Is a Career In the Government for You?

[Music] [Music] going sooner or later each of us enters the world of work some directly after graduation others after additional education or special training some go into Private Industry some into public service working for government local state or federal today one out of every six people working in the United States is a government worker serving the public through some government agency no other field offers you a better chance to make your town city state and Country or the world a better place no doubt you studied about your government and its processes in school how each level local state and federal Works in functions but how many of you ever considered a government career for yourself this film will acquaint you with some of the careers found only in government it will describe some of the technical and professional occupations present in both government and Private Industry as well as show you how government has a need for people in almost every occupation that there is this film will help you answer the question is a career in government for you [Music] [Music] at 18 and able to vote each of you assumes the responsibility for seeing that your government runs effectively by electing the best possible officials and you can help run your government by actually working for it you can get a government job by getting elected by being appointed or or by taking competitive Civil Service examinations this is the way most people qualify for civil service positions at all levels of government if you qualify on an examination your name will be placed on a list for your chosen area of work vacancies are filled from these lists for certain types of beginning jobs your education and experience may qualify you without the need for taking a written examination military positions are obtained by enlisting in one of the Armed Forces by receiving a commission after attending one of the service academies or by successful completion of college work in the reserved Officers Training Corps or attending officer candidate school what kind of jobs will you find primarily in government well heading the list are jobs in education a third of all government workers are engaged in some form of Educational Services teachers in all grades kindergarten Elementary School Junior and Senior High college teachers with a handicap the the underprivileged the emotionally disturbed teachers are also used in the armed forces service schools others too are needed and many more who are vital to the educational processes although their jobs are not unique with government administrative and clerical workers maintenance people Librarians dieticians nurses National Defense is another major area utilizing specialist you will find only in government [Music] many jobs can be found in National Defense which are similar to those in the civilian sector most are slanted toward promoting administering and supporting the Armed Forces these include not only clerks and purchasing agents scientists and Engineers technicians and statisticians but cooks and mechanics the postal service and independent establishment of the federal government offers a wide range of specialized work 750,000 people are employed in the postal service every letter you receive passes through several hands before it is dropped in your letter box mail carriers delivering mail to every home or office wherever it may be town city or Farm postal mechanization engineers and Optical Character reader Specialists to help speed your mail in and out of the post offices postal inspectors to guard your mail Transportation experts to move it only in government will you find tax collectors census takers people in the coins you use other jobs to be found primarily in government are those in the protection services jobs protecting our lives our homes our property enforcing vehicle regulations maintaining our parks and forests protecting our power and water supply our fish and wildlife enforcing nuclear regulations in environmental and anti pollution ordinances patrolling our borders and watching over our immigration quotas over a million people work in the protective services if you're interested in law the judicial branch of government offers unique careers that could lead even to appointment to the highest court in the land the Supreme Court many supporting workers are needed in the judicial system legal cler Court stenographers Marshals Bays process servers law Librarians are needed to catalog and file laws amendments decisions and transcripts of every case strictly government jobs are found in such Fields as Foreign Affairs international relations intelligence [Music] as for the numerous job opportunities that are available in government and also in Private Industry a vast number are found in the health services and in Highway design construction and maintenance all kinds of professionals are needed in government as well as in industry for example lawyers serve at every level of government advising helping the draft laws representing the government there are job opportunities in Social Security in planning new cities and redesigning old in forestry and soil conservation in biology the government national state and local is involved in virtually all areas of human activity and thus government by far the world's biggest employer needs people in just about every one of the thousands of occupations in the world of work how do you prepare for a government career once you decide on the type of job you want slant your Education and Training toward it some work requires little more than a minimum of Education a high school diploma however always helps in craft occupations vocational training apprentice and on the job training prepare you for better paying positions for secretarial clerical and business machine positions High School business and Vocational School graduates find it relatively easy to pass written Civil Service examinations most scientific and Technical positions are available to those with appropriate preparation in high school and college many highle jobs require Advanced degrees the Armed Forces offer free vocational and specialized training in many fields engineering Electronics Air Traffic Control map making aerial and underwat photography oceanography nucleonics to help government workers get ahead the government offers many inservice and off-duty academic and Technical training programs and in many instances will foot at least a portion of the costs for courses at private institutions leading to college and advanced degrees how about civil service salar the Civil Service pays well at levels comparable to those for work of similar grades and responsibility in the private sector automatic pay increases are yours at set intervals if you work competently you get 13 days sick leave with pay each year and vacation leave with pay starts at 15 days yearly and grows to 26 days after 15 years of service in addition the federal government pays a good part of your health and life insurance and adds much to the amount you pay toward your retirement fund one advantage government offers is the opportunity to transfer from one Federal agency to another in the same city or a distant City without loss of career rights veterans have an advantage an honorable discharge gives a former GI extra points on civil service examinations moving him to a better position on eligib ility lists as the population grows and the country's domestic and international programs expand still more jobs will open up in government at all levels some jobs will be special to government others similar to those in Private Industry and covering almost all areas of the world of work you may be interested in one or more of the occupations you have seen and you may like the idea and the advantages of working for the government but whether you do or not you'll want to find out about all the career opportunities open to you in government and in Private Industry you will want to see the other titles in the library of career counseling films and talk to your teachers your school guidance counselor your parents you'll want to dig into occupational information available in your library find out as much as you can you can about careers for yourself only then from all the careers you like and are suited for choose your career let your guidance counselor help you make the choice advise you on your prospects suggest the further education or training you may need advisers in your local office of the state employment service will give you the local as well as the broad picture of the occupation you want to enter job opportunities job requirements wages and conditions what lies ahead discuss career opportunities available in the armed forces at your local armed forces recruiting offices plan ahead prepare now the time and effort may be the best investment you will ever make your future is in your hands today [Music] [Music] going what will you really do