.
Rethink how you define public employment. On every level of government, there are good jobs. State agencies do many of the same things as federal public employment. Medium-to-large cities have agencies and departments that may offer just the job to suit you. A forestry degree, for instance, might equip you to work for a national park agency but it may also suit you to work for the chief urban forester in a medium-sized town. Likewise, you may find that your forestry degree qualifies you to work for a state, province or territory department. Some jobs are available primarily on the local level such as nursing positions in a public health office.
Public jobs usually require a background check to prove that you haven’t committed any crimes.
All public agencies need trained secretarial workers. Competition is stiff but jobs come open in these areas more often than in the professional positions.
Public Employment Careers
In many public employment jobs where the criteria are objective, it is easier to set and follow a career path. Some jobs such as social worker or food inspector require on-the-job training to achieve a higher rank. Many other public employment positions are subjective, even political. For these, you should start preparing before you leave college. Accept internships, even unpaid ones, if they will get you into the agency or department where you hope to work. Once you get into an agency, you will need to learn its hierarchy, the education level of your bosses and the path that they took to achieve a higher paid job than yours. Sometimes the path to a promotion is to actually leave one agency in favor of another one. For instance, you work for the state justice department and apply for work at the federal justice department. Or, you work for the Mayor’s office in public relations and you make contacts that will help you join the PR team for the next Governor’s office.
A masters in public administration or public policy is a good degree to pursue while you are working in a public agency. This will give you valuable insight and should make you more employable when there is an opportunity to move up in the ranks. If your job is with an agency that relies on scientific expertise, pursue a Masters that will make you the expert that is needed. All public jobs may require re-location once or several times in a career. If you are unable to move, you may find your choices and promotions are more limited.
Public Employment Salaries
Public employment generally pays far less than a comparable position in the private sector. For instance, a scientist might command only half of what he could at a large chemical firm. Likewise, lawyers, doctors and other professionals cannot command the large salaries that they could expect in the private sector. Generally public employment is sought by individuals who wish to serve the public good, and, while salary is important, they understand that they will not be rewarded as handsomely as they deserve for their skill level. On the other hand, working for the public sector can help public workers to gain a second, more lucrative career at universities, businesses and industries who desire a government expert in their field.
Positions such as social workers are historically underpaid. Salaries for these workers generally rise only with experience and additional education. Again, this work is generally done by persons who are as interested in the public good as they are in their salaries.
Public Employment Opportunities
Public employment opportunities are affected by the economy. For instance, with the current economic downturn, the U.S. federal government and many U.S. states may have to freeze hiring. Likewise, many U.S. cities are cutting back on new-hires. Each country, whether in the Americas, Europe, Asia or Africa, has a public employment role related to its tax base. If the tax base is shrinking then the jobs will shrink too. However, having a good education and having developed governmental contacts can help you rise above the crowd, get an interview and get hired. Likewise, if you improve your skills by getting a Masters then your public employment career will grow in spite of a difficult economy.
Currently governments are looking for smart people to lead in areas related to the environment, energy development and commerce.
As you can see, public employment is varied and as multi-faceted. This, and the desire for the public good, make public employment a highly desired prize to be won. It’s not the salary that sets it apart. It is the wisdom and understanding of the world that come from working within a government. Maybe public employment is right for you.
