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Career Explorations - Government, Education & Human
 Services
About This Cluster:
Government workers may be found serving in your local community or
in the state or federal government and includes such jobs as teachers
at any level, educational administrators, political office holders,
government service workers, social workers, psychologists, librarians,
public safety workers (police and firefighters), and legal professionals.
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Types of Jobs and Where They Are
- Teachers work in various settings: in day care, preschool and kindergarten
through 12th grade; in community/technical colleges; and in four-year
colleges and universities.
- Social workers provide services to individuals and families who
may need help in working out personal problems or in getting
needed services from the government.
- Police and firefighters provide
order and safety to the community.
- Librarians are trained to help
people find the information they need.
- Lawyers and legal assistants
help individuals, businesses and organizations when they need to
use the legal system.
- Cities and towns hire managers and municipal
workers to run the business of local government.
- State and federal
governments hire a broad range of people to staff and manage government
functions, such as managers, researchers,
computer analysts, secretaries and many others.
To give students a picture of the exciting
career opportunities in the state, we filmed people at work in a variety
of careers in member companies and agencies throughout the state. The
careers highlighted in the videos included jobs for graduating high
school students, people with 2-year, 4-year
and
advanced
degrees.
Examples of jobs highlighted in the videos are:Job
Placement Counselor, Early
Childhood Program Instructor, Supervising
Engineer and Educator.
There is also a video available for this
cluster that includes work site footage and interviews from the following
companies: Connecticut state Department of Transportation; the Somers
Public Schools; The American Red Cross and Head Start programs in Middletown;
Jobs First Program, Hartford; and the Connecticut House of Representatives.
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Prospects for the Future
State and local governments employ many people
in Connecticut. Occupations range from automotive inspectors at the
Department
of Motor
Vehicles
to air traffic controllers at Bradley International Airport to scientists
at the Department of Environmental Protection and to teachers in your
local schools.
While government is reducing jobs in some areas, there are thousands
of job openings every year. In education, for example, after a period
of declining enrollment in schools, the lower and middle grades are
now showing an increase in students, which naturally leads to a need
for more teachers and educational support personnel. In fact, there
will be a teacher shortage soon, as many teachers and administrators
will be retiring over the next decade.
State and local governments hire many of the people as teachers, social
workers, and police and firefighters. Many lawyers and psychologists
also work in government as well as in jobs found in the private sector.
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Educational Background Needed
Whether you are a high school graduate, have a college degree or an
advanced degree, you can find a job in government, education or human
services. The high school academic background needed to prepare for
careers in this cluster are often focused on the subjects of history,
political science, economics, English, science, human development, psychology,
sociology, math, science, engineering and computers.
Although some jobs in the public sector can be gained with a high school
diploma and specialized training, almost all jobs in this cluster
require additional education beyond high school, and many require
a bachelor’s or graduate degree.
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Kinds of People Who Work in This Cluster
While there is a lot of variety in the occupations found in this cluster,
they all have one aspect in common — they are people helping other
people in many ways. Working in jobs in this cluster might appeal to
those who:
•
Have an interest in how government functions and how government can
help people
•
Care about helping people to solve their problems
•
Enjoy helping other people learn
•
Like working with people
•
Are interested in how laws are passed and interpreted and how they can
be used to help settle disputes and protect the public
•
Are interested in public safety, environmental and transportation systems
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Characteristics and Skills Vital for Advancement
Employers and experts cite the following practical and academic skills
as keys to advancement in the Government, Education & Human Services Cluster
and all job clusters. (Download
the Industry Skills Standards for Government, Education & Human
Services -
11 page PDF file)
•
Strong basic literacy and communication skills
•
Strong basic math and science skills
•
State-of-the-art computer and technology skills
•
Teamwork skills
•
Flexibility and desire to learn new skills
•
Cross-functionalism: the ability to transfer skills and learn new ones in order
to perform many functions in the workplace
•
Multicultural awareness
•
Fluency in at least one other language, in some fields
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Education Requirements and Average Salary Levels
Note: All salary ranges listed are current industry averages. Actual
jobs may pay more or less depending on a number of factors.
Level
of attainment: High school diploma, college associate’s
degree, or specialized training:
- (Child Services Worker, Early Childhood Educator, Teacher’s
Aide, Youth Services Officer, Youth Services Residential Supervisor)
- Human
Services $18,000 - $25,000
(Disability Specialist, Mental Health Paraprofessional, Mental Retardation
Worker, Respite Care Worker, Rehabilitation Worker)
- Administration/Clerical
$24,000 - $32,000
(Hearing Reporter, Receptionist, Secretary, Legal Secretary)
- Regulatory
and Law Enforcement $26,000 - $47,000
(Code-Enforcement Official; Compliance Officer; Correction Worker;
Dispatcher — Police, Fire; Ambulance — Firefighter, Fire
Inspector, Police Officer)
- Social Services $31,000 - $40,000
(Vital Records Technician, Welfare Eligibility Workers)
- Information
Systems $16,000 - $32,000
(Data Entry Technician, Data Processing Librarian, Information
Specialist, Manager of Technical Support, Telecommunications Operator)
For Bachelor’s, Masters or Doctorate Degrees/Other Professional
Degrees & Certificates
-
Children’s Services/Early Childhood
Education
Bachelor’s
Degree $19,000 - $25,000
(Preschool Teacher, Preschool Coordinator/Administrator, Child
Care Resource & Referral Counselor)
Master’s Degree $29,000 - $45,000
(Early Childhood Educator, Preschool and School Social Worker)
-
Human
and Social Services
Bachelor’s Degree $19,000 - $37,000
(Child & Youth Caseworker, Employment/Training/Rehabilitation
Counselor, Youth/Teen Corrections Counselor, Gerontology Counselor,
Case/Outreach Worker, Case Manager)
Master’s Degree $26,000 - $45,000
(Social Services Administrator, School Social Worker, Social
Worker for Senior Services, Employee Assistance Program
Administrators,
Coordinators, Counselors)
Doctorate Preferred $39,000 - $70,000
(Psychologist for youth, the elderly, substance abusers)
-
Public Policy
Master’s Degree $32,000 - $96,000
(Policy Consultant — economic, environmental, health care)
Doctorate Preferred $41,000 - $106,000
(Research Analyst/ Policy Analyst, Policy Consultant — economic,
environmental, health care)
Law Degree $49,000 - $106,000
(Lawyer with expertise in environment, labor, health, trade and
communications)
Social Scientists and Urban Planners
Master’s Degree $36,000- $76,000
(Sociologist, Urban/Regional Planner, Social Research Scientist,
Economic Development Planner)
-
Regulatory and Law Enforcement
Bachelor’s Degree $33,000 - $52,000
(Corrections Administrator, Detective and Investigator, Parole and
Probation Officer)
Master’s Degree $30,000 - $42,000
(Security Officer/Manager)
Law Degree $50,000 - $110,000
(Environmental Law Consultant)
-
Education
Bachelor’s Degree $21,000 - $81,000
(Public School Teacher, Kindergarten Teacher, Private
Grammar School Teacher, Adult Education Teacher, School
Speech Pathologist,
Curriculum Development/Grants Specialist , Librarian,
Technology Coordinator, Information Specialist, School-Business
Coordinator)
Master’s Degree $39,000 - $85,000
(Special Education Teacher, Secondary School Teacher,
Technology Specialist)
Doctorate Preferred $49,000 - $84,000
(College/University Faculty in Technology, Adult Education,
and Human Services)
-
Administration
Master’s Degree $37,000 - $125,000
(Public Administrator, Educational Administrator)
Additional Resources
Government, Education & Human
Services Career
Explorations Video
Teacher's
Guide for Careers in Government, Education & Human Services (PDF
file)
Student
Activity Sheets for Careers in Government, Education & Human Services (PDF
file)
Industry
Skills Standards booklet (Government, Education & Human Services section
only) (PDF file)
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