This article focuses on the reasons that draw college graduates to public office contests. Research had 93 students in two public contest preparatory courses in the city of Florianópolis, SC, answer a questionnaire made up of closed and open-ended questions. Data was analyzed quantitatively by compiling the answers given, and also qualitatively through content analysis. This analysis enabled the researchers to identify the contestant profile and the reasons behind pursuing a career in public service: most contestants are young adults with a fledgling career drawn to contests due to job stability, pay and career opportunities. These reasons given by the researched epitomize the current economic, social and educational status quo, in which college graduates regard public service as a means to safeguard job stability, remuneration and career opportunities. The ethical commitment to the community - an intrinsic feature regarding work in the public service sector - was not taken into account by the participants. The data extracted is deemed relevant to subsidize discussions about landing a job and staying in the job market by taking part of public contests, as well as to point out the importance of the elaboration of training programs and professional guidance in preparatory courses, and furthermore, as indicative of the need for the adoption of capacity planning geared towards the nature and goals of this sector by public administrations.