<p>My ultimate goal is to be a US senator/congressman. I'm debating between getting an MPA/MPP at Harvard/Columbia or going for a law degree at (hopefully) top ten law schools.</p>
<p>Which way is better? I feel like the majority of senators + even our president went to law school.</p>
<p>I figure I'll work in the private sector for a few years after college to earn back loans and get my feet wet in either law or management consulting, but eventually want to get into public sector.</p>
<p>Do you think Barack Obama or John McCain ever asked anonymous people online how to become a senator? </p>
<p>I think the right pieces come together regardless of what type of education the person has. I’ll use my some prominent politicians from my state as examples. Sen. Jon Kyl has a B.A. from the U of A and a JD from U of A Law. Sen. John McCain has a B.S. from the Naval Academy. Gov. Jan Brewer only went to Glendale Community College. Rep. Raul Grijalva has B.A. from the U of A. I don’t really see any pattern there. I realize I used a small sample and Arizona is politically odd, but I firmly believe there is no “one right” way to becoming a prominent politician.</p>
<p>There are a lot of Senators and Congressmen on here that will be able to give you advice…</p>
<p>What you’re asking is like, “How do I get to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company? What degree will allow me to achieve that?” Take a step back and ask yourself, “Do I really sound just that absurd right now?”</p>
<p>Big dreams, baby steps buddy. And somewhere along the line there’s this thing called “life” that gets to you. Life is about making hard choices. You obviously haven’t experienced that enough yet.</p>
<p>i would think being a politician is more about connections and networking than a degree from a specific school. obv. at top tier schools networking and connecting with prominent people may be easier to obtain, but still, only marginally. i would focus on getting involved in your local government (intern, local DNC/RNC offices…) and see where that guides you.</p>
<p>Simple rule - do not to to law school unless you want to and plan to practice law. Getting a law degree with plans to do anything else is a waste of time and money. I know you will hear that law school can prepare you for all kinds of jobs, but that’s largely a myth.</p>