F.A., a 41-year-old Edgewater resident, dreamed his whole life of going into public service.

“I got into student debt for it. I have a big student loan to prove it,” said the man, who asked to be identified by his initials for fear of retribution for speaking out. “You get to see the people affected by it. It makes you appreciate what you do.”

His seven-year run with the federal government, beginning with a five-year stint at the Federal Emergency Management Agency that saw him deploy twice to the American South in response to hurricanes, ended recently along with scores of his colleagues abruptly fired from his contract job the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The termination left F.A. with doubts about pursuing his passion and questions about finding employment in a job market inundated almost overnight with tens of thousands of federal employees and contractors affected by the sweeping cost-cutting measures of President Donald Trump.

“I have a wife. I have a mortgage. I have a 3-year-old. I have day care,” F.A. said. “I’m starting to apply to everything and anything because none of us have the luxury of time to wait on the judicial system to fix our problems.

“We’re not rich; we’re public servants. None of us do this for the money, obviously. So here we are, with the rest of America, applying to jobs.”

That quest led him Thursday to an Odenton senior center, where the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corp. hosted a career fair in response to layoffs by Trump and Elon Musk, the billionaire he chose to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency. The nonprofit capped registrations at 750 but didn’t turn away people who failed to sign up in advance.

The event featured almost four dozen employers — businesses and local government agencies — and drew job seekers from throughout central Maryland, where most federal workers in the state reside.

Those who spoke with The Banner, many of whom asked to have their identities protected, recalled persistent uncertainty leading up to sudden firings.

In Maryland, one of 10 workers is a federal employee. Almost half live in the D.C. suburbs of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, but there are plenty in the Baltimore area. Approximately 60,000 Anne Arundel County families and individuals rely on federal incomes, according to the county. Of the workers who live near Fort Meade, about 42% were employed by the federal government.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, a Democrat, said in a statement that the county will host more career fairs because of demand.

As Pittman’s administration prepares to present its budget, it not only has to account for the impacts of a state budget deficit and potential federal cuts — the county got $33.7 million in federal grants last fiscal year — but a reduction in tax revenue attributable to federal employees who were laid off. His office presents the budget to the county council on May 1.

“When they’re impacted collectively, we’re impacted,” said County Councilman Pete Smith, a Democrat who represents north county, at Thursday’s event. “So whatever we can do to get them back up and running and back on their feet, the better off Anne Arundel County is.”

Merissa Mirani, a 29-year-old who lives in Cape St. Claire, worked for a company in Bethesda that contracted with USAID. She and her colleagues knew they’d be impacted when Trump suspended foreign assistance for 90 days, but it soon became clear the company would struggle to pay its employees. Then came furloughs and the ensuing emotions.

“Just helpless, really,” Mirani said. “In particular for this sector, foreign aid, it’s like the whole sector was just wiped out.”

Only back from maternity leave for about three months, she now was frantically applying for jobs. Out of 150 job applications, Mirani estimated, she got just three calls.

“Because I’m not seeing any leads, I’m having to accept that I might have to be a stay-at-home mom, which is not necessarily what I wanted. I have a career that I worked very hard for,” Mirani said. “That’s where I’m at, and just constant anxiety because my husband also works for a government contractor, so he might also be let go.”

As she was speaking to a reporter, she recognized a colleague across the room.

Steven, who asked to be identified only by his first name, had been furloughed, too. Like Mirani, he was worried about his family — his wife and her son are immigrants — and mourning a dream career.

“Folks who are in international development, it’s not something you just stumble into,” said Steven, who lives in Edgewater. “It’s something that you work towards. It’s something that you really want to be in, you want to have an impact in the world. To lose that over the course of a weekend is just devastating.”

Both found themselves at a table operated by representatives of the Hanover branch of the Edward Jones financial services firm.

“Despite what’s happening at the federal level, this is a community coming together. ... This shows we’re not as divided as they may want you to believe,” said David Greeley, a financial advisor. “We need people who have grit, who care about people. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Adrienne Cooper, of Annapolis, worked for a company that contracted with the National Institutes of Health.

“One Friday, they just called and told me my contract was terminated,” recalled Cooper, 40, saying she was fired Feb. 21. “It was shocking to know that I started the day working and at 4 o’clock I was told not to put any more hours in.”

Cooper also works as a flight attendant and said she needed both jobs to support her family, with her daughter having just left for college in the fall.

“Now,” Cooper said, “we’re trying to figure out if she needs to transfer somewhere cheaper.”