As elected officials grapple with implementing new technologies for government and eGovernment services, they're struggling to hire and retain qualified IT professionals. True, the private sector's allure of higher pay scales, bonus incentives and exposure to emerging technologies often makes it difficult for the public sector to attract qualified candidates. But government jobs have their own perks, including generous benefits, stability, less travel and the chance to help a community.

The public sector is trying to fill an estimated 193,000 "mission critical" jobs - including 11,562 IT positions - in the next two years, according to a report by the Partnership for Public Service, which seeks to encourage careers in the federal government. An estimated one third of all federal workers, about 530,000 people, will reach retirement age in the next five years, notes Tim McManus, vice president for education and outreach. "Basically, if they don't fill those IT positions, governments won't be able to fulfill the level of service citizens have come to expect," he says.

The government is hoping to attract workers through a new law that will forgive federal employees' student loans after 10 years of service. Other tactics include recruitment bonuses, retention incentives, relocation incentives, graduate school scholarships, and additional student-loan repayment programs.

Good Career Moves

Since many public IT projects are large and integrated, working in the sector can help further an IT career, suggests Chris O'Brien, Chicago's former chief information officer and now a partner at Diamond Consulting in Lombard, Ill. During his years with the city, O'Brian dealt with efforts including a new Web site, a citywide WiFi project, and public safety electronic infrastructure.

"I got a huge amount of experience on critical things at an early point in my career," says O'Brien, who became the city's CIO at age 32. "I wouldn't look at being a CIO of a private company at that age, whereas because of the needs of the city, they were willing to take a chance on somebody like me."

Of course, working with public-sector bureaucracies can be challenging, O'Brien points out, since they often require comprehensive and lengthy procedures to get even simple things done. Although he works longer hours today, he says his current job isn't as taxing or emotionally draining as working in the public sector could sometimes be.

Impact and Quality of Life

For many, the biggest appeal of working for a government is the impact a job can have. "The thing I find rewarding is the reality that you can work on projects over time and see a difference being made in your community," says Chris Cummiskey, Arizona's chief information officer, who's worked in the public sector for the past 17 years.  

In recruiting qualified candidates, Cummiskey says his biggest challenge is the pay discrepancy between the private and public sectors. To attract candidates, he relies on the promise to make a difference, a solid benefits package, training programs, and opportunities for advancement.

For others, reduced travel requirements and shorter hours are appealing. For example, Bob Hanson took a 75 percent pay cut when he moved from running his own consulting company to his current position as CIO for Sarasota County, Fla., and its school board.  Among his top reasons: limited business travel. Mary Hart, the CIO of Cambridge, Mass., also grew tired of the constant travel required during her 21 years working for companies like Honeywell and Wang Laboratories.