Policy Officer
The social policy stream works in a similar way to the General program—you are still placed according to your preferences. I even spent one of my placements in Media, Marketing and Editorial Services. It wasn’t related to my background, but the Graduate Program is about a diverse experience.
Economics/Arts degree at ANU.
Having a great group of people to go through the program with, I made some really good friends out of my cohort. We all still see each other. That group helped us all adjust to full-time work and life in the public service. It’s really good to have everyone going through that at the same time.
I do like the atmosphere here and the freedom to come up with my own ideas. That’s what’s kept me here. Everyone’s open-minded. And, as a public servant, I have a lot more spare time outside work—as opposed to some of my mates who went to big firms and work longer hours.
I’d definitely recommend it. I don’t think the public service is for everybody but, if you want to get in, the Graduate Program is the way to go. Having other graduates means you have so much extra support. And don’t be discouraged by the application process. It is worth it at the end of the day!