I am a high school student heading into my Junior year. If anything is certain it’s this: I want to become a politician. I want power, I want money, and I want fame. Thing is though, there is no textbook guide to becoming one. Let me set another thing straight, I am not going into Political Science, and possibly, not going to attend Law School. In my undergrad year I’d like to take up a major that tests my intellect, as I am an all round student. I excel in everything from maths, to history, to science, to language arts, so it’s tough to say I have a specific interest. My main attention right now is to Chemical Engineering as I have family in the business and seems like a good way to support myself straight out of college. Thing is I’m not certain and it’s bothering me that I haven’t picked something yet. So, I take to the internet to ask, what should I do?
Gosh, you sound cocky. You should never want to be a politician “for the money” because you won’t get it. People who work in the public sector often make a lot less than those in the private sector. You probably won’t get famous because very few politicians are actually “famous” unless it’s for some sort of sex scandal. And you won’t have power because politics is so bureaucratic that no one can hold too much power.
Also, you’re just a junior. School gets a lot tougher in junior/senior year, so I would wait to say that you “excel at everything” until you graduate.
And finally, you should not do a career just for the money. You will flunk out. If you genuinely like chemical engineering, try it. But it is extremely difficult, especially for someone who does not see it as end game.
And I think you need an attitude adjustment. And no offense, but your “language arts” was not too great in your post, so I would reevaluate your strengths and weaknesses.
I’m sorry if this was harsh, but you really need it. Your ego will get the best of you if you don’t curb it now.
Good luck to you! If you have any more questions, let me know
IvyGirl27, I stated something wrong in my original post, when I said that I wanted to do Chemical Engineering it was because I want to do a career that gives me an economic boost to launch my political career. I don’t want to do politics for the money, but have a job that can bring steady income so that I have the tools to launch a political career. Chemical engineering isn’t what I’m necessarily interested in, but it’s advantageous because I have family already in the business. And while I am heading into my Junior year, knowing that and Senior year will be the hardest years of my High School I know myself to take on anything. I know I will be able to do Chemical Engineering, because I am motivated there is a goal at the end that can be worth it. But, as you said, I might be thinking about this all wrong, any suggestions?
Chemical Engineering definitely will not make you rich. Stable income, absolutely! 100k mid career, probably. But rich enough to launch a political campaign, doubtful. And trust me, if you’re not interested in it- DONT DO IT. It is one of the hardest and most intensive majors and careers, so unless you love it and are good at science and math, I would not recommend it.
While I don’t think people should pursue careers just for money, it’s perfectly okay to know that money (and prestige) is important to you and that you want to pick a career in which you can make a lot of it. It’s important for people to know what facets of their career/job are important to them and pursue that; a person who dreams of a high-flying lifestyle won’t be satisfied as a social worker or a teacher. I don’t think it’s too cocky to profess a desire for power, either, as that’s a pretty standard thing that most people aren’t honest enough to admit to themselves. (I also think that junior year is far enough along in high school to know what you’re good at.)
That said, it is true that most politicians don’t make money through politics. They make money in a different career, and they spend money on their political campaigns.
With that said, OP, you can be a politician with any major. Most politicians seem to rise there from either law or business. You don’t need to major in political science to go to law school - in fact, an engineering major can help you go into a fairly lucrative sector of law (IP/patent law).
Wanting power/money and wanting to serve aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive In fact, I would say that any good politician probably has a healthy dose of both, since once you get to a certain level of politics you’re pretty much assured that a lot of people will now who you are.
If you did take the time to study political science, you’d learn that success in politics is all about OPM: Other People’s Money.
And that is the reason why there is a well-beaten path into politics from business and law. In studying those subjects you would make networking connections to people who will in the future potentially have a lot of OPM to offer you to fund your campaign.
The greatest test to any intellect is challenging the strongest assumptions. Your strongest assumptions seem to be that PoliSci is not challenging, and it is not valuable to the pursuit of your stated goal. Test your intellect by attacking those assumptions head-on. Major in PoliSci - your intellect will thank you for the opportunity to grow.
In fact, I would say that any good politician probably has a healthy dose of both, since once you get to a certain level of politics you’re pretty much assured that a lot of people will now who you are.