r/PublicAdministration

I’m 36 (turning 37 soon) and just got accepted into SMU’s online MPA program. I’ve been working my way up in my nonprofit organization (going on 7 years) but I wanted to have the education for me to be able to potentially hold an associate executive director or executive director role.

I currently do majority communications/marketing but since our org is very small (less than 10 employees) I wear a lot of hats. Our past associate executive director left in October of last year and her duties have been split between me and my coworker. We received a raise, but I’m hoping that with me getting my MPA I will either a) get promoted + substantial raise or b) be able to move to another company at an associate Director level.

Is this a good move? I feel like I’ve hit a cap without the extra education. I think I need some reassurance that I’m not wasting my time (and money lol) 😅

I’m looking for feedback from those currently working in local government, particularly city management or municipal operations.

I’m an active-duty Army officer with 14 years of service and plan to retire in 2032 after completing 20 years. My professional background includes Infantry, healthcare recruiting, logistics, organizational leadership, and operations planning. Much of my career has involved personnel management, resource allocation, coordinating complex operations, and leading teams.

I’ve been accepted into an MPA program beginning in Spring 2027. My goal after military retirement is to transition into municipal government in South Texas. I’m also open to starting in smaller surrounding municipalities to gain experience and eventually pursue city management or senior administrative roles.

My biggest concern is my lack of direct municipal government experience. Although I believe many of my military leadership and management skills are transferable, I recognize that local government operates differently.

A few questions for those in the profession:
How competitive would someone with 20 years of military leadership experience and an MPA be for municipal management or administrative positions?

Would the lack of direct local government experience significantly limit my opportunities, even with an MPA?

What positions should someone with my background realistically target when first entering local government?

Would you recommend pursuing internships, networking with city managers, or obtaining additional certifications while completing my MPA?

For those familiar with South Texas municipalities, is the MPA generally valued when hiring for administrative and management positions?

I’m not expecting the degree alone to guarantee employment. My goal is to make an informed investment in my education and position myself for a successful second career.

I’d appreciate any candid feedback, especially from veterans who have made a similar transition or professionals involved in municipal hiring. Thank you.

Hello! I am realizing I wish I had majored in business in college and am thinking about applying for MBA programs. My one condition is that the program must be free or severely discounted. I am most interested in government/non-profit work & consulting. I'm also contemplating law school, (part-time).

I have a bachelors in CJ & Political Science, a Masters in Criminal Justice, Public Administration & Counseling (this is for fun, I focus on marriage/couples/families). I know I have a lot of degrees & yes, I'm a Black woman.

I graduated this past May with a B.S. in Business Administration (Finance) and would like to build a career in local government, ideally in finance, budgeting, administration, or management.

Since January, I’ve interviewed with four different cities, mostly for finance and administrative internships, but haven’t landed anything yet. One internship had over 200 applicants on LinkedIn and only interviewed 12 candidates. I was fortunate to get an interview, but not the role. It seems extremely competitive right now.

Long term, I’d love to work my way into roles like Finance Director or city management. I’ve noticed many finance leaders and city managers have CPAs, which has me wondering whether pursuing a Master’s in Accounting and working toward a CPA next year would be a smart move. Given that I don’t have much experience yet, would that path make sense, or should I focus solely on getting my foot in the door first?

Hello friends, l hope l find you well. l am 24 M.

Friends l recently completed my degree in Public Management and Governance at Midlands State University. Now I am at that beginning, which every graduate knows: where the education ends and the actual test begins.

I am looking for any opportunities. A role, a project, a conversation that leads somewhere in public management, governance, NGO programme work, policy research, community development initiatives, or anywhere in the governance space where my thinking and background can be useful.

I am not looking for the perfect position. I am looking for a place to contribute honestly, meaningfully, and grow seriously.

If you know of something or know someone who might, I would be genuinely grateful to be pointed in that direction. A share a recommendation, a referral, or even a message goes further than we can realize.

I am ready. I just need the door.

📩 📩 📩 Open to opportunities in Harare and beyond.

I started through a public service/apprenticeship-type program and eventually became a full-time Constituent Services Coordinator at a small state agency. The function was still pretty new, so a lot of the job became learning the agency, answering calls/emails, connecting people to resources, tracking cases manually, and figuring out processes as I went.

Over time, my role expanded heavily into a financial assistance/grant program. I now spend a lot of time reviewing applications and documentation, requesting missing information, responding to applicants, troubleshooting our CRM, dealing with escalations, and helping leadership track individual cases. At the same time, I’m technically still responsible for constituent services and some outreach.

I can admit I haven’t handled every part perfectly. Tracking and follow-up became inconsistent at times, I sometimes got pulled toward whatever was most urgent, and I probably should have raised workload conflicts earlier instead of trying to absorb everything.

At the same time, I’m realizing the job itself has become extremely broad. I’ve basically been some combination of frontline constituent contact, resource navigator, data/tracking person, workflow designer, and grant processor.

I recently started a Certified Public Manager program, and learning about Lean/process improvement, capacity, bottlenecks, standard work, and program management has changed how I look at the experience. I’m realizing I’m genuinely interested in public administration and operations, but I think I’d benefit from my next job being in a larger or more structured organization where I can develop deeper expertise.

I currently make around the mid-$70Ks, so I’m not looking to take a huge pay cut just to escape. I’ve been applying to state/local government roles in program coordination, grants, housing, operations, and analyst-type work. I’m also considering an MPA and exploring whether law school makes sense long term.

For people who’ve been in government/public administration longer than me: what would you target next? Program analyst/management analyst? Grants or program administration? Operations/process improvement? Constituent services in a larger organization?

And if you had an early-career job where you were given a lot of responsibility before you really knew how to manage all of it, did moving into a more structured organization help?

I’m grateful for what I’ve learned, but I increasingly feel like this chapter has run its course and I want my next move to build on the experience rather than just run away from a stressful job.

Hi, I’m seeking advice on if I should proceed with my MPA or drop out. Apologies if this gets long, this is just a huge decision for me. I’m 30, just got my BA and I’m in my first semester of my MPA program. I’m taking student loans out but honestly classes aren’t too expensive so I’d only owe $7K if I were to quit.

Here’s my dilemma: I’ve been working in nonprofits for over 10 years. I have loved it over all these years and even planned to start my own nonprofit (hence joining the MPA program). All 10 of my years in nonprofs I’ve had to work 2 or more jobs to be comfortable, save, hit goals, etc but now, working 2 full-time jobs is a necessity to survive for me. At one job I’m doing caregiving NOC shifts - its really only to keep me afloat, I don’t even put this job on my resume. The other I am an Operations Manager and I oversee a team and have a lot of responsibilities - this one is my career direction. I am 80% sure that I could get an Associate Director level position at this company if one were to open up but I also know having the MPA would make that a 98% chance.

My problem is that I have absolutely no desire to be in this field anymore. I’m completely exhausted and burnt out and have considered quitting with no notice, going on leave and even ☠️ myself (I know, I know). Over the last 3-6 months, I’ve felt really squeezed financially so I started to explore my options. I have always flirted with the idea of starting a business or going into for profits but now I’m definitely set on getting out of non-profits.** So here’s the question: Should I stay in this MPA program just in case it comes in handy or in case I return to nonprofits or should I cut my losses and drop out**?

I'm at a stage in my student life where I have to really start getting internships, as everyone around me told me to. However, as a BS- Public Admin undergrad, I have come to realize that I have absolutely nothing good to give. I'm not part of any clubs outside being a general member, and I haven't had the chance to get any internships or anything significant that would be applicable to a resume. It's barren and bad. I worked part time since I graduated highschool and haven't really had time to do anything else outside of it.

I'm just starting my 5th semester and this is likely the last chance I have to maybe start over anew and salvage the next few years, but I'm also only 25 credits away from completing my degree. I don't think I'll be able to accomplish anything with this degree considering my lacking background and considering I have no significant connections anywhere. I'm not the kind of talented student that a professor would even remember well. I've not got standout skills. I'm seriously just such an average joe I don't see myself surviving in a competitive space where other people are more dedicated than I am.

Should I try and find another major? Or should I try to persevere and hope a MPA will help me more in the future? I'm just trying to get some general advice before I really make my decision to commit to a path.

Hi! I am tentatively thinking about pursing an MPP degree as a way to switch careers and would love some advice.

About me: I'm in mid-twenties with three years of work experience in nonprofit communications and fundraising. I graduated from a relatively respected liberal arts college in the midwest with a high GPA (3.9+) with a degree in communications (and a minor in data science). I am interested in switching from the grant writing and nonprofit world into the program evaluation/grantmaking side of philanthropy. I've applied for and been rejected for a few roles in that area and I'm wondering if pursuing an MPP/MPA would help me gain entry into the world of philanthropy, program evaluation, etc.

If anyone works in foundations/philanthropy or used their MPP to switch out of nonprofit work, I would love to know your thoughts -- is pursuing an MPP/MPA worthwhile for making this kind of switch? Is it better to try for some lower level or lateral philanthropic positions first before I pursue an MPP?

thanks in advance!!

I am sadly facing an unforeseen scheduling issue and won't be able to attend the ICMA annual conference in a few weeks. While we're past the deadline to get a refund, ICMA has offered to let me transfer my ticket to someone else. If any of you were hoping to attend the conference but didn't get tickets in time, I'd love to connect and see if we can work something out.