The Hegi Family Career Development Center will host a panel of four government employees to discuss the advantages of working for the government in today’s job market on Sept. 30, from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Forum.

The program will be hosted by panelists from the IRS, the National Labor Relations Board, the City of Dallas environmental sector and the EPA, according to Jessica Lewis, the assistant director of the Career Center. Government jobs are becoming much more popular recently because they are basically recession-proof, according to Dr. Matthew Wilson, an SMU political science professor. “So there are lots of career opportunities for students even in a recession,” he said.

An aspect of the program, which Lewis highlights and Wilson agrees, is that there are all sorts of government jobs to fill.”Government jobs run the gamut, from education to policy research to science to the military, and exist on the national, state and local levels,” Wilson said.

The program will emphasize the different areas of work students might find themselves in if they decide to pursue a government career after college. Also, many of the jobs in the private sector can also be found in the public sector.

“A lot of people don’t realize that anything you can do for the private or corporate sector you can do for the public government. I mean, they have everything from accounting to zoology,” Lewis said of the multitude of career opportunities working for the government could offer.

The Career Center offers various panels each semester, and the Careers In Government panel is meant to show students that many of the jobs they want can be found in the public sector. “We want students to be aware of where the jobs are,” Lewis said of why the center decided to host the panel.

Dr. Wilson highlights other benefits of working for the government, including higher job security and typically better benefits, which all people on the job hunt look for.

“Government is a growth industry, now more than ever,” Wilson said. “There will always be government jobs available for qualified applicants.”

Since recent college graduates are finding it difficult to secure a job, information and advice about careers that are virtually recession-proof and offer good benefits is priceless.

Students really seem to appreciate the help the career center offers in finding jobs and internships, and panels with field professionals allow students to network and hear first-hand what the career entails.

Allison Reyes, SMU senior and student body vice president, thinks the panel is a great idea for the student body.

“Most people without those resources would find it hard to find jobs or careers otherwise,” Reyes said.

Though she has not thought at all about a government career, Reyes does believe that attending the panel will deepen her knowledge about post-graduation opportunities.