Find a Job You Really Want In
Yes, Military/Government/Technical is a good career path. While working in the public sector generally isn’t as lucrative as the private sector, it does have other advantages. The first, of course, is that it benefits society and the nation as a whole. For many people in these positions, that’s the main motivator.
However, government jobs also come with security and benefits. They don’t pay a lot, but they are known for excellent benefits and low turnover. They also have the advantage of giving you experience in the field. So if you choose to move to a different position later, the experience you gained in the job boosts your desirability tremendously.
Jobs in the armed services not only have the honor of serving your country, but they also set you up with tremendous opportunities. The different military branches will train their personnel in many different fields, allowing you to pursue a path that suits you, as well as setting you up for a good career in civilian life if you so choose.
10 of the Best Paying Jobs in Military/Government/Technical
While a career in public service isn’t generally as lucrative as the alternative, high levels of experience and skill can still land you a good paycheck. These jobs require a lot of skill and training, and/or education to achieve.
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Average Annual Salary: $68,000
Intelligence is a vital part of the running of the military. It’s paramount in actual warfare, but even when not in a hot war or conflict, intelligence helps to determine potential threats and ways to react to them.
Military intelligence analysts’ jobs vary depending on their area of focus. However, they spend a lot of time working with sensitive information and making interpretations from it. They also make recommendations to leadership based on their findings.
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Average Annual Salary: $114,000
Military pilots’ duties can be vastly different depending on what branch of the military they serve in and what sort of aircraft they operate. Most of them will be in the Air Force, but the Navy has a large number of pilots as well – particularly on aircraft carriers.
Military pilots also aren’t limited to fixed-wing aircraft but can fly helicopters as well – particularly if they’re in the Army or the Coast Guard.
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Average Annual Salary: $72,000
As the name implies, legislative analysts spend their time analyzing legislation. They’ll work on the details of a draft bill, figuring out all the effects it’ll have. They’ll also follow hearings on the matter to keep up with changes and where other members of the legislature stand on the matter.
Strong reading and communication skills are a must. They also must have a strong knowledge of policy and the legislative process in order to understand the challenges potential legislation faces and what effects it’ll have. Both legislative offices and lobbying firms rely on them.
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Average Annual Salary: $76,000
Engineering is vital in all military branches. Civil engineers have a large role to play, though, as they’re all about different types of transportation.
Their area of expertise is in bridges, roadways, and railways. This means that if the unit needs to build a bridge to advance, they have engineers to tell them how, what they need, and whether all their equipment can make it across.
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Average Annual Salary: $55,000
This rank is in several branches of the military, with different meanings. However, the best-known one is as captain of a ship. In the Navy and Coast Guard, this is a highly skilled position with tremendous responsibility – more so, the larger and more valuable the ship.
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Average Annual Salary: $72,000
In our political system, the governor is the head of state in a state. It’s unusual to reach the governorship without having experience in a lower office first. The amount of responsibility and power the governor has is dependent on the laws of the state that elected them, but it’s undeniably a prestigious position.
Governors are in charge of a lot of economic and political decisions in a state, as well as appointments and pardons. They need to be able to work with the legislature to get laws passed as well as deal with any disasters in the state and respond to constituents’ complaints and requests.
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Senator
Average Annual Salary: N/A
Most states have a state senate, but generally, when someone says senator, everyone thinks of the federal senate. National senators represent their entire state for a term of six years. They need to be able to work with other senators to get legislation passed, as well as with members of Congress and the Executive branch.
The Senate is considered the higher and more stately house in our legislative branch, so expectations for senators are generally higher than for congresspeople.
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Average Annual Salary: $86,000
While the military doesn’t manufacture aircraft itself – instead leaving that to private companies – designing military aircraft is a complex and precise process.
Much of the design will be done by engineers at the company that receives the contract, such as Lockheed Martin, but the military has requirements for what they want, depending on the aircraft’s purpose.
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Average Annual Salary: $70,000
Political advisors can work outside the government, advising companies on the changes in the political climate. However, they are also essential during political campaigns and in the running of an administration. Political advisors consider actions and legislation from a political point of view, seeing what the fallout will be in terms of perception.
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Average Annual Salary: $41,000
The armed forces follow the Uniform Code of Military Justice, meaning that their laws and regulations differ somewhat from civilians. Because of that, they have their own police, attorneys, and judges to determine whether or not a crime was committed and what the punishment is.
Military police officers have many of the same duties as any other police officer, but their jurisdiction is within the military. They investigate crimes, arrest those accused of them, and testify as needed. They’ll also perform other police duties, such as helping guard dignitaries and government officials.
Most of these positions require high levels of experience and higher levels of education. Therefore, they aren’t jobs you just step into. But if you’re looking to start a career in military/government/technical, then the below list is a good place to start your search.
10 Entry-Level Jobs in Military/Government/Technical
The different branches of the military are actively recruiting. As there isn’t a requirement to serve in this country, they have to rely entirely on volunteers. That means that they offer a lot of incentives for people to join the armed forces.
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Average Annual Salary: $43,000
A person who serves in the Army is called a soldier. The Army is the largest branch of the armed forces and has the most diverse set of duties. Most of their combat is on the ground, utilizing infantry, armor, and limited air support in terms of helicopters.
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Sailor
Average Annual Salary: N/A
Sailors serve in the Navy. If you choose to join the Navy, you have to be prepared to spend a lot of time at sea. The Navy’s responsibilities include the oceans and the ships, submarines, and marine aircraft that patrol them. Many members of the Navy will do tours at sea, being gone from their homes and families for months.
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Average Annual Salary: $63,000
The Air Force is largely considered the most technically stunning branch of the military. As the name implies, the Air Force is all about aerial combat, reconnaissance, and support. Many in the air force are aircraft pilots, but they also fly drones, do military intelligence, and provide other sorts of support.
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National Guard Member
Average Annual Salary: N/A
The National Guard is, in some ways, in between the force. They are a military unit, but they also have some police powers, which is why they’ll be called up during disasters and riots.
Most members of the National Guard are reserved, meaning that they aren’t on active duty, so they act as civilians most of the time. Members of the national guard will have ordinary jobs and spend most of their time living a civilian life.
They have certain expectations of keeping themselves fit and combat-ready, of course, if they need to be called into action. But if you choose to join the National Guard, chances are good that you will spend most of your career doing something else entirely.
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Marine
Average Annual Salary: N/A
The Marine Corps is separate from the Navy, which any Marine will inform you if you make that mistake. The Marines Corps is smaller than the Navy, Army, or Air Force, so they’re generally used in more specialized missions.
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Average Annual Salary: $60,000
Also sometimes called a legislative aide, legislative assistants can work for a legislative office, an advocacy group, or a nonprofit. Legislative assistants help lawmakers carry out their duties in several different ways.
They can do research, take care of setting up meetings or provide the essential support that legislators need. They usually have an area that they specialize in and typically have contacts with groups associated with that area.
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Coastguardsman
Average Annual Salary: N/A
While the Coast Guard is under the umbrella of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense, they’re still a military unit. Coastguardsmen wear many hats. They serve in combat when needed, patrol the coast, and rescue boaters and ship crews that get in trouble at sea.
The Coast Guard is a cross between a military unit and a police force. They have police powers and are the agency responsible for making sure that regulations in terms of boating and ships are followed – such as being registered, wearing life vests, and following the rules of seamanship.
They also stop smugglers and have been very involved in preventing illegal drug shipments from entering the United States.
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Guardian
Average Annual Salary: N/A
The newly formed Space Force calls its members guardians. This is expected to be the smallest unit in the armed forces, even smaller than the Coast Guard. Most of their duties are expected to be scientific, exploratory, and focused on threat prevention rather than combat.
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Government Documents Librarian
Average Annual Salary: $51,000
Government documents are required to be archived and accessible to the public. Government document librarians are the caretakers, sorters, and experts on these records.
They can work either for a government agency, such as the National Archives, or for a university. Their duties will involve sorting, organizing, and helping patrons or students find what they’re looking for.
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Average Annual Salary: $63,000
Most politicians start their careers in local government. Many decide they aren’t interested in “advancing” and instead stay in local politics. Whatever you think you may decide, starting in a local government position like the city council is a good idea.
The responsibilities and power in this role will vary hugely depending on your location. For instance, a council member in Los Angeles will be much more involved than a member in a small city. City councilors need to be familiar with local regulations, work with other members of the council, and be responsive to voters.
The jobs are a good way to get started in the military/government/technical industry. They all have room for growth or are a good way to gain experience before moving to a higher-level position.
Why Choose a Career in Military/Government/Technical?
Public sector jobs have a couple of benefits that private sector jobs don’t. The main ones are security and benefits, but they also offer training and encourage personnel to stay. And if you think you’ll want to change jobs part way through your career, starting in the military or government opens up a lot of possibilities.
There are a few traits that are recommended to have if you’re thinking of a career in this industry.
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Public service calls to you. The main recommendation for a job in the armed forces or the government is that it’s a service to your country. If that doesn’t sound fulfilling to you, then a job in this sector is likely not for you.
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You’re good at following instructions. In the military especially, following orders is paramount. And it’s not just a matter of being willing to, but you have to be able to do so well and rapidly. If instructions are difficult for you, or if you resent being told what to do, it’s inadvisable to join the military.
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Details are important to you. Legislation, tech, and military affairs are all about details. If you like getting down to the nitty-gritty and exploring every aspect of something, then this career path could be for you.
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You like working with others. In public service, it’s very rare for you to work solo. Particularly in politics, you have to be able to work with people with very different views and agendas in order to get things done. And in a military situation, you’re always part of a team or a unit.
Education and Certification Requirements for a Career in Military/Government/Technical
A wide variety of degrees can help you in this industry – and there are ways to advance without one, as well. However, if you’re looking to get one or already have one, here are some degrees to consider.
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Political Science. This is an excellent degree for both politics and some military positions. It covers the way politics work and the effect it has on people and nations’ actions.
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Military Applied Sciences. There are several different skills that are needed to be effective militarily. This degree covers the best ways to deal with defense, warfare, and diplomacy.
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Military Technology. This focuses on the technological aspects of the military and warfare, which cannot be overstated.
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Law. Many politicians have a law degree, which makes it easier for them to write legislation and understand the way the law works.
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Logistics. The importance of logistics in warfare and defense is paramount. If you can’t get troops or supplies where you need them, you’re going to be ineffective.
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Public Policy Analysis. This is a specialized degree that focuses on the effects of laws and the public’s reaction to them.
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Intelligence Operations. A degree in this specialty covers the many aspects of intelligence work, whether analyzing data, images, or gathering information from sources.
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Engineering. This degree can get you into all kinds of engineering positions.
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Civil Engineering. If you want to be a civil engineer.
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It’s also worth drawing attention to the fact that if you join the military, they will pay for your education. So long as you’re willing to serve for a time and use your expertise in the service of the armed forces, you can get an education without debt.
There are limited certifications that you can get that relate to this sector. Of course, there are ones related to politics and public policy, but it’s best to select one that directly relates to your aspirations and expertise.
What Do People Working In Military/Government/Technical Do?
People working in the Military/Government/Technical serve in the military or the government. Both of these institutions have myriad different duties and purposes. The military is involved in defense of our nation, warfare (if needed), intelligence, and diplomacy. The government runs our country as well as deals with diplomacy, logistics, and disasters.
There are many choices depending on what sort of career you’re looking for. You can choose to work in intelligence, combat, diplomacy, politics, or analysis — and that’s hardly an exhaustive list.
Different military and government branches have vastly different roles and responsibilities, meaning that you can choose almost any discipline and still work in public service.
Author
Di has been a writer for more than half her life. Most of her writing so far has been fiction, and she’s gotten short stories published in online magazines Kzine and Silver Blade, as well as a flash fiction piece in the Bookends review. Di graduated from Mary Baldwin College (now University) with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.
