Even if neither you nor your parents work for the government, federal jobs touch all aspects of your life--from the air you breathe to the food you eat to the roads you travel. Government employees help solve challenging and complex issues, such as eliminating infectious diseases, combating health care costs, and ensuring educational equality. As civil servants, they hope that their work will have a positive impact on the country and its citizens.

Like any other large organization, the federal government hires people with a wide range of skills and sends them to work in many different locations. Government agencies employ more than two million civilians who work in 350 occupations. Employees in the civil services work under one of the government's independent agencies or within one of fifteen executive departments. Independent agencies include the United States Postal Service, NASA, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Executive departments include the White House staff, the National Security Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisers, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The diversity of types of jobs available in government may surprise you. Study the slides below to see examples of the sorts of professions needed by the U.S. government.

Administrative Almost half (40 percent) of federal employees work as administrators or in similar  occupations. Some of the duties of administrators include payroll, training, and creating or updating operating procedures. Related occupations in government include accountants, statisticians, economists, and human resource associates. Professional Professionals are people who have a degree--often a PhD--in a specialized field. Lawyers, engineers, financial managers, astronomers, and nurses are some of the professionals regularly employed by the U.S. government. These workers perform a variety of jobs related to their field of study--they may analyze policy, create and maintain budgets, argue court cases, research diseases, investigate crimes, or provide health care services. Technical People who work in the field of technology also have a college degree or some other form of certification in their area of expertise. Examples of technical employees who work for the U.S. government include architects, chemists, and computer programmers. They test consumer products, help control the spread of diseases, analyze crime scenes, and develop software. Trades and Manual Labor The U.S. government hires many people who are experts in a specific trade or who perform manual labor. Federal workers in these roles make sure government buildings are clean and comfortable, ensure that heating and cooling systems are properly maintained, and maintain the landscaping around government buildings. Trade positions include janitors, sheet metal workers, utility and maintenance workers, painters, and mechanics. Clerical Since the U.S. government has numerous offices scattered all over the world, they employ many people to keep the day-to-day workings of those offices running smoothly. People who work as clerks for the U.S. government perform the same tasks as do their counterparts in corporate businesses: They are responsible for entering data, filing documents, making copies, ordering supplies, and answering phones. Information and office clerks, as well as secretaries, are included in the clerical field. Other The U.S government is so large that typical employment categories do not necessarily cover all of the occupations found in federal agencies. For example, the U.S. government also employs firefighters, detectives, public safety officers, and correctional officers.