Why Government?
Posted On: December 16th, 2008 @ 12:10PM
By J. Devin Cole
Manager
ONEin3 Boston
When choosing an internship, it’s important to have a set of goals in mind for what you will learn and how you will grow. When I looked at internships in college, and then when I began my job search, I focused on three areas of growth.
First, I wanted internships and jobs where I would meet and interact with people who shared my interests and could help me determine what direction to take in my career. Second, I wanted to learn about and be engaged in the place I lived. Lastly, I knew I needed to challenge myself and take on as much responsibility as I could.
I settled on a job in economic development, focused on Boston’s growth sectors, because it met all three of my requirements.
Likewise, an internship in government, particularly municipal government, provides opportunities for growth of rare quality and depth in these areas.
Contrary to the stereotype of the city worker in a dingy room pushing papers, government is filled with young, energetic and ambitious workers. Speaking specifically for Boston City Hall, I interact with some of the most creative and intelligent people I have ever met. Across departments, the City is driven by its youth and energy, and internships offer students a chance to learn from these folks, many of whom have taken serious pay cuts out of dedication to the job and to the place where they live. This concentration of youth and energy provides interns with tremendous resources for learning and networking.
In order to function effectively, government must take an active approach to connecting with constituents, whether they are companies, non-profits, local organizations or individual citizens. In my office, colleagues speak with target companies within their economic sectors on a daily basis, and also come in contact with service providers for those sectors. Because we rely so heavily upon interns and other young people to run our initiatives, this same opportunity for networking and collaboration across sectors falls to them, providing a breadth of experience that can inform where interns take their careers.
Similarly, because the demands of government require quick thinking and an ability to adapt when conditions in a community change, young people who are willing and able to perform multiple, wide-ranging tasks are prized employees. This has two benefits for interns. First, working on different types of projects and initiatives allows interns in government to experience multiple areas of work. Second, and more importantly, interns who multi-task well are entrusted with responsibility and challenged in a way that is impossible in most industries.
Having worked in government for 3 ½ years, including managing an intern and working alongside many others, I have participated in an incredible variety of projects, learned a great deal about the city I grew up in, and made great connections with Boston’s current and future leaders.
City government has a reputation for bureaucracy and dull drudgery. In 21st century Boston, that no longer fits.
