Graduates drawn to public service careers
Alison Wardle knows how to beat a recession.
The master's candidate, working toward a degree in public policy in GW's Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, plans to bypass Wall Street and law firms in hopes of getting a job in public service.
Once mired in a reputation of bureaucracy and low pay, the public service sector is quickly gaining popularity due to a weakening economy and President Barack Obama's call to service.
"We will ask Americans to serve," Obama said during a speech on the campaign trail in July. "We will create new opportunities for Americans to serve. And we will direct that service to our most pressing challenges."
Even before the national unemployment rate rose to 8.5 percent in March, many college students were worried about finding a job after graduation. Calling the government the "hot" new place to work, Wardle likes the stability the government will be able to offer with her future job.
