Looking for a fulfilling career? Opportunities abound in every corner of North Carolina

This article was written for our sponsor, North Carolina Office of State Human Resources

Cameron Ingram grew up in Sanford, hunting, fishing and loving the outdoors. As a kid, he knew he wanted a career in wildlife conservation, working outside, but he was also interested in law enforcement.

Those two interests came together after college in 1997 when Ingram became a state employee with the Wildlife Resources Commission. The Commission owns or manages 2.2 million acres of game lands across the state, from the mountains to the coast. Commission employees like Ingram have a broad scope of responsibilities including:

• Protecting habitats and species
• Educating the public
• Overseeing public recreation sites
• Regulating hunting, fishing, and boating activities across the state

It started as a phenomenal job for a graduate who was passionate about the outdoors and, 26 years later, Ingram holds the top job as the Commission’s executive director.

"I wanted to stay here in North Carolina and enjoy the mountains, the beach, the diverse landscape, and everything the state has to offer," Ingram said. "I've just had a great career thus far."

Doris Daye is also a long-term state employee. North Carolina’s Warden of the Year for 2021, Daye said it was tough to land her first job after college, despite having both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in public administration with a concentration in juvenile justice.

"Either because I was fresh out of school and didn't have enough experience, or was [considered] overqualified with a master's degree, I got turned down for a lot of jobs," Daye said.

She applied and was hired as an office assistant at the Orange Correctional Center, one of more than 50 institutions operated by the Department of Adult Correction. She focused on making a mark as a reliable go-getter in this entry role, then advancing to a role more aligned with her training.

"That was the key — to get my foot in the door, to know what I needed to do and who I needed to contact," Daye said. "I found myself liking the prison, being able to see what I'm doing makes a difference. And every job I've had, that's what it's been about, making a difference in someone’s life."

As Ingram and Daye’s experiences demonstrate, state government offers excellent opportunities to get that first job and build a fulfilling career.

On October 4, representatives from state agencies and universities will be at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh for the State of North Carolina Career Expo, a first-of-its-kind statewide event to highlight ways you could likewise experience a satisfying career in state government, or advance to a higher-level position.

There is a job for every skill set.

North Carolina state government is always actively recruiting and currently has on average 1000 job openings daily that are open and accepting applications.

"We've got every kind of job you could possibly want within state government, from accounting to zookeepers," said Kristin Siemek, State Talent Acquisition Manager with the Office of State Human Resources, which is coordinating the statewide career expo. She added there are numerous jobs people may be surprised to learn are “state” jobs. "The welders who work on the ferries that take people to Ocracoke Island are state workers, as are the people who inspect elevators or ensure that growers and producers have the resources they need to be safe and successful."

The Department of Health and Human Services hires medical professionals, from doctors and nurses to CNAs, psychologists, and psychiatrists. The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources hires archivists and park rangers. Every department needs accountants, human resources professionals, and IT specialists. "Any education level, any work experience…there's a job out there," Siemek said.

Jobs vary widely even within specialized agencies like the Wildlife Resources Commission.

"A third of this agency is law enforcement," Ingram said. "The other two-thirds are scientists, biologists, and various other positions."

Advancement opportunities build life-long careers.

Once you’re working in state government, paths for career advancement are available within and between agencies at locations across North Carolina.

For example, the Wildlife Resources Commission has a defined structure for promotions within the law enforcement section. Ingram steadily rose through the ranks from sergeant to lieutenant, to captain, to a major of field operations supervising the entire state. In August 2020, he became executive director.

Daye also took advantage of promotional opportunities, moving quickly from her office assistant position to become case manager at Orange Correctional Center, then to Polk Correctional Institution, where she worked directly with young offenders. She was promoted to program supervisor at Alamance Correctional Center, then to program director at Durham Correctional Center. Those jobs allowed her to help execute and enhance programs which help offenders reorder their lives.

After stints as a juvenile court counselor, a case analyst, a probation and parole officer and an assistant superintendent, Daye became the warden of Caswell Correctional Center in 2019. She was named Warden of the Year in part for successfully leading the facility through the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Daye is Facility Program Service Manager for the Division of Rehabilitation and Reentry Services.

"I started at the prison, I did probation, and so towards the end of my career now, I'm able to have an input on the programs that are actually offered inside the prison to help reentry back into the community," Daye said.

State jobs are available wherever you want to live in North Carolina.

Like most state agencies, the Wildlife Resources Commission employs people in all 100 North Carolina counties. After completing his training, Ingram’s first duty station was in Bertie County, so he moved to Ahoskie, but in less than six months on the job, he asked for a lateral transfer to Orange County.

"I was living in eastern North Carolina and wanted to relocate to the Piedmont, closer to my family and my wife's family, and was able to do that," Ingram said.

He got the transfer and moved to Hillsborough. Since 2005, he's lived in Climax, NC.

"I've worked in just about every region of North Carolina," Ingram said. "If you decide you want another job, you can stay within the system, but you can be in a different place and move up."

You can’t beat the benefits.

State employees value their benefits. State government still offers a paid pension, a rarity in today’s world, as well as 401K and 457 savings plans. Medical and pre-tax insurance benefits are particularly significant.

"We've got a good medical plan, we've got dental, we've got vision, we've got the Employee Assistance Program, which provides counseling and other resources to the employee and members of their immediate family," Siemek said.

New hires are eligible for 14 days of vacation leave, with the number of days increasing with the length of service. There are 12 paid holidays and eligible employees may take three days of community service leave and a day for personal observance.

"As soon as someone starts working for the state, they are eligible for benefits and start accruing vacation and sick leave," said Siemek. "You don't find that a lot in the private sector."

Eligible state employees can also receive paid parental leave at 100% of regular pay: full time employees are eligible for eight weeks for a birth parent for recuperation and bonding and four weeks for the non-birth parent to bond, an employee who has adopted a child or is fostering or who is otherwise newly responsible for raising a child to bond with the new child is also eligible for four weeks of paid leave. "Paid Parental Leave is not only for full time employees but part time employees are also eligible for prorated time off," Siemek said.

The great thing about working for the state is that even if you switch job roles or agencies as your state government career advances, your benefits stay with you.

"I went to work for the Wildlife Resources Commission in my early 20s and I'm eligible to retire at 50, 51 years old," Ingram said. "Somebody can go have a very fulfilling career with the State of North Carolina and then still be young enough to start another one."

You don’t have to have a degree to get a good job.

Ingram and Daye have college degrees, but both say experience matters just as much when seeking employment in state government.

"For about 80% of our jobs within state government, you can qualify with, what we call, an equivalency," Siemek said. She explained while a job may list a degree as one way to qualify, you may also qualify with a combination of academic experience, like an associate’s degree or certification, and on-the-job professional experience or even just on-the-job experience. As the State of North Carolina strives to reduce barriers to employment, she urged job seekers to consider how their direct experience could make them eligible for a role that does not have a degree requirement.

It all adds up to a fulfilling career.

Access to a diverse range of jobs in every part of the state, opportunities for advancement, good benefits, and a stable work environment make North Carolina state government an employer of choice for those wanting to build a career. But the truly fulfilling part is linking personal goals and skill sets to available jobs.

Perhaps Daye said it best: "Working for the state is more than just a job. It’s about making the community better."

Interested in learning more about careers in state government? Create an online profile in the State of North Carolina Careers portal and set alerts for jobs and locations.

This article was written for our sponsor, North Carolina Office of State Human Resources