Why I Want To Be A Public Servant

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Why I Chose the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
When I retired from the Army, I was trying to find a job that I would enjoy doing. I decided that I wanted a career with the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to help my fellow veterans because I can relate with them.
What it Means to be a Public Servant Having a stable income and job security may be important, but it is the sense of duty to serve a cause that I felt a deep connection to. This connection as Anthony Downs argues “That some civil servants are motivated by a commitment to a public program because of personal identification with the program” (Downs as cited by Perry and Wise, 1990, p.368). Likewise, this commitment is shared by many of my co-workers.
Public Service Motivation
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“Public service motivation may be understood as an individual’s predisposition to respond to motives grounded primarily or uniquely in public institutions and organizations” (Perry and Wise, 1990, p. 368). PSM Theory explains why individuals have a desire to serve. Therefore, PSM is a theorize set of attributes that can help management in determining the motivations of individuals who choose a career in public service.
Public Service Motives
Perry and Wise (1990) list three public service motives as;
1. Rational
• Participation in the process of policy formation.
• Commitment to a public program because of personal identification.
• Advocacy for a special or private interest.
2. Norm-Based
• A desire to serve the public interest.
• Loyalty to duty and to the government as a