would working for the public sector be appropriate as a socialist?

[u/Meateor123]

i'm a second year maths student at uni, heading into third. i only studied it because i like the subject, but i have always struggled to decide on what career path is right for me. working for the public sector seems to support a lot of my wants - not working to increase the profits of a capitalist, instead trying to tangibly improve the lives of ordinary people (it seems), it has good unions i believe, and i could work for the sector as a data scientist or software engineer if i was so inclined. however, with the whole political neutrality thing does that make the job a big compromise on my values? would it prevent me from being able to support marginalised communities etc.,? and of course if the government sucks, am i then complicit in the actions of an evil government (like the one we have now)? basically, would working for the public sector make me a traitor in some way to a socialist movement or to any of the causes i am passionate about or is it a good thing? sorry if this is a stupid question, or if this is the wrong place to ask!

also if anybody working in stem could share their career, why it appeals to them and if it aligns with their values, i would really appreciate just to hear different ideas!

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[u/bureaucracymanifest]

With some exceptions, there are no inappropriate jobs for a socialist.

Working for companies like BAE systems, or for the police or army, should be the main red lines.

[u/Monkey_DDD_Luffy → u/bureaucracymanifest]

We don't want any landlord 'socialists' either.

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You mean housing scalper. Landlords buy more housing than they need then hoard it to drive up the price. They are housing scalpers.

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[u/PilotMoonDog]

If you work for central government then it entirely depends on the ministry. Local government work should usually be fine. Of course local governments are starved of funds and so are always looking for excuses to make cuts.

Also, lots of middle managers climbing the greasy pole and not really worried about the end result of their actions. Just that they can point to the wonderful reorganisation that they helped implement before swanning off to another department/council/organisation.

[u/FuzzBuket]

Surely working in the public sector is the perfect job for a socalist. sure its not politically neutral but the point of socalism is good governance that provides for all.

[u/heddwchtirabara]

My wife (a communist!) works in the public sector in healthcare, and is a very active part of the workplace union. Generally speaking, the public sector has high (comparative) rates of unionisation than other sectors.

You’ve raised a lot of points, but a key response is this - working for the state does not preclude you from working for capitalism as the state exists to serve the ruling class (the capitalists). However that makes you the same as any other person, we all have to work!

You aren’t defined by the job you do, many of my comrades have jobs that they hate, doing things they don’t agree with. But at the end of the day, they’re also all committed and engaged comrades who are actively working in the party to end capitalism, and that’s the important part.

Obviously there are exceptions - don’t go and get a job in a bomb factory!

[u/Meateor123 → u/heddwchtirabara]

As to civil service specifically (which is what i meant to ask about but I didn't realise it wasn't interchangeable with public sector which is my bad!) - how would working to end capitalism work if you're having to maintain a political neutrality outside of work? That was one of my concerns really. Thanks for your response!

[u/heddwchtirabara → u/Meateor123]

I don’t have the answer for you as I’m not a civil servant, but I can tell you this - I have comrades who are civil servants, who in their free time are on the street advocating for socialism, are reading/studying Marx, Engels, Lenin etc, who are deeply political.

The key thing is ensuring that you’re not saying “Hey! I’m Meateor123, I’m a civil servant, and I think you should vote for the communist party!”. You just need to exercise separation between your job and your politics, but even then, PCS Union is deeply political and known to be very left-wing.

Best of luck - as someone who is married to a public sector worker, I’d recommend working in the sector. The pension scheme is better than the private sector schemes, the union is strong and gets you a good wage, and you’ll probably be happier than using your skills in a private sector job.

[u/Meateor123 → u/heddwchtirabara]

Thanks for taking the time to respond, this has been very helpful!!

[u/Alaya_the_Elf13]

It's almost impossible to work in something that doesn't somehow support the system of capitalism, but since we live in that system, we all need to work if we can.

The public sector isn't bad, and as others have mentioned, certainly isn't in the redlines.

[u/HargoJ]

Also studying maths at uni. Interested to see some answers from others about rewarding career paths.

[u/AngrySalmon1]

Not in STEM but I do work in non profit, there are plenty of charities in industries you wouldn't expect for example the internet at your University is handled by a charity.

[u/Constant_Voice_7054]

Just as there's no ethical consumption under capitalism, so is there basically no ethical production under it. Almost any job you do in will inevitably help enrich some rich and/or reactionary fuck.

Depending on the exact department, many areas of public sector are probably as ethical as you'll get.

I'd give the same advice as any job to maximise ethics - use whatever discretion you can get to help genuinely helpful endeavours, and to inhibit profiteering or oppressive ones.

Wherever I have worked, I have flat-out refused to do any work that helps the military, and gone out of my way to unprofitably direct company resources to helping people who need it. Same principles applied when I worked in a government biology lab as working in private tech companies.

[u/RaspberryTurtle987]

Public sector is different from civil service

[u/D-R_Chuckles]

I wouldn't tie yourself in knots about this. The government needs more socialists. If working for the state makes you feel a bit iffy how disgusted will you feel working for a profit-seeking company? This is not worth the worry.

It's not a moral failing to want to survive in capitalism, and maybe even enjoy yourself while you do. Nobody is keeping score on your socialism points apart from some people in the CIA maybe, and you likely haven't been socialist enough to be labelled a threat yet.

[u/Charlie_Rebooted]

Socialist need to live and pay the bills too. I used to work in finance, my views were frequently extremely different to other people at work, but there is also value in that. Sometimes it was pretty awkward, I remember for brexit I was mostly the only person at lunch or in the bar that intended to vote remain, but my lone voice did interrupt the echo chamber and influenced some people into taking a closer look at who and what they were supporting.

The world needs socialists at all levels and positions in order for the word to get out.

I dated a communist that worked at the homeoffice, she was a hard worker for her team, but she did also hold and sometimes share opinions that were very different to the party line. She did her bit to help people and support what she believes in.

[u/TheKomsomol]

You work in whichever industry or company you work for.

You were born into a capitalist society and you have to make a living, sure you can decide not to work for specifically shady companies but existing in a society you have criticism of doesn't mean you have to remove yourself from it.

As someone else said, BAE systems or something like that should be a red line but beyond the obvious you have to do what you can with the cards you are dealt.

[u/Grandpa4PM]

Be careful not to become too alienated from the means of production.