June 12, 2003 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Almost two-thirds of graduating college seniors say they are considering taking a “public service” job, a new poll has found, and one in five of those students hopes to work for a nonprofit group.
The study — the first of its kind — was conducted by Princeton Survey Research for the Center for Public Service, a research arm of the Brookings Institution, in Washington. It defined public-service careers as jobs intended to help others, and asked 1,002 students in liberal arts or social work their views on careers with government agencies and for-profit government contractors, as well as nonprofit organizations.
Students had low expectations for nonprofit salaries and benefits, according to the poll results. Only 2 percent of the seniors, who were polled in April and May, said charities offered better salaries than government employers and businesses that work for governments under a contract or grant, while 5 percent said nonprofit groups offered the best benefits.
Even without high pay or generous benefits, many college seniors found nonprofit work intriguing, the poll found, with a higher percentage expressing an interest in such work than in a government job or a for-profit government contractor. The study found that 19 percent of seniors had given serious consideration to working for state and local governments, 18 percent for the federal government, and 13 percent for a government contractor.
The seniors viewed nonprofit jobs as best for people who want to help others, make a difference, and gain the respect of family and friends. At the same time, they said government was the most attractive option for people who wanted good job benefits and the chance to serve the country, and contractors for those most interested in salaries.
Seniors who had worked for any of the three types of employers in the past were much more likely to want to take a public-service position upon graduation than those who had no such work experience.
But finding a job was confusing to most. Only 44 percent of those polled said they knew a great deal or a fair amount about finding a job in the government or at a nonprofit group.
Less Job Security
Seniors who preferred a job at a nonprofit group were less likely than their peers who desired jobs in government or with contractors to put a premium on opportunities for advancement and job security.
Paul C. Light, the author of the report that analyzed the poll results and director of the Center for Public Service, said those seniors may recognize that lower salaries and less job security are part and parcel of working at a nonprofit organization.
But Mr. Light warned that those issues might become thornier once they spend time on the job. That combined with the fact that 39 percent of the seniors surveyed said that a person should stay with an employer less than five years could make for an “impatient work force,” he says.
Free copies of “In Search of Public Service” are available on the Brookings Web site at http://www.brookings.edu. They may also be obtained by contacting the Center for Public Service, Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 797-6000.
