A small thought...

Many people I have come to know in the MPA program will be graduating in May. Some of them are currently employed while others are full-time students (like myself). However, this raises a serious question in my mind: all of these individuals are gaining training in how to effectively run municipal government, but in the current economic downturn very few, if any, municipalities are hiring. In most cases, municipalities throughout the nation are actually firing employees, so where does that leave the currently non-employed, full-time student? I can remain optimistic and say that the state of the economy will improve by December (when I graduate), but the pessimistic side of me knows far too much regarding most municipal government budgets for the next fiscal year.

I've talked with some students at ASU and at other universities around the nation about their plans after completion of their MPA. Most have adopted the ideology of 'take whatever comes,' which I find myself contemplating almost daily. Others have said if they cannot find work they will simply enroll into a second Master's program until the economy and job market becomes better. I am an advocate for obtaining as much education as possible, but I also believe a good servant is one who has applicable experience and education.

Along the same lines as experience, I also find it frustrating that many municipalities are in such dire need of help but are not reaching out to ASU for assistance. There are many, many MPA/MPP students that are looking for applicable experience to put on their resume, with the skills and knowledge to assist any municipality, but they are not recruiting or asking for volunteers. For example, before I started my internship with the Town of Queen Creek back in October, I tried contacting the City Manager of Chandler to offer my assistance with any projects or day-to-day operations. I telephoned and wrote e-mails every week for over two months without success. I even had the assistance of Lloyd Harrel, previous City Manager of Chandler, personally speak with the current Manager about my desire to serve. Still, even with that referral, I did not receive a call back. I was not asking for pay, I was looking for volunteer work and experience. Don't get me wrong, pay would be a very, very nice incentive for a poor graduate student, but experience is definitely something we need alongside our degree. Come mid-May I will end my internship with Queen Creek and hopefully find either another municipality who will offer some pay for my services or I will extend my time with Queen Creek in another department to diversify my experience.

Overall, it's a great time to be a MPA student since we are learning valuable skills during a time of economic turmoil, which will teach us how to effectively manage municipal government throughout our lifetime. However, it's a terrible time for a MPA student to find work, especially in the public sector. Hopefully this will change...soon.