Government & Public Administration

Careers focused on planning and performing government functions at the local, state and federal levels, including governance, national security, foreign service, planning, revenue and taxation, and regulations.

Pathways

1. Governance Pathway - People who are responsible for making and executing public policy. This pathway includes the President and members of Congress, governors and state legislators, and local elected officials such as councilpersons or commissioners. Also included are the staff members that support them. Careers in this pathway often require working with constituents or interest groups with conflicting goals. Leadership, consensus building, and conflict resolution are important skills for success.
2. National Security Pathway - People who have demanding tasks, such as running a hospital, commanding a tank, programming computers, operating a nuclear reactor, or repairing and maintaining a helicopter. The military provides training and work experience in these fields and many others for more than 2.5 million people who serve in the active Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, their Reserve components, and the Air and Army National Guard.
3. Foreign Service Pathway - People whoserve in embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic missions and in Washington, D.C. Job responsibilities range from day-to-day operations of a U.S. embassy to analyzing political and economic events or helping American citizens abroad.
4. Planning Pathway - People whodevelop long and/or short-term land use plans to provide for growth and revitalization of urban, suburban, and rural communities, while helping local officials make decisions concerning social, economic and environmental issues. Planners promote the best use of a community’s land and resources for residential, commercial, institutional, and recreational purposes.
5. Revenue & Taxation - People whoensure that governments obtain revenues from businesses and citizens by collecting tax dollars, reviewing tax returns, conducting audits, monitoring taxes payable and collecting overdue tax dollars.
6. Regulation Pathway - People whopermit regulators to protect our health, safety and environment as well as ensure the integrity of our financial, transportation and public utility industries. The work may include physical inspections, audits, investigations and the reports, citations, hearings, and courtroom trials required to enforce a myriad of regulatory requirements.
7. Public Management & Administration Pathway - People who utilize skills related tobudgeting, personnel management, procurement or other activities, and specific knowledge of the regulations and other policies that govern public management.