Seven reasons to work in government or public service

Serving the public is your vocation or life’s calling 

The first reason for working in government that the episode touches on is when doing so is your purpose. Pierre said:

“For me, there’s always been a vocation to the work I do. And that vocation is grounded on my personal experience. My family left Peru when I was young, and we moved as a result of many socio-political economic reasons. When we moved to the United States, we were undocumented for many years. This began to shape a passion and vocation in me to change the conditions.”

He continued:

“The role of government is to provide a social contract for the people who live within that community. And what I saw from a young age is that the responsibility of the government was either not there or not being enacted for the most vulnerable folks. The government oftentimes didn’t work for my community. And so the reason for what I do now is rooted in that little kid who sees that injustice and refuses to live with it.”

You have a personal connection to a specific community

Leina’ala spoke about how having a personal connection to a specific place or community, for example the place you grew up in, can be another reason to work in government. She said:

“I see myself and my colleagues as public servants, and we’re so proud to be able to serve all community members that live here on the island of Oahu, Honolulu. And because I reside on Oahu, it made sense that I worked for the city and county of Honolulu. I could work for the state of Hawaii, but I wanted my impact to be here, where I was born and raised.”

To work with colleagues who do amazing things for people

Leina’ala went on to speak about how the desire to work with incredible people can be another reason for taking on a public service role. She said:

“What excites me about working here is that I work alongside colleagues who do such amazing work. They’re the ones that have to look into the eyes of job seekers and the homeless. They’re the ones who hear their stories, embrace their fears, coach them up, and tell them ‘We’re here to help you.’ And the fact that I’m here to support that? There’s no other place I’d rather be.”

To have the opportunity to innovate and make change happen

The episode also touches on how people working in government get the unique opportunity to innovate traditional policies and challenge the status quo. Pierre started:

“I’ve met public servants who rub up against a regulation that says ‘You can’t do this’, and what comes next is critical. They say, ‘I understand I can’t do it this way. Is there another way I can accomplish this?’, and it almost puts the administrator in a place of creativity. Oftentimes, as public servants, we hear the ‘no’ and we stop. But there’s a more important question that comes after that, which is ‘Well how do I do it if I can’t?’. Those are really transformative public servants in my experience.”

Pierina then spoke about her personal experience working in government to create change. She added:

“I experienced a fire very young in my childhood. My mom was screaming at my brothers, trying to get clothes on their backs before we all piled out of our building. Then, looking up at the flames and understanding our life would be changed forever. I was only three or four years old but it truly is the story that encapsulates why I ended up in government.

“Growing up in the Bronx, my parents were immigrants from the Dominican Republic, and we faced a predatory landlord who didn’t want to provide hot water or take care of vermin. We had rats and my mother, my aunts, and a couple of our neighbours went to seek help from some legal service providers to sue the owner. This was my first experience of tenant harassment.”

She continued:

“It really is the story that brings it together for me, because I know that even though that fire and tenant harassment was 30 years ago, it’s still the reality with which my neighbours are living. Doing something about that is why I became a part of the government.”

To have the privilege of representing communities 

Another reason to work in government is for the privilege of getting to represent various or specific communities. Leina’ala said:

“It’s a call to serve everybody. Not just the folks that come through our doors, but everyone. I’m so humbled by the fact I can do that, and that people entrust me to help them. It’s not easy asking for help, so I feel honoured as a public servant to be in this position.”

She continued:

“I’ve had many opportunities to work at other organisations and companies. I turned them down because I love being able to have discussions about compliance. I love hearing about what we’re not doing so we can do it. It also gives me an opportunity to ask for forgiveness when we as a division fail, because for me, I represent the whole division. So when there are complaints or negative comments, I embrace them because this means we’re not doing something, and someone’s perspective of that is important for us to look at.”

Having the drive and passion to fight against injustices 

Pierina also touched on the want to fight against injustice as a reason to work in a public servant role. She said:

“For me, it’s having a challenge that wakes me up in the morning. Whether it’s tackling unemployment rates or helping residents and families living on one income, who are one problem away from being displaced or facing eviction. What am I going to do about high asthma rates and the way our inequalities show up in our health? What am I going to do about all of these challenges? 

“In December, we literally had a building collapse in my district. A building collapsed in the city of New York because it was in bad shape. They had hundreds of housing code violations and complaints lodged against them by the city of New York, and the owner took notice of none of them. The building quite literally fell apart. And so it’s issues and instances like that that really highlight the challenge of this work.”

She continued:

“But I keep going to work because it’s not an option to quit. It’s not an option to stop. I think about those resilient neighbours that I have and the realities they face here in the Bronx. It might be tough here, and there might be a lot of difficulties to fight against in the Bronx, but we’re up for the task. And that’s what keeps me going.”

To feel a sense of pride over your work (H2)

The final reason for working in government that our guests discuss is the simple idea of being able to feel proud of the work you’re doing. Pierina said: 

“Just last year, we had a major success in the city council. My district is one of the lowest income districts in the city of New York. Our median income for an individual worker is around $24,000 per year. That’s not enough. I’m always harping on about building affordable housing that’s actually affordable to the lowest income New Yorkers, but it often felt like nobody was listening, or that none of the other council members cared because they don’t have similar income profiles. Their constituents aren’t in the same situation, and it just felt like I was shouting into a void. 

“I then introduced a bill and the speaker got behind it in a very strong way. And then one day, my colleagues put their energy behind it. I have to say that is my proudest moment – when you’ve finally made enough noise to spark an opportunity for change.”

The full conversation about reasons to work in government is available now on all major podcast listening platforms. To listen, use the player below or click here.