Educational requirements will obviously depend on what an individual’s desired occupation will be. For the majority of positions, applicants must be legal United States citizens. The federal government classifies education levels in different categories. For example, GS-1 is someone with no high school diploma. GS-12 is someone who has a Ph.D. or advanced law degree. The higher the GS number the more education and training an individual has. Through years of experience many individuals move up the ladder and gain a higher GS level, which will obviously require them to have more responsibilities as well as better wages.
Wages will depend on what field an individual is in. Many federal government employers are administration clerks and assistants. Also, which field administration clerks are in will affect their salaries, but on average general office clerks can make from $30,000–$45,000 per year. Working for the federal government as an administration clerk will provide the highest salary, on average. The International Association of Administration Professionals offers education and training opportunities for administration professionals.
Some of the other top positions in the federal government are for safety technicians, criminal investigators, human resource management positions, engineers, and tax examining positions. Just like any other position in the working industry, the more education a person acquires, the more their opportunity for employment increases. The United States military provides many of the federal jobs, but if a person isn’t interested in the military there are many more agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Treasury, and the Department of Education, just to name a few.
Job opportunities fluctuate from year to year in the federal government. Some agencies are forced to cut back on occasion the number of employers they hire in order to stay within their budgets. That doesn’t mean federal government jobs are not out there to be had. Competition among applicants will be strong because of the good wages and benefits federal employers offer. Applying for a federal government job is similar to applying for any other job, with a few variations in the process. For example, since the federal government classifies education levels, one who applies for a job must make sure they list themselves in the correct level.
Not all federal government jobs can be earned; some are given to elected officials. With the federal government having many jobs available, there are also many job titles available. If one is searching for a specific job it is important to search all other related job titles. Do not limit oneself to one type of job, because this will give an individual more opportunity for interviews.
There are over 100 federal agencies in the United States, so finding a career in a field of interest is almost guaranteed.
