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BY Sarah Hofmann

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This week’s midterm elections brought historic firsts for diversity along with them—and a number of first-time elected officials whose professional backgrounds include firefighting, reconstructive surgery, and other work outside of politics.

Last year, public service and politics, business, and law were the “dominant professions” among members of Congress, according to the federal government’s website, though many had also worked in education in some capacity.

Analyses of past representatives from the Brookings Institution and the Congressional Research Office show that those professions have remained prevalent for decades, while some other industries, including agriculture and journalism, have seen some decline in representation.

The incoming class of elected officials may well have the same characteristics.…