<p>I'm curious about what preparation one might need for a career in technology policy (in a think-tank, government, or business). I had originally thought that a law degree would be helpful, but am realizing that I may not actually want to practice law. I'm interested in policies that encourage innovation and technological progress.</p>
<p>What other degrees might work? A Masters in Public Policy? A PhD? What if I wanted to go into politics in the future?</p>
<p>This is a complex topic, one which deserves more discussion than I can provide. But let me touch on a couple of points. First, technology policy is set by a few and influenced by many. To adequately prepare for a career, you should probably decide whether you wish to SET or INFLUENCE policy. Lawmakers, seniior public administrators, and industry leaders can set policy. Think tanks, users (which includes businesses), software developers, senior technology officers, lawyers, etc. can influence technological policies.</p>
<p>
[quote]
What if I wanted to go into politics in the future?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Do you mean running for office or are you thinking of a staff/appointee role?</p>
<p>Wow, NewHope, thanks so much for the information implied in your questions! As you can tell, I'm really new to this world. </p>
<p>I'm not sure which I'm interested in. Of course, setting policy sounds like more fun, but I'm not sure what the differences are in terms of day-to-day life, etc. Can you tell me a bit more?</p>
<p>ADad, not sure. The issues I'd like to work on are pretty narrow, so I imagine it would be a staff/appointee role. But I'm not sure. How would I decide?</p>
<p>returningstudent, some more food for thought: the American Institute of Physics has a formal legislative fellows program. It's designed for PhD's in the physical sciences, which might be more than you want to undertake ;) but you might want to see if APS can offer any sort of suggestions given your interests. </p>
<p>Congressional</a> Science Fellowship - American Institute of Physics</p>
<p>The national organizations for other technical fields might offer similar programs. Maybe also contact members of congress who are interested in science public policy, or who come from a science background (e.g. Rep. Rush Holt has a PhD in physics ) and ask for advice. </p>
<p>Another possibility might be in science and technology education.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm not much of a physicist. :(</p>
<p>My interests are more in Internet and computer policy, e-government, etc. My heroes are Larry Lessig, Beth Noveck, Jonathan Zittrain.</p>
<p>"My interests are more in Internet and computer policy, e-government, etc. My heroes are Larry Lessig, Beth Noveck, Jonathan Zittrain."</p>
<p>OK, let's start here. Zittrain is the only one who is working to SET policy (with his initiative to flag malware). But even there his purpose is to influence policy by preempting stricter administration of the Internet. So the prevalent theme for all three of your heroes is INFLUENCING policy. All three are Professors of Law. All three are interested in utilzing the Internet as backbone for societal benefit. All three are authors, and all three are tremendously brilliant.</p>
<p>RT, you might also want to dialog with persons who are in this field, or on the leading edge of it, now. There are some very interesting and mucky situations in play now where technology has iterated far beyond law, and the catch up process is fascinating, especially when there are multiple countries involved. Add in the progress of virtual worlds and it is even more interesting. </p>
<p>I am sure some of these leaders would be willing to offer their thoughts; why not reach out to a few of them, explain what you are interested in, and ask for their opinions. People LOVE to give their opinions, surely they will help. </p>
<p>Who to contact - anyone who sits in the C suite, or the CIO, or the CPO, in private industry or NGOs. Or the top people in the general counsel's office. Ginsu Yoon at Linden Labs might be a fun start start...</p>
<p>
[quote]
How would I decide?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Well, I'm far from the most qualified person on earth to say how to decide whether or not to run for office, but I'll plunge in anyways. :)</p>
<p>Four things come to my mind, fwiw: for one thing, office holders need to be generalists, since they are responsible for all legislation in their jurisidiction. Certainly, they can have (broad) areas of special interest, and they do have staff to help them, but when in public pretty much any question is fair game. Second, running for office and being in office inevitably involves time consuming and tiring activities such as face-to-face meetings with the public, hand-shaking, baby-kissing, school appearances, meeting supporters, constant scrutiny, etc. Third, fund-raising is critically important. Fourth, the level of discussion can be very low; the average American is neither well-educated nor interested in subtleties, intricacies or nuances. </p>
<p>If these things sound appealing to you, or at least tolerable, then imo running for office might be something to think about.</p>
<p>You can major, minor or get a graduate degree in "Science, Technology and Society". One of my daughters is looking at an MS coupled with her tech BS in order to be involved with policy issues (but not running for office).</p>
<p>A few other things came to mind overnight, fwiw.</p>
<p>-consider the educational paths and current positions of the people you admire. Maybe you would like to teach at a law school as well? In that event, you would have a lot of freedom to pursue (and teach) your own interests, but also the obligation to publish in those areas. How does that sound to you?</p>
<p>-don't let the best be the enemy of the good. No strong program and university will be a gross, unredeemable error. Don't waste time because you aren't sure of a long-term, clear path to what you want. Take reasonable action! Because:</p>
<p>-talent, imagination, and effort go a long ways. Trust yourself!</p>
<p>momoftwins - Can you say where your daughter is going to school? I didn't know that there were graduate degrees in that.</p>
<p>ADad - Thanks for the insights and wisdom. It would be fun to teach at a law school. I've been doing a lot of reading, though, and I'm not sure if I'd be the stellar candidate (Law Review, clerkship, etc.) who could pull that off.</p>
<p>I'd say a library then law degree or combined like at U Michigan. There are others.</p>
<p>SI</a> Careers: Information Policy Career Resources
SI</a> MSI Degree: Dual-Degree Programs: JD/MSI</p>
<p>A career in information security, with an eye on a Director of Information Security type of position, would be one of the business paths that could be taken. These positions influence and write corporate policy with respect to all aspects of information security.</p>
<p>Lower levels of this job - Information Security Manager or Information Security Analyst - are involved in ENFORCING the policies set by the various bodies in the company. They also influence policy to a degree.</p>
<p>I have loved my career in this area. I learn something new almost every day; it is multifaceted.</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins University is now offering a Masters in an information security field. I am not sure what is available at the undergrad level, but computer science or anything information technology related would be approp. There are also certifications that complement this well (CISSP comes to mind, CISA also which is more accounting related)</p>
<p>^^^I couldn't agree more. Infosec is an evolving field; people will this skill set and core competency are very valuable and will become moreso - potentially even priceless in some areas - over the next decade or so.</p>
<p>OP, I sent you as PM.</p>
<p>One thing to recognize: The first generation of internet policy was effectively set by intellectual property lawyers who didn't necessarily have a lot of technological skills and training before they got into the field. That will not be the pattern in the future. The dot-com bust of a few years ago sent thousands of sophisticated techies scurrying to law school. There is a surfeit of them now; it's hard to imagine anyone without a decent technical background in computer science elbowing his or her way into a computer law practice now.</p>
<p>Also, the distinction between "setting" and "influencing" policy is completely misleading. Even if you happen to be the key governmental decisionmaker on an issue, generally a big part of your decision is balancing the interests and inputs from many quarters, and often paying as much attention to politics as to policy. And you don't get to be the key governmental decisionmaker on ANYTHING without spending many years toiling in different corners of a field, often in roles in which having even the slightest influence on actual policy is almost a pipe dream. If you get to set policy, you do that by leading and by influencing others.</p>
<p>returningstudent,</p>
<p>She originally looked at BS programs in Science, Technology & Society. However she goes to West Point and they do not offer this as a major. The plan is to attend grad school in a few years with solid experience under her belt. There are definitely graduate programs available. A google search will help you find some of them. The programs seem like they integrate so many different ideas/topics with the technical flavor. It just seems like an ideal program for people who want the combination.</p>