Myths vs Facts: Public Service Careers

❌ MYTH 1: Public service is just volunteering.

✅ Fact: Public service isn't just volunteering; it's a career path.

Professionals in public service use their skills to create real change and improve lives. Like any career, it's a commitment with opportunities for advancement and impact. Community and social service jobs are among the fastest-growing major occupations, with an 8.1% growth projection.

❌ MYTH 2: You have to work in government to be in public service.

✅ Fact: Public service includes nonprofits, public, and private organizations across industries of community development, social impact, environmental sustainability, and everything in between.

Take the work of Carsey's research centers, for example. Our Centers for Engaged Communities (EnCo), Impact Finance (CIF), and Social Policy in Practice (SPiP) are public-serving Centers conducting work at the local, state, and national levels.

❌ MYTH 3: You can't make a difference in a big system.

✅ Fact: Individuals can impact and influence policy, shape programs, and lead change at all levels. Many Carsey alumni lead organizations and have advanced their careers at the local, state, and national levels. 

Recent Global Conflict and Human Security (GCHS) graduate Kristy Miyashita proves that individuals can make a difference! Kristy began her public service journey in 2014, setting her sights on a nursing career. After earning her BS in Nursing in 2018, she joined the Peace Corps in Paraguay, where she educated communities about noncommunicable diseases. Inspired to deepen her impact, she turned back to school to earn her Master's in GCHS from the Carsey School. Now a 2025 graduate, Kristy serves as one of just two nurses in the Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, helping underserved immigrants access essential cancer care.

❌ MYTH 4: Public service work is boring and bureaucratic.

✅ Fact: Public service is a dynamic and mission-driven field. Professionals often lead crisis response, innovate community operations, influence climate policy, and more.

New Hampshire Listens, the civic engagement team within Carsey's Center for EnCo, designs and facilitates inclusive community conversations across New Hampshire. Their hands-on work in the community fosters dialogue, engagement, and informed decision-making. NH Listens exemplifies the positive and impactful work done in the public service field.

❌ MYTH 5: Public service jobs don't pay well.

✅ Fact: Public service roles often offer competitive salaries, strong benefits, loan forgiveness, and job security.

Careers in the public service field span industries from social services, sustainability, healthcare, education, and more. Many of these industries have strong earning potential and a median pay above the national average income.

Some examples, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• Urban & Regional Planning Roles
  Builds equitable growth, housing, and infrastructure
• Emergency Management Roles
  Ensures public safety, disaster response, and community resilience
• Public Policy & Government Roles
  Analyzes, shapes, and implements public policy programs
• Public Affairs & Communication Roles
  Drives public awareness and transparency for public-serving missions
• Sustainability Roles
  Protects environmental health and resilient climate solutions in the public sector

In addition to earning potential, many public service roles qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and come with robust benefits.

As you can see, public service isn't a fallback or a hobby, it's a mission-driven career path that spans nearly every industry. Whether you're supporting vulnerable communities, building communal trust, or implementing sustainable development, the opportunities to make an impact in a dynamic role are vast. We see it firsthand at Carsey through our students and alumni who are out in the world driving change.

You, too, can turn a passion for giving back into a rewarding career. Explore how