Going public?

This article was written by a graduate we know well - Arnab Datta. Enjoy!

Choosing an industry for your graduate job is difficult and you need to consider many factors. These include deciding whether you wish to work in the private or public sector. Completing work experience will help you make a decision, but it is also worthwhile speaking to people in the career and following current developments in the news.

A recent graduate recruitment survey has revealed that the public sector is actually the most popular sector with students, for the second year in a row. The survey incorporated the views of 25,000 students from more than 100 universities, so can be considered a fairly good indicator of students’ current opinions. This is quite surprising in the context of both the economic situation and the budget cuts, but perhaps show that students want to join careers that are trying to help the UK get back on track.

So, what are the main benefits of working in the public sector? Generally, you may feel that you are contributing more to society. For example, if you are a teacher, work in local government or a doctor, then you may feel that these are more rewarding careers. Also, if you work for a charity, then the aim is not to maximise profit, but rather to maximise efficiency for the organisation and help people more. Historically the public sector has been quite a stable place to work (despite recent events) and some of the employment benefits have been more favourable. In the end, there will be a different working culture to the private sector, since the overarching objectives of government organisations and private sector companies inevitably vary.

Still, you must remember that the private sector includes many opportunities in a wide range of sectors, including engineering, consumer goods, science and retail, which were classed second to fifth place in the same recruitment company’s survey. Interestingly, financial related careers did not seem that popular with the students surveyed, although they offer higher starting salaries and firms are still recruiting staff, despite the difficult economic climate. Perhaps this is a cultural shift, with more people wanting to work in different industries. However, it is likely that students from particular universities are still geared towards careers in the financial arena.

Overall, the decision to work in the public sector should be based on whether you are genuinely interested in that career path and aim to contribute to a particular area of society. Still, working in the private sector is rewarding, as there are many industries available, each with opportunities to develop new skills and progress your career.