I took a course in environmental policy in my sophomore year that I loved. I’m not quite sure why it resonated with me—I remember how great and motivating the professor was, but I wasn’t particularly enamored with environmentalism prior to the course. The next semester I took an environmental economics course and was equally inspired. As luck would have it, one of my professors told me about a state government internship program. So, I checked it out. I had no idea what an internship was really all about, but I knew it was better that I do something like that rather than work in a movie theater for yet another summer. Ultimately, I interned for what was then called the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and I was hooked. I was fascinated by environmental regulations, the workings of government, and how stuff got done. I continued interning there for another summer.
My undergraduate theses looked at different aspects of environmental policy, and I wanted to learn more. Since I was little, I always wanted to teach, but I didn’t think that I wanted to teach elementary or high school. By the end of my college career, another professor of mine suggested I consider graduate school in public administration and that sounded like a great idea—if I’m being honest, I mostly wanted to delay any adult decision making for another couple of years, so a master’s degree seemed perfect. In the back of my mind, I thought that if I could make it in graduate school, maybe I would get a PhD and become a college professor. The rest, as they say, is history.
Acknowledgments
My journey owes much to a number of individuals along the way that talked with me and helped me figure out what I was passionate about and what I wanted to pursue professionally. Dr. Sharon Spray and Dr. Doug Redington, both of Elon University, were undergraduate professors of mine that shaped my interests in environmental issues. Dr. Chalmers Brumbaugh and Dr. Betty Morgan have both retired from Elon, but were instrumental in helping me pursue those first internship experiences and find my way to Virginia Tech. In graduate school, Dr. Karen Hult and Dr. Larkin Dudley played major roles in helping me refine my passions, as did my fellow graduate students. Then as a professor, I continue to encounter students who inspire and motivate me—including a number of them profiled in the following pages.
But I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge my family. My husband, Steven, is a dedicated federal civil servant himself. And I’m inspired by and incredibly proud of the work he does. It’s not easy being a civil servant and he’s dedicated himself to public service. And it’s not easy being married to someone like me who studies the public sector and always has bizarre questions or abstract theories to contextualize what he might be experiencing in his day-to-day work. It takes a special kind of person to put up with that. Beyond his professional pursuits, he provides unwavering and unconditional support for my professional aspirations. The love he offers is enhanced by the affection and attention of our three amazing dogs, Sydney, Victoria, and Mackenzie. Their support is of a far different nature, but their wagging tails, understanding looks, and general presence are essential in keeping me grounded and motivating me.
About the Authors
Chapter One Defining the Public Sector and Its Opportunities
Undoubtedly, you have heard the term the public sector, but you may not have a clear sense of what that term implies, let alone the career possibilities it holds. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. By contrast, the private sector often seems much clearer as it refers to the companies that make the stuff we buy, like cell phones, or that provide the services we consume, like movie-streaming services. And these private sector companies make huge profits, or at least strive to do that. But what is it that the public sector actually does, and what kinds of meaningful career opportunities does it offer? These questions are the foundation of this chapter, so we will
define the public sector,
discuss the range of career options available in the public sector, and
explore public perceptions and attitudes about the public sector and the people who work in it.
This last objective is particularly important because there are a lot of perceptions about the public sector that would likely impact anyone’s consideration of a career; therefore, it is essential to acknowledge and understand those attitudes and where they come from. By the end of this chapter, you should have a good understanding of the public sector and the wide variety of job opportunities you could pursue.
What Is the Public Sector?
The public sector is a term that refers to the organizations that provide public goods and services, ranging from the military and law enforcement, to roads and bridges, to environmental protection and food safety. These are goods and services that are intended for the general public, not necessarily for any one person’s individual welfare. You may be looking at this book as part of a public policy or a public administration course and many of the topics in that course are in the purview of the public sector. The organizations engaged in these activities might be government entities or non profit organizations. These organizations might be federal, state, or local government agencies; they might be a huge non profit organization that has locations all over the country, or perhaps even the world; or they might be a small non profit organization serving the needs of your community. Public sector organizations are as varied and diverse as their private sector counterparts.
Perhaps you are interested in environmental issues and sustainability, so let’s think about the range of public sector organizations whose missions are focused in that area. In terms of government agencies, there is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency based in Washington, D.C., and has field offices all over the United States, then each state has a state-level environmental agency (as does the District of Columbia), such as the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The vast majority of those state agencies have a centralized headquarters location, as well as field offices throughout the state. Then in some states, there are local or regional government agencies that work on environmental issues, too, such as the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency (RAPCA), based in Dayton, Ohio, or the Miami Conservancy District, also in Dayton. If you’re keeping a tally, there’s already a lot of government agencies involved, but that doesn’t account for the non profit organizations, including the Sierra Club or the Ocean Conservancy, which