City Manager, City of Edmonton. Source: The City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Public Administration is a great career field to enter. The possibilities for employment are virtually endless and the pay for most positions is excellent. Choosing a career in the Public Administration sector allows you to make an impact in your community. Whether your education and experience is in managing money or preparing for disasters, you have the power to help others around you.
Most jobs in public administration require a bachelor’s degree, but some will allow a lesser amount of education supplemented with prior on-the-job experience.
Here are some of the roles you can play in Public Administration:
Mediator
A mediator is a negotiator who acts as a link between both or all parties involved. Being a mediator within the law or a law office is different from a normal lawyer because the mediator is not on any particular side. It is the mediator’s job to explain the process of mediation to the involved parties and to provide a supportive, non-confrontational setting for their negotiation.
It is also the responsibility of the mediator to help the parties analyze and understand the facts and issues at hand, keep the involved parties focused on these issues, help each party gain control of their dispute, and then help to come up with a creative and cost effective solution that both parties can agree upon.
The average salary of a mediator is about $69,000 per year. However, it can be as low as $51,000 and as high as $85,000 per year depending on what state you choose to live and work in. This would be something to look into further when you’re deciding where you want to live while working as a mediator.
Private Investigator
Sounds exciting, just like Sherlock Holmes! Unfortunately, it isn’t as mysterious as portrayed in the books. PIs are paid to gather information and facts. They usually work for businesses or private citizens. Some are self-employed and others work for agencies, such as security services, financial institutions, collection agencies, and corporations. The main job of a private investigator is to conduct thorough investigations.
A normal case could consist of doing background checks, surveillance, serving legal documents, finding a bail jumper, or maybe looking for a missing person. They use many forms of investigating, surveillance, interviewing witnesses, looking through public documents, and analyzing the information. The earning potential is very varied and depends on the job that needs to be performed.
City Manager
City managers play a vital role in planning and implementing changes that occur within a city. Their duties include managing staff members and hiring and firing employees as they see fit. A good city manager will have excellent interpersonal skills. City managers are responsible for many functions to keep a city running smoothly. They must have a genuine interest in the city and care to make it the best place possible for the citizens.
A very important duty that the manager must complete is the city budget. The city manager must prepare, monitor, and execute the budget. Every year they are required to create a proposed budget package with recommendations they would like to have considered and possibly approved by the council.
To become a city manager, one should have completed a master’s degree in Public Administration. Some cities may allow a person with exemplary skills and experience to only need a bachelor’s degree. City managers usually have had ample experience in city roles and may have worked their way up the ladder. Some also begin by managing small cities and gradually move onto larger cities. City managers are well compensated for their effort and time. The average yearly salary in 2008 was approximately $95,000.
These are just a few of the many jobs and opportunities open to a person with a MPA. All these jobs involve helping communities and people. So not only are they nice paying jobs but rewarding jobs.
Marilyn Tate is a writer and city worker earning her Masters of Public Administration to further her career.
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