The Launchpad by Second Day

Overall estimated read time: 35 minutes

Last updated: July 2021

By the people! For the people! If you believe in the power, responsibility, and potential of the government to improve the lives of communities in the United States and abroad, you’ve come to the right place.

Working in government can be an excellent way to direct resources to critical social issues, craft long-lasting policies, and implement changes in your community. By taking a job within government, you have the opportunity to work for and with your community (your neighbors’ taxes might *quite literally* be paying your salary). Entry-level jobs in government allow you to explore the complex processes that influence how policy is made and money is spent from the inside. Bureaucracy be damned: the potential for affecting change as a government employee or political representative is as vast as your imagination.

Government jobs are hard. And for many, that is why they are so enticing. The intellectual, emotional, and organizational challenges of passing anti-discrimination legislation, building public-private partnerships, or leading emergency management will force you to stretch the way you think, work, and learn. A career in government means you will be serving your community rather than just your organization (looking at you corporate America), and that makes this work both so important and so challenging.

If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and make this government thing work for more communities, this career guide is here to demystify the process of finding a job in government. To inform our work, Second Day has spoken to experts in the field and gathered the best information out there for upcoming and recent graduates. This document will outline government opportunities broadly and then will link out to more detailed Second Day career guides if you want to learn more. Let’s get started!