Author: TBS Staff | September 20, 2022 |  ?-minute read [👈 time yourself reading the article slowly]
Source: TheBestSchools What Is A Career In Government Like? (thebestschools.org)

What Is a Career in Government Like?

In addition to spanning virtually all professional fields, government careers offer great benefits and allow people to make an impact in their communities.

The government relies on millions of employees to provide services to the public, care for veterans, deliver the mail, and keep the government running. These public sector employees benefit from clear pay structures, strong benefits programs, and opportunities for career advancement.

Many government employers offer similar career paths as private sector employers, but with more benefits. For example, accountants and auditors working in government often receive more vacation time than their private sector counterparts and they qualify for pensions. By contrast, however, private sector companies can often pay higher salaries. In-demand government industries also include law enforcement, civil engineering, education, and healthcare.

What Is a Career in Government Like?

Jobs in the U.S. government include political careers working for the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of the federal government. At the federal level, government employees can work for the military, the post office, federal law enforcement agencies, and other federal agencies and departments. State and local governments also employ specialists in areas like education, taxation, public works, and civil service.

Thanks to the wide range of jobs available in government, people interested in civil service jobs can find opportunities in a variety of fields. For example, engineers can design public infrastructure and aerospace technology, while healthcare professionals care for veterans.

This is even true within government branches. Take, for example, the thousands of employees who work in the legislative branch. These employees research policies, conduct budget assessments, and draft bills. During legislative sessions, they help elected officials prepare for hearings. Legislative careers also exist at the state level: The National Conference of State Legislatures provides a list of job openings.

In some government positions, election cycles can affect career growth. For example, new top-level elected officials might change policies that affect ground-level government employees, sometimes even moving or eliminating their departments. But for the majority of jobs in government, elections play little role in daily tasks and career progression.

Public sector employees work in a variety of positions at the federal, state, and local levels. This article explores the advantages of public sector employment and the best ways to launch a career in government.

At the federal, state, and local levels, public sector employees keep the government running.

While many upper-level federal employees work in the greater Washington, D.C. area, they can also work across the country. Many federal organizations, like the Social Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Administration, Bureau of the Census, and Agricultural Research Service, have offices outside of Washington, D.C. For example, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) employs more people outside of D.C. than inside it.

State and local governments also hire employees in every state and county in the country. Understanding how the U.S. government works can help prospective government employees find job opportunities.

For example, again consider VHA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VHA operates 1,255 healthcare facilities across the country, including medical centers and outpatient care sites. These facilities make up the country’s largest integrated healthcare system, employing 322,000 healthcare professionals and staff.

The physicians, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses who work for VHA work in every state in the country. As federal workers, VHA employees can participate in loan repayment and tuition reimbursement programs. VHA also hires information technology, mental health, and healthcare administration professionals.

How Are Careers in Government Different From Careers in Politics?

What is the difference between careers in government and careers in politics? The main difference is that the millions of public sector employees who work in government are not elected or affiliated with anybody who is elected. Meanwhile, elected officials, campaign staff, and political appointees work in politics.

Government jobs include the day-to-day jobs that keep the country running, like government accountants, judges, mail carriers, and law enforcement officers. Military careers also fall under government jobs.

While jobs in politics typically involve declaring a political party and potentially campaigning for power, government careers follow more traditional professional arcs, with candidates starting at entry-level and working up as they gain experience. Jobs in government include roles in the military, engineering, healthcare, education, the criminal justice system, accounting, foreign policy, and law. As a result, many more jobs exist in government than in politics: 3,867,028 government jobs at the state level alone, and 7-9 million federal government employees.

Careers in government offer many perks. Public sector employees benefit from competitive pay and strong benefits, including subsidized medical and dental insurance. Government jobs also offer retirement pensions, unlike many private sector jobs, and government workers can also qualify for public service loan forgiveness programs. Finally, with millions of jobs in government, prospective public sector employees can usually find opportunities in their field and location.

Entry-Level Jobs in Government

Government departments and agencies hire entry-level professionals for careers in diverse fields. For instance, the Air Force hires mechanical engineers to design planes, while VA hospitals rely on nurse practitioners to care for patients. Public sector employees can also work in law enforcement or in legislative roles, where they craft and implement public policy.

Prospective government employees can research federal agencies or visit USAJOBS.gov to learn more about specific opportunities. Keep in mind that many government jobs use the same title across agencies, and that the agency you work for can matter more than your job title. The following list introduces some of the diverse job opportunities available in the government.

Which State Is Best for Government Work?

Every state employs thousands of government workers. But which state is best for government work?

When considering the best states for careers in government, prospective public sector employees should consider average salaries, cost of living, and job openings. Other factors — like the structure of state and local governments, the state’s budget, and the leading political party in the state — can also help prospective government employees narrow their choices.

Some states offer higher salaries and more job opportunities for government employees than others. In general, states with a higher cost of living often pay higher salaries, with California, Connecticut, and Massachusetts ranking among the highest-paid states for government employees. But the ten best-paying states also include Iowa, Minnesota, and Colorado.

Large states like California, Texas, and New York employ the most government employees, while smaller states like Vermont, Wyoming, and South Dakota employ fewer than 15,000 government employees.

What Is the Best Way to Get Into Government?

Public sector employees can kick-start their careers by gaining the skills, education, and experience necessary for careers in government. As in other fields, building connections in government can help prospective employees advance their careers.

Many careers in government require a bachelor’s degree. When considering schools, prospective government employees can research colleges with a reputation for producing public-service-minded students.

What major prepares graduates for jobs in government? The social sciences, the humanities, and public administration can all prepare prospective government employees. These fields build the critical thinking, research, and communication skills required for government jobs. Some schools also offer a government major. Check out the top bachelor’s programs in political science, legal studies, history, and economics to learn more.

The federal government also hires employees with backgrounds in healthcare, engineering, nursing, accounting, and mathematics. Nearly every college major can lead to job opportunities in the public sector. Recent graduates can check the government’s list of federal occupations by college major to learn more about opportunities in their fields.

Gaining professional experience while in school can help graduates find work after graduation. For example, completing an internship with a government agency offers practical experience and networking opportunities. The Pathways Program provides internship opportunities for current students. These paid internships help students explore potential federal careers while they’re still in school.

Similarly, the Recent Graduates Program offers work experience to professionals who earned a degree within the past two years. Participants complete interactive training and benefit from mentorship while working for a federal agency.

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