Hello,
My DS would like to pursue an undergraduate degree in Political Science or Government. What would be a potential career after this degree? If he pursues a second major or a minor, what may be some choices to consider.
Thanks
Policy, advocacy, banking, international relations (World Bank, UN), diplomatic corps, Government affairs at any Fortune 1000 company, disaster relief, any type of infrastructure related corporation (building bridges, roads, airports, sewage systems, public transportation systems, etc.) Really anything. The Federal Government is the largest user of energy in the world (chew on that!) and the single largest procurement system in the world (every single thing that gets purchased by someone in the government is being sold by the vendor on the other side of the table…) Understanding how government works is an essential part of virtually any company today- you can’t run a hospital without folks who understand government. You can’t run an airline, aerospace company, utility, bank, etc. without having a solid government affairs or government relations function. Technology- massive demand for folks who understand “what is the regulatory environment and how does it impact us”.
In my experience, a minor in a strategic foreign language opens a lot of doors (you can Google and get the State Department’s list of languages-- Arabic, Pashtun, Korean, etc.). If a kid isn’t good at languages, then either computer science or something related to cyber, econ or statistics would be a very powerful combo.
Statistics is a good choice. Data is king in politics these days.
I recommend thinking about this the other way. He should find careers that interest him, then find out the degree he needs to obtain those careers.
Actually, most of the employers blossom lists prefer hard knowledge of an actual subject matter, rather than a broad polisci degree. So area studies, language skills, computer skills and quantitative analysis are much more marketable. Both the world bank and UN have very tight restrictions on the number of US citizens hired, and prefer PhD level in any event. Banking hires usually have BA degrees in finance, accounting, or economics. Civilian employment at the defense department or state department is possible, but graduate degrees are preferred. Lots of Capital Hill type jobs are possible, but often free or poorly paid. Government relations jobs in industry, like lobbying, are possible if the requisite social skills are present and connections exist. I love the field, but be aware the Hill is over run with degree bearing bright young interns. Many used to attend law school, but that is a less appealing option now.
Thanks for the valuable feedback and different ways of thinking.
@Demosthenes49: My DS is thinking that he may be interested in diplomacy or in public health policy. Do you have some recommendations of majors for him?
@roycroftmom: Great advice. As of now, my DS is open to getting an advanced degree. Why do you say the Law School option is a less appealing one now?
@blossom: Thanks for your very encouraging message. It is great to know that there will be many doors open. This is important since I think he will be trying to discover himself as he goes along.
@intparent: He is just a little averse to going down Math. Not that he is bad - he is afraid that his grades reflect that it is not his strength.
It’s quite common to double major or major / minor today. PoliSci is a good choice for one of the two as it gives the student a world perspective which businesses value today. I’d rather see a kid with an Accounting / PoliSci combo than an Accounting / Finance. Definitely need the technical skills but well spoken, well rounded kids become the future leaders (in many cases).
Roycroft- banks hire tens of thousands of people without finance/accounting/econ. They need people in regulatory functions, human resources, communications and investor relations, marketing and client management, security, etc. Getting into a banks management rotation program requires good analytical skills, the ability to write, evidence of team skills, etc. Many banks run their own “mini MBA” and can teach a smart young hire core accounting and finance skills in a matter of weeks.
Lobbying does NOT require social skills other than the ability to work in a team. The folks who run these firms are the ones with the connections and the shmoozing… but they need teams of analysts and associates back at the office who can develop a position paper, write a critical analysis of “the impact of wetlands legislation on xyz proposed office park development”, or “impact of steel tariffs on auto pricing”. These are great jobs for young people with degrees in political science.
I’m not sure about the preference for PhD’s at the World Bank and UN. I know dozens of people at both organizations, many with just a BA. (Admittedly- these are very sharp, very bright folks with tremendous academic records- but just BA’s and relevant internship/work experience). Again- they hire people to do marketing, communications, contract management and compliance, training and professional development, just like any big organization. You don’t need a PhD to be a benefits analyst at the UN. And you don’t need math past algebra.
OP- even if your son is somewhat math averse, his employability is going to be GREATLY enhanced by evidence of quant skills- he should take statistics (very important in poli sci anyway- analyzing census data, voting trends, differences in labor participation by demographic groups…) which will give him some very marketable skills in the work force regardless of the path he takes.
Well, blossom, we just have very different experiences. I too know many people employed by international organizations, including the UN, and they are very open about the legal quotas on US citizens. I have 9 family members employed in elite commercial and investment banking, and they all say the days of hiring general liberal arts degrees, for their employers, are over, except for a few dozen from very elite schools or who are well connected. No need to train people who likely will leave quickly anyway, and there are lots of qualified financial types out there. Both my husband and I have law degrees. For more information on why very few lawyers recommend this career to their kids right now, I refer you to the law boards on this website.
It is very useful to begin job searching now to understand what types of jobs may be open to that major. So rather than discuss on a forum, start searching employment sites and job opportunities as if your kid already had that degree, from that school (For example price warehouse changes what openings it has for various majors by college attended). See what and how many you can find and if those are adequate for you.
You can go to LinkedIn and search by university and major to see where the PolySci grads from his school end up.
Government jobs, including the perennially underfunded State Dept, are posted on Usajobs.gov for searching and application.
My degree from Occidental College was in Diplomacy and World Affairs. My career is in banking and finance. I am asked about it at almost every interview I have ever had and it really intrigues people.
It seems to me that a political science major is one of those broad-based Liberal Arts that would lay the groundwork for any career that required strong writing and thinking skills.
One other grad school option would be Masters program in public policy. The nice thing about these programs is that they often have an internship component which can lead to job offers.
I know two relatively recent public U grads with political science degrees. One worked on President Obama’s staff in a really good position - she is now in grad school at Columbia, studying public policy. Another is a lawyer. My D works in health care consulting and works with people who majored in political science.
Some jobs require a strict technical background (think civil engineer - they need to know this stuff of bridges fall down, an actuary needs serious math skills, etc.) . Other jobs are more about critical thinking / analyzing/ communicating. “Management Consulting” would fall in this category. Banking falls in this category. Corp Fin falls into that category.
Leadership in almost any industry will fall in to the latter category. If it’s a technical field, you’ll need both to succeed but you can’t get past a certain level (I’m sure exceptions exist) without the latter. Essentially, it’s pretty easy to hire technical experts. it’s hard to find leaders.
Because I was curious, I looked up polisci/government grads from my alma mater (google XXX college + LinkedIn, then click on “See Alumni” then you can set the search parameters including “what they studied.”) I didn’t drill down further than that but you can.
Top employers are Booz Allen, Department of State, the alma mater itself, MIT Lincoln Labs, Department of Justice, Accenture, Deloitte, Google, Public schools, House of Reps, Bain
Then you can scroll down to see individual profiles to see degree and job history.
Elite college?
Likely both elite college, and of course, graduate degrees. So those kids with polisci degrees went to get a Harvard MBA, then ended up at Booz Allen. That can happen regardless of the undergraduate degree major. Also, really have to point out that what happened to people 20-30 years ago isn’t necessarily predictive ,or even relevant, to what today’s grads are experiencing. It certainly isn’t in the legal field, or many other fields either.
No, not really an elite university for undergrad. As I said, you can drill down and see individual profiles. You can even search parameters based on year of graduation. OP said her son was open to grad school, so it makes sense to see paths beyond a BA to see what people end up doing. And, of course, she should look at HIS school, not mine.
Anyway, it’s a handy little tool.