At Johns Hopkins University, our students thrive in many industries with the top two being healthcare [16.5%] and government: local, state and federal [7%] (Our Outcomes) since 2007 for all our graduates. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shares that 13.4% of workers work in government with 6.4% of said government employees working locally, state following at 4.5 and federal at 2.5%. (US BOLS, 2022)
What does that percentage really mean? Across the country, local government workers comprised the majority of the state and local government workforce with 14.2 million employees (72.6 percent). In comparison, state governments employed 5.4 million workers (27.4 percent) (US Census, 2024)
Knowing this and our proximity to local, state and federal governments and as part of an initiative to “help students explore professional possibilities from a low-stakes, skills-based lens” (Industry Weeks Website), Government Week was established as one of the 10 weeks (now 9 weeks) throughout the academic year.
Industry weeks are prime time to help students to learn about different industries, network with top employers, and see how their unique talents and skills make them qualified for careers across a variety of professional contexts; even those that they may have never considered before! (Industry Weeks Website)
This year’s government week planning started in October 2024 right after our premier two-week event, Future Fest closing in our fall career fair. We began to ideate on how we might elevate the work already done, get students directly engaged with professionals in the field and share best practices to landing a role in government.
What we came up with is a dynamic list of experiences that highlight:
- Exploring curiosities and preparation: Getting prepared through 11 asynchronous resources and a resume 101 session
- Imagining possibilities through employer engagement: Valuable insights and best practices from employers on applications with Peace Corps
- Alumni engagement: Power of connections through a virtual mentor meet up
We look forward to continuing to help students explore government as an industry of choice and its ever-evolving landscape.
SOURCES:
(Industry Weeks Website, 2025). Integrated Learning and Life Design – Life Design Lab Industry Weeks Website. Johns Hopkins University. https://imagine.jhu.edu/industry-weeks/
(Our Outcomes, 2025). Integrated Learning and Life Design – Outcomes Website. Johns Hopkins University.
(US BOLS, 2022). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2023/for-profit-nonprofit-and-government-sector-jobs-in-2022/
(US Census, 2024). United States Census Bureau, May 16, 2024. Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll Summary Report: 2023. Sarah Andersen, Kimberly Ennis, Ross Jacobson, Dylan Maloney, Nicholas Saxon, Paul Villena, Jennifer Wenning, and Sean Wilburn Released May 16, 2024. Accessed on January 30, 2025. https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2024/econ/2023_summary_brief.pdf
