Entry-level positions for aspiring Public Servants
Goleta Sanitary District offers various entry-level opportunities, including internships in public outreach and education, industrial waste control, and the lab department; the district also employs "collections person or operator or maintenance" roles, allowing entry with skills in "construction or science related things". These positions provide opportunities for skill development and career growth within the organization, as illustrated by the current public outreach intern's experience improving "people skills and public presentation skills".
Communication, Public Outreach, Internship Opportunities, Environmental Science, Wastewater Management
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Laura Romano
Communications and Human Resources Manager
Goleta Sanitary District
University of CA, Santa Cruz, Prefer not to say!
Calif. Lutheran Masters in Public Policy & Administration
History, Art History
Food, Beverages & Alcohol, Government & Public Sector
Communication and Marketing
Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Goleta Sanitary District offers internships in various departments, including Communications & Human Resources, Industrial Waste Control, and the Lab. These provide opportunities to develop skills in public outreach, social media management, and technical aspects of waste management.
2. Entry-level positions exist beyond internships, such as collections, operations, and maintenance. These roles are accessible with skills in construction, science (microbiology), or equipment operation (backhoe).
3. The district values a diversity of skills and backgrounds. Even a science background can be valuable in a communications or public-facing role, demonstrating the potential for varied career paths within the organization.
Transcript
What entry-level positions in this field might an undergraduate college student consider?
In my position, I have a public outreach and education intern who will be graduating in about a year and a half. I'll be looking for someone to take her place. Even though she has a science background, she wanted to improve her people skills and public presentation skills.
This job has given her many different tasks, and she's helped me organize things. She manages our social media and web presence, which has been terrific. She balances my skillset, as I'm not very technically minded.
We also have an internship through our industrial waste control person, who works in operations. This person helps her talk to local businesses. They ensure that if businesses produce chemicals or other items that could disrupt the treatment process, they collect and dispose of them separately. This prevents them from impacting everyone else's wastewater.
That is a crucial position, and we're considering adding an intern position in our lab department as well. There are other positions where people can transition in at a level one, such as a collections person, operator, or maintenance.
If you have skills in other areas, like construction or science, from microbiology to operating a backhoe, there are ways to start working in this field and grow from here.
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