Public service is a broad term that describes work that benefits the people in a community, such as healthcare, education, or law enforcement. Public services can also be those that are subsidized by government, which is often done to encourage participation or ensure availability in areas where there are natural monopolies or that cannot easily be provided privately, due to issues such as affordability or access.
A public service career can be an excellent fit for a do-gooder who wants their daily work to contribute to the betterment of the world around them. Whether their interest in social change is focused on helping to solve environmental issues, providing access to education, or supporting a strong military, there are many ways for a recent graduate to begin a public service career.
The new public service can be defined by flexibility and a focus on serving the public good, not the private or political interests of its employees. This means a shift in how the federal government attracts and keeps talent. Instead of relying on 30-year, one-way-in careers, it must become more aggressive in entry-level recruitment and open middle- and upper-level positions to competition from outside, instead of always reserving them for civil servants waiting in the wings.
At the same time, it must do more to affirm the value of its everyday work, in part by celebrating success stories in a more visible way (think viral social media posts or hit sitcoms) and in part by encouraging the private sector to do more in the realm of corporate social responsibility and “B Corporations,” which are legally committed to balancing profit with purpose.