Dear Millennials in public service,
You might be at the beginning of your career and wondering if public service is truly the path for you. You’ve probably heard a lot of feedback from everyone, most likely the ugly and the messy. You might be asking why people still pursue this path, but you’re also intrigued if everyone in the government is, truly as people assume they are–corrupt, unfair, unethical.
Allow me to let you in on some secrets. In my five years of working in the government, I had encountered the good, the bad and the ugly. Some experience made me question the why’s or whether it’s worth it to pursue this career. So here are some realizations and lessons I learned while working as a public servant:
1. Know your purpose
I’ll be honest. My decision to work in the government was initially a necessity. I never had any grand goal of changing the world. I was a fresh graduate who had a lot on her shoulders and couldn’t afford to be picky. I always thought that I wasn’t fit for the nine-to-five job, and my purpose-driven characteristics as a millennial made working in the government seem far-fetched and honestly counterproductive. But the longer I stay, the more I realize the huge difference between working IN the government and working FOR the government. Deciding where you fit in this puzzle will help you understand why you work there in the first place. While one will teach you to respect the institution, the other will educate you that admission and correction of mistakes are also a form of governance.
Having a purpose will help you move forward in your career, too, and allow you to fulfill a more significant and more purposeful path. In my opinion, having no purpose is allowing yourself to be influenced, to be vulnerable. You’d find yourself going with the flow, to which direction, whether good or bad, you’d have no control over.
2. Have your standard and adhere to it
As soon as I found out my purpose of working in the government, I became more firm about my ethical standards and values.
It is a reality that not everyone in public service truly cares for the “public.” You will encounter people who have sat too long at their desks and thought too highly of themselves. These people will make you question your purpose and sometimes lure you in the wrong direction. Having your standards will allow you to address these situations firmly. Are you going to be swayed, or would you hold your head up high and say no?
Some people believe that governance in itself meant just abiding by the law. But know that there is always ethics involved in governance, and working as a public servant meant going beyond your economic and legal duties. As you develop your standards, however, understand that you must be the first one to adhere to them. One must walk the talk. More than having your credibility on the line, embodying and acting upon your standards will make you respect and understand its importance more.
3. Find your people and appreciate your contributions.
Another equally important lesson I learned while working in the government is the importance of finding your people. Despite prejudice about government employees being corrupt and unethical, I’m very glad to say that this is far from the truth. There are three types of people in the world, those who do good, those who do bad, and those who do not care. I’ve met bad ones and those who could hardly care but know that there are still a lot of government employees who are truly public servants.
They put in the daily grind praying and hoping that today’s processed document could be a facilitated budget release that would build a long-awaited hospital, road or school in a geographically isolated and disadvantaged area in Mindanao. As you make your way in public service, try to find equally-minded people and learn from them. These people might not make it at the top of the chain, but they understand and appreciate the relevance of their work and how it affects the public.
Most of the time, in your future years in service, you will feel as if none of the things you type on your computer or the endless meetings you’ve attended meant anything or impacted anyone. But please know the last and the most important lesson I learned about governance and public service is that the government is the people.
It doesn’t matter whether you fit at the bottom or the top of the command chain. The reality is everyone has a role to play. It’s about how good you do your job and whom you offer your services. Do you work for the institution’s advantage, or do you work in the institution as a means of serving your fellow men?
I’ve pondered on for so long trying to find the relevance of ethics in government service, not knowing that all along, it is embedded in the purpose of building the institution itself. Most government institutions, after all, were created to serve the most good for the greatest number of people.
The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, DLSU. She can be reached at [email protected].
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.