Fema Employment

Why do people work in government jobs?

Government jobs pay so much less money than the private sector. I also don't understand why they stay in the government so long. They don't learn anything and the job seems boring to be doing for the rest of your life.

Public Comments

1. Let me put it this way- if those people didn't work in those jobs, the government would cease to function. Just be happy that they do it so you don't have to.
2. Well, in my case, the private sector kept giving me a big "SCREW YOU" everytime I applied for anything. Since I was in an honors program in college, my GPA was much lower than it would have been had I been a regular student. The private sector doesn't care about that. The private sector is VERY unreasonable. Everytime I look for jobs on corporate websites I find a bunch that I'm not qualified for and the ones I'm interested in I'm still not qualified enough for. They put every hurdle they can in your way. They're as elitist possible. On the contrary, the government is more willing to hire. You often have to test first, and while that may be an inconvenience it helps keep the competition for employement down. Plus they'll grant you a lot more interviews, even if they don't give you a job. The government doesn't fire hundreds of people everytime there's a recession. At least I've never heard of it happening. The government is less likely to demand a 70 or 80 hour workweek. There are no stupid sales jobs in the government. I doubt you have much work history or have tried finding full-time employement. The "private sector" isn't as great as TV shows make it look. That's the tip of the iceberg. I hope that helps.
3. Many government jobs provide opportunities for employees to make a difference in their communities. While the pay may not be comparable to the private sector, the satisfaction of making a difference for children, families, the neighborhood, the environment, etc. can be immense. I worked in county government for a number of years. The county provided so many invaluable services. There were training opportunities in many job categories for job skills and advancement. Without the dedication of social workers, doctors, nurses, accountants, clerks, deputy sheriffs, probation officers, district attorneys... and on and on, the community would truly suffer. So many of these people enjoy their jobs largely because of the contributions they can make.
4. I'm a government lawyer. My job is interesting, challenging, and makes a difference to the people of my state. Yes, it pays less than I made in the private sector, but I have more freedom to exercise my own judgment. A job is not only about the money. My job pays enough. More would be great, but I wouldn't change to work I do or the people I do it with and for for twice the money. When you say folks who work in government "don't learn anything and 'the' job seems boring," I wonder what job you mean. There are many different kinds of government jobs out there. Do you think being a supreme court justice would be boring? How about an air traffic controller? Civil engineer? Medical doctor? Info systems analyst or project manager? Communications director? Prosecutor? Forensic scientist? Graphic designer? Ambassador? Public policy analyst? Scientist? Astronaut? All of these jobs are available in the government sector.
5. It is secure, you can be inept and still keep your job, the benefits are good, no one else would hire them, they are basically lazy. Some one has to do it.
6. I work for local government (public health), and I've learned more while working for the government in the last 2 years than I learned the whole 3 years I spent in a Master's program. And, my job is anything but boring. Luckily, there's a lot of variety in my field, and even if I do it for the rest of my life, there will still be things to learn because my field is always changing! Don't knock the people who serve you, someday you might need them!