If you’re considering a public service career, start by narrowing down the missions that interest you. Narrowing down will help you identify what issues or problems you want to focus on, and you’ll be able to find organizations that address those specific concerns. This will give you a sense of the potential impact you could make and help you decide whether this is the right fit for you.

Community improvement isn’t just about boosting fire department response times or keeping playgrounds clean. Increasingly, public servants are also agents for social change, working to create more equitable conditions in their communities and beyond. This is why working in public service can be so fulfilling, and it’s a key reason many people choose to pursue this type of work.

In the public sector, it’s often easier to connect with your fellow employees, since everyone has a shared purpose: serving others. This is a big part of what attracts people to the field, and it’s why government agencies are increasingly focused on building culture that supports collaboration solutions that deliver more value to their stakeholders.

A public service job can be emotionally and physically challenging, especially when you’re dealing with clients in crisis situations. That’s why it’s important to build resilience to cope with the stress of the work. Similarly, being comfortable with some level of discretion is helpful when working in this field, as policies and processes can be complex and require some degree of flexibility (Osborne 2018, 2021). However, studies on street-level bureaucrats show that frontline employees tend to focus on their clients’ needs and wants rather than strict rules and laws (Tummers et al. 2015).