Your Skills Still Matter: 3 Ways Public Sector Professionals Can Pivot and Thrive
On May 2, 2025, along with 145 other colleagues, I completed my last day with a nonprofit I had served at for over five years. Like many other workers that received federal funding I was laid off due grant terminations.
When I accepted the position with this organization five years earlier, I had made a specific effort to find a role that would allow me to offer training and technical assistance at the intersection of behavioral health and criminal justice policy. It meant a great deal to me to serve with this organization and to contribute to a national footprint for criminal justice reform. I led teams, developed resources, and built platforms to offer on-demand support to those in the field. I was proud of that work.
However, after about three years, I began to sense a needed shift in the work I was doing. I needed time to reflect, so in the fall of 2024, I took a six-month sabbatical to determine how I wanted to approach my career and life moving forward. During this time, I decided to begin building a private consulting portfolio while continuing to work full-time until the consulting agency began generating more revenue.
On April 30, 2025—five weeks after returning from my sabbatical—I was notified that, overnight, our organization had lost 12 out of 16 federal grant awards. This decision impacted me and most other staff members. Over 350 grants were terminated by the Department of Justice without warning to recipients or approval from Congress, as the awards were deemed “misaligned with the current administration’s priorities”.
As of July 10, 2025, CNN reported that 49,793 federal workers have been laid off or are targeted for layoffs this year. This number does not include those who took voluntary buyouts or deferred resignations, nor does it reflect the non-federal employees who lost their jobs due to grant and program eliminations initiated by the current administration.
As someone who has devoted their career to public service, it is alarming to see political leaders—who took oaths to protect the public good—take actions that make our communities less safe and less healthy. However, this is also the time when the work we do is needed most. We must come together and leverage our collective expertise to be most effective in this season.
Here are three ways we can show up for ourselves and our communities right now:
1. Reframe Your Skills for New Opportunities:
One of the most important steps we can take is to assess which of our skills are transferable across sectors. Many of us have led departments and launched initiatives with limited resources in the nonprofit space. As public sector professionals, we often have experience in fundraising and capacity building—essentially business development—a skill highly valued in the private sector. If you’ve generated thousands or even millions of dollars in funding for a nonprofit or government agency, you absolutely have the skills to do the same in a corporate setting.
2. Explore State and Local Government Roles:
If you’ve determined that you want to remain in the public sector and your previous employment was federally funded—or if you were a federal employee laid off—consider opportunities through state and local governments. According to CNBC, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows a month-over-month growth of 73,000 jobs in state and local government, with many in education. Those recently laid off due to federal cuts may find new opportunities to continue their service careers at the local or state level. Some roles may require additional training, but as professionals dedicated to continuous learning, this should feel familiar and attainable.
3. Consider Consulting or Freelance Work:
Some of us, myself included, are using this transition as an opportunity to move into entrepreneurship through consulting or freelance work. While the federal government has cut a number of awards, there are still funding opportunities available from foundations, state and local agencies, and private companies committed to investing in communities. You may be able to partner with them to advance meaningful work. Also, don’t overlook opportunities outside the U.S. — many countries are seeking professionals with expertise in public health, data analysis, and other skills critical to improving public safety and well-being.
