US civil service is also a dead end. I think there is at some level recognition of the entrenched unspoken racism within the system. It is not a meritocracy really, and promotion would be by favor or by seniority (length of service rather than performance). So for people of no ambition who are simply content for a bland subsistence income year after year, who will never get anywhere near any actual levers of power, who are content to be the faceless clerk NPC in the background.
It's by
networking. Asians can make it relatively high up, but it's much more dependent on people skills than actual skills. Mind you, you do have to at least be able to create an illusion of competency. I myself work in local government in USA. My people skills (not that they are very impressive) have gotten me much further along in terms of raises, promotions, etc, than any of my actual skills. The fact that I am the highest performing worker is completely irrelevant to my status in my team/department/management.
But to make it to the very top levels of the
Federal Government? Forget it. Even if you do, the political bullshit is probably not worth it (unless you're into that). And two, if you're gonna make it up there, just be aware that you're not there because you are the most skilled person. You have to be okay with that, and with the possibility that you're a token Asian minority. I think most Asian people have correctly deduced that it's simply not worth it.