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what Kind Of Jobs Does People Do If Working For The Goverment

I Want To Work For The Government #government

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J’s Answer

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Hi Terrell,


There are MANY different types of jobs in the government. First, there are different levels of government: city, state, federal--all of them employ people. Second, there are elected vs. non-elected positions. When you say you want to work in government, do you mean you want to be a politician and try to win elections? If so, look at answers to this question: http://www.careervillage.org/questions/20/what-is-it-like-to-be-a-politician.


If you are not interested in being elected to office, but just generally interested in working in government, there are still many different options, they include:


1) jobs in law and law enforcement. With a law degree, you can work for the government as an attorney, legal assistant, paralegal or judge. Police officers, criminal investigators, correctional officers, border patrol agents and FBI agents are all government employees in law enforcement


2) jobs in international relations. Linguists, counter terrorism analysts, foreign affairs officers and intelligence specialists are different types of government job in international relations.


3) jobs in medicine, social work, and education. Did you know that teachers in public schools are government employees? If you are interested in education, you can work for the government. If you are interested in medicine, you can also work as a nurse, doctor, pharmacist, medical technologists, or medical records technician in a government health-care facility (e.g., hospital, rehabilitation center, research center).


4) jobs in science and engineering. If you're interested in agriculture, forestry, physical science, environmental studies, botany, biology and astronomy, you can also work for the government in agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Smithsonian Institution. Many engineers are also employed by the government--for example as an electronic engineer for the Department of Transportation, a civil engineer for the Department of Energy, a general engineer for NASA, or a mechanical engineer for the Department of the Army.


5) jobs in business and technology. People with business skills (economics, accounting, finance, human resources and marketing), and technology skills (computer science, information technology and computer programming) can also work for the government.


The bottom line is that there are many many different types of jobs and careers within government. So, you have to decide what it is in government that you want to do. Then, ask more specific question about a particular path in government. Also, remember that for jobs like engineering, you can work for the government, but you can also be an engineer in a private company, so make sure you know why you want to work for the government.

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Thank you comment icon thanks this really helped DaeJahnique
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Rick’s Answer

Local government is an interesting place to start. Explore a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) to understand more about the opportunities that exist. My wife, for example, is the Chief Planner for our home county where she reviews site plans for business and housing to make sure they comply with local zoning ordinances. She presents recommendations submitted plans at County Council meetings, Board of Zoning Appeals, the Architectural Review Board and more. She also attends community forums to explain planned changes to zoning rules and regulations and their impact on the area. During natural disasters (i.e., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, pandemics, etc.), she's considered essential personnel and works in the Emergency Operations Center coordinating response efforts and facilitating communications with State and Federal authorities. There are other positions at the county level, as well, from managing/maintaining Geographic Information Systems (GIS) that help you create maps of an area to running Parks and Recreation. Local governments usually run community libraries, so there's library science. Managing water and sewer distribution systems is also an extremely important area and may require some level of chemistry and engineering. Project Management for major infrastructure projects, like building bridges, is also an area at the local government level. Developing and maintaining roads sometimes falls under county jurisdiction, as well. Landfills, recycle centers and programs, local power grids - all can fall under local government authority. Procurement (buying good and services from external vendors) is a huge area as governments often times rely on outside/external vendors and contractors for various projects and jobs, including construction, cleaning, information technology, health care, administrative duties and much, much more. The opportunities are plentiful and very interesting.

Tons of opportunity exist at the State and Federal levels, as well. Basically, take everything I've mentioned here about local government work and scale it up significantly.

And, last but certainly not least, don't forget about the elected positions running local, state and federal governments. If you like politics, consider a career in politics.

Rick recommends the following next steps:

Explore a Masters in Public Administration
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Krista’s Answer

If possible, narrow down the scope of government jobs. Do you want to work in the local, state or federal sectors? Is there an area of interest to you such as health care, IT, energy or finance? Find a person in the government space in which you want to work, and talk with them about the skills required for the position as well as advancement opportunities. Scan government employment listings to learn more about the positions. Good luck!
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