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Career Cluster
Government & Public Administration
- Do you value public service?
- Are you interested in government and politics?
- Would you enjoy working at the post office?
- Would you like to help people plan new communities?
- Would you like to work overseas?
- Would you be interested in joining the military?
- Are you interested in national security?
If you answered yes to some of these questions, you may be a good candidate for a career in government and public administration. You might enjoy a career as a(n):
- IRS agent
- foreign service officer
- bank examiner
- cryptologist
- intelligence agent or intelligence analyst
- soldier, sailor, or Air Force member
Cluster Definition
Jobs in the government and public administration involve planning, managing, providing government legislative and administrative and regulatory services, and related general purpose government services at the federal, state, and local levels.
Career Pathways in Government and Public Administration
A career pathway is an area of concentration within a career cluster. Each pathway contains a group of careers requiring similar academic and technical skills as well as similar industry certifications or postsecondary education. The government and public administration career cluster has six pathways:
Foreign Service
The Foreign Service is a corps of professionals who represent the United States and aid American citizens abroad. Jobs include:
- diplomatic courier
- diplomatic officer
- ambassador
Governance
This pathway encompasses all the workers involved in the process of governing, either at the local, state, or federal level. Occupations include:
- legislator
- lobbyist
- legislative aide
- governor
- policy analyst
- policy researcher
National Security
The national security pathway involves a diverse range of occupations involved in protecting the security of the United States, including:
- air defense officer
- counterintelligence agent
- linguist
- intelligence analyst
- military technician
- cryptologist
- reserve officer
- Army specialist
- Navy petty officer
- Air Force sergeant
- Marine private
- Coast Guard ensign
- National Guard member
Public Management and Administration
Government agencies and public trusts are funded by taxpayers and are therefore subject to rigorous standards. Careers in this pathway may involve management skills, financial knowledge, and regulatory and policy knowledge. Sample careers include:
- court administrator
- city council member
- purchasing manager
Regulation
This pathway involves enforcing compliance with the laws and rules made by the government. Occupations include:
- investigator
- labor law investigator
- election supervisor
- health inspector
- customs agent
- child support officer
- border inspection officer
Revenue and Taxation
This pathway covers the workers who collect revenue for federal, state, and local governments, including:
- tax examiner
- revenue agent
- auditor
- assessor
- tax clerk
- Internal Revenue Service investigator
