Being a student at a college where we send a team is obviously a huge advantage. (we’re there, we’re interviewing). BUT- we read resumes from anywhere and everywhere. BUT- rigor counts (folks on CC hate it when I say that.) BUT- things other than GPA count (although we consider that as well).
Rutgers has a very well regarded program in Poli Sci and numerous opportunities to work/do research at think tanks, public policy organizations, etc. But there is a difference between taking grad level courses as a senior, and rounding out your senior year course selection with a bunch of filler because you need time to spend with your friends before you all head off into the real world. Employers can tell the difference.
Re: about to graduate- kids also need to learn the recruiting calendar. Some companies will be making hiring decisions in the winter. Some will still be extending offers in June, after graduating. If I see a resume I like, and it’s June, that resume will get clumped into NEXT year’s interview cycle- I’ve got new hires starting throughout the summer, so unless we’ve miscalculated our recruiting targets by a wide margin (it happens, but not every year) we’re just not in a position to hire a new grad if you get to us too late. (we’re happy to consider you for the next cycle though).
Not rocket science- most big companies are going to have their calendars posted on the recruiting section of their website, and the career development folks at your kids college can help with timing, resume drops, etc.
Every year I help (as a favor to friends, neighbors, etc.) new grads who have not launched. You would be surprised by the number who tell me that they graduated without ever once stepping foot inside the career development offices. Not once. And they are shocked that it’s June or July and they don’t have a job, their parents are imploding with rage, and the kid isn’t quite sure “what’s the big deal”.
You can get hired coming from East Overshoe University with a degree in history or poli sci or English or similar at hundreds of big corporations in the country. No, it’s not as easy as graduating from U Chicago or Michigan or Princeton. But the jobs fairy is not landing in your house anytime soon either. You’re going to have to make an effort.
The biggest change for this generation has been that all those polisci internships for which we were paid in the 1980s at Defense and State and CIA, are now unpaid and still have a glut of applicants. The Hill has always been mostly unpaid, but whereas it had high school and college interns before, those offices now have late college/grad students or degree holding volunteers. Thus my high school junior enjoyed her Hill internship (as I had once), but I am not sure the experience was good for her 24 year old MPA holding fellow intern sharing her office. There are plenty of people making an effort to get jobs, but there is also chronic underemployment in this field and intense competition.
I’d like to add something to the helpful comments that others have posted here. Most “majors” don’t map well into specific jobs, much less careers. Some are better defined – in which the skills one obtains in college (combined with practical training or service while in college) fit certain positions in the real world. Also, in some fields the BA/BS graduate has a credential that may be recognized and easy to interpret by recruiters. (Public health, nursing are examples.)
But political science? Not so much. History? Philosophy? French? Same problem. The graduate needs to have or develop specific skills that enhance her marketability. And she benefits from having had internships or other practical experience while in college. Or outside of college.
My son told me about his first interview for an economic consulting job after graduating with a BA in economics. The interviewer noted that his resume says he was a champion debater in high school. “What does that mean to us?” he asked my son. Answer: “Debaters read a tremendous lot of stuff, on subjects that they barely know anything about. I learned how to take a professional article on any subject, read it thoroughly and write a summary in 30 minutes. And that summary will be very accurate.” That is a skill that is useful in many jobs. Another question: “You list baseball statistics as a hobby on your resume. What’s that mean to us?” Answer: “I am very proficient in using spreadsheets, analyzing statistical information, and evaluating the performance of players and teams.” Another marketable job skill!
He got the job. Although his major was economics, his minor was political science. His auxiliary skills, along with his subject matter knowledge, were what got him the job. I have occasionally advised high school students about their choice of majors in college. I always tell them to pay attention to auxiliary skills, both in formal coursework and in “hobbies” and extra-curricular activities, including their summer jobs. Use those opportunities to make connections, to learn how to work with teams, to increase their general knowledge, and to use tools. (For my daughter, who was an artist, the tools were hand-tools.)
Added: I’ve been a political scientist for decades. Just knowing the literature doesn’t make a career. Having practical experience, key skills (including above all writing, statistics [in most subfields], and foreign language) are keys to a successful career. And having the energy to work long hours is a must. Yes there are also “diploma effects” – where you earned your degrees. But the diploma is far from sufficient in getting good jobs or having a successful career.
@mackinaw makes a good point. My son worked every summer at what we called Hotel Tufts. The first year he was mostly making coffee in the middle of the night and changing bed linens, but each year he got more responsibility. He became the Reservations Supervisor one year and completely revamped their reservations system using a huge Excel spreadsheet to map out all the rooms. Later when he was in Jordan and had an intership program there where he put together a database of newsletters dealing with nuclear issues for the NGO he was working with there. Both those experiences ended up being useful for later work.
My SIL has been - journalist, children’s librarian, nursery school teacher, developer, member of the zoning board, NH state rep and now has a job for a group that promotes New Urbanist/Smart Town type planning. All as an English major.
@roycroftmom cites getting hard skills as an undergraduate which fit directly into a specific job. IMHO, I don’t think that works. It’s not really that useful to get an undergrad degree in something that has limited application by framing the undergrad degree so tightly. I call this flat studies and find these folks are hard to hire. They want to plug into a specific job. I took IR and want to work for XYZ organization. Hey, some people like to follow a formula but I find these folks are rarely successful as they have limited creativity in their approach to work. Also, when interviewing they never took any of the interesting courses only the standard ones so it’s hard for them to stand apart.
Those who have studied a particular field and have various interests in that area often do well as their paths are more varied and they can do down a single path then build on it. Plus they are more interesting to talk to. And in some cases, they have an approach or area they studied which no one else does. Bingo, they get the job.
I personally believe government combined with econ and languages is a powerful combination. As others have stated there are multiple types of jobs and flexibility in various approaches.
@mackinaw Your son is exactly the type of person I would hire. Someone who thinks about the application of what he has learned and can apply it. In today’s job market, someone who learns quickly and can adapt is valuable. There are too many kids who can’t even answer the basic question of why they would be good for the job.
Jobs aside, having more interests and background in various interrelated subject areas is also helpful in developing the student. Students who study government have to write and research. They have to argue their points and present a coherent case. And they have to understand the macro and micro economic frameworks for government ( economics). Many will study a particular country or area. Or they might have a specific secondary area of interest say diplomacy or nuclear threats, etc. Most tie together multiple areas just based on the course of study. Writing, research and looking at the macro/micro level are the most valuable applications of this major. And there are excellent options for advanced study. Some will go on to law school. But many will go into many various fields and attain high levels due to their “soft skills” which shouldn’t be underrated.
I have a political science degree and have spent my career in sales, business development and now marketing. It is a broad based liberal arts degree that does not limit you to directly related items.
Excellent point @Mackinaw. Two of my kids had majors that were not pre-professional but it was the cumulated interests, jobs and extra curricular interests that together brought them to life during post college interviews. My oldest was able to land a job within a few months during the worst of times in 2011. I was a poli science major but my interests and internships were very defined around communications activities and politics so was able to target my first job. It took 3 months as I graduated at the previous worse time to graduate in 1978 in Michigan and the election cycle was “off” but was able to move to a different part of the country with a better economy and go from there.