Young professionals make up a relatively small part of the Texas state workforce. As of fiscal year 2024, only 14.7 percent of full-time Texas state agency employees were under age 30.
The number might suggest young people are not interested in government careers, but research points to a different explanation. A 2025 MissionSquare Research Institute study of 606 undergraduates found 51 percent had at least some interest in public-sector employment. The study also found students in some fields were less familiar with the government opportunities available in their professions.
Public service deserves more consideration from students and recent graduates, particularly because government careers extend well beyond the professions people may traditionally associate with the public sector.
My own path into Texas state government was not one I had planned. I entered Texas State University intending to become a journalist. Through media internships and several years as the news editor of my college paper, I learned how to interview people, identify important information, explain complicated issues, and write accurately under deadline. Every step of my college career was focused on becoming a stronger journalist.
A few months after graduating, I joined the Texas Department of Information Resources, the state’s technology agency, as a communications intern. I knew journalism skills could translate to communications, but I had never seriously considered state government as a place to build that career.
Three months later, I accepted a full-time position on the communications team. I now use many of the same skills I developed in journalism to communicate government programs and technology initiatives, work with reporters, develop communications strategies, and make technical information understandable to different audiences.
The transition changed how I viewed public service. I had spent years preparing for journalism, but I did not have to abandon those skills when I chose a different path. I found another place to apply them.
Students studying technology, finance, engineering, design, health care, communications, and other fields can do the same. Working in government does not require giving up the profession someone trained for. In many cases, it means applying the same expertise in a public-sector setting.
That same MissionSquare study found internships, career fairs, and part-time public-sector employment were positively associated with students’ interest in government careers. My own experience followed a similar path. An internship gave me a firsthand look at state government and introduced me to a career I had not considered while I was in college.
The internship also changed my expectations about starting a career in government. I was trusted with meaningful assignments and encouraged to contribute ideas early. Moving into a full-time role allowed me to continue developing professionally while working on programs and issues connected to public service.
Young Texans beginning their careers should include state government in their job search, regardless of what they studied. Searching by profession instead of assuming government work is limited to political science or public administration can reveal opportunities that closely match the careers students are already preparing to enter.
I found state government because an internship matched skills I already had. Research suggests many other young people are open to public service but may not be familiar with the opportunities available to them. Giving government the same consideration as other sectors could lead them to a career path they had not expected. And with an arguably more meaningful outcome than work in the private sector.
Students, recent graduates, and other job seekers can explore opportunities across Texas state agencies through CAPPS Careers.
Lucciana Choueiry is a communications specialist with the Texas Department of Information Resources, where she focuses on public-sector communications and media relations. She has a background in journalism and previously worked as a reporter in Austin.