CLusTER PROfiLE
A World of
Career
Choices
Government & Public
This program represents the wide range of Workforce Commission, Texas state
professions that make up the Government & agencies employed an additional 353,000
Administration offers Public Administration career cluster. people, and 1.1 million more people worked
SoliD oPPortunitieS
“In some ways, our employees need to for local governments.
be generalists,” Headrick says, “but with The federal government is projected to lose
across a full spectrum
specific knowledge as well. Obviously, a more than one-third of its permanent, full-
of professions.
degree in history is great, but so is English or time workforce to retirement and attrition
journalism because we do so much writing. within the next five years, which means there
And a marketing degree helps, because we are will be many opportunities for employment.
selling the state to tourists. We have people Texas state and local governments are
C
areers in this program run the gamut,”
who specialize in human resources and expected to hire an additional 767,000 people
says Janie Headrick, state coordinator
someone else whose specialty is working with by 2011.
for the Texas Heritage Trails Program.
nonprofit organizations”—groups that often
The program partners the Texas Historical
help to get the word out about Texas travel. steady Employment
Commission in Austin with the State’s
If you think of Government & Public Beyond the wide variety of jobs available,
tourism efforts to publicize scenic drives for
Administration as politicians and there are a number of good reasons to
travelers interested in Texas history.
bureaucrats, think again. Federal, state, and consider a career in Government & Public
local government offers careers in more areas Administration. Most public-sector positions
than almost any other offer excellent benefits, 8-to-5 work hours,
cluster: accounting and liberal leave time, and reasonably steady
10
Fast-Growing Careers
astronautics, tourism employment (you generally don’t have to
and transportation, worry about your employer going bankrupt,
law enforcement and as many employees in the private sector do).
Occupation
% Growth New Jobs Created
(2002–2012) (2002–2012) legislation, and more. “The government is also a career builder,”
Hazardous materials removal worker 35.2% 950
says Tim McManus, vice president of
medical and public Health social worker 32.8% 2,000
The Biggest education and outreach for the Partnership
Employer for Public Service in Washington, D.C.
emergency management specialist 30.0% 150
Government is by far “Employees have opportunities early on that,
social and community service manager 27.3% 2,200
the biggest employer at entry level, they won’t get anywhere else.
economist 25.0% 200 in the U.S. The federal For example, in a private-practice law firm, it
arbitrator, mediator, and conciliator 25.0% 50
government alone may be years before a lawyer gets courtroom
water & liquid waste Treatment system operator 22.6% 1,500
had nearly 1.9 million experience. As an attorney for the federal
employees in 2007, government, it may be simply a matter
court, municipal, and license clerk 21.4% 1,400
according to the of months.”
substance abuse and behavioral disorders counselor 21.3% 650
Partnership for Public
animal control worker 20.8% 250
Service, a nonprofit Loans and Locations
This is a projection of 10 fast-growing careers in Government & Public Administration in Texas from the
organization dedicated McManus also points out that the federal
year 2002 to 2012 and the number of new jobs created in each occupation. Note that while the percentage of
to revitalizing federal student loan repayment program allows
growth in jobs may be high, the actual number of jobs created may be low. For example, there will be only 50
new jobs for arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators created in Texas during the decade that the data covers. government service. public agencies to repay up to $10,000 per
Source: Texas Workforce Commission.
According to the Texas year of student loans for college education,
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