I’m currently a high school senior and I’ve wanted to work in politics since I saw my very first presidential debate when I was 6 years old. I honestly can’t think of doing anything else but I’m concerned about getting a real job in politics, post college graduation. I live in Sacramento and people have said that Sac state is the best CSU for a poly sci degree because of the internships opportunities available at the capital. I have applied there but I’m still waiting for acceptance. Currently, I have been accepted by CSU Fresno, CSU Chico, and CSUMB. Which of these do you think would be best for a poly sci major and a future in politics?
I’ve been feeling a little discouraged about my future lately because I’m finding it difficult to get internships and this is an election year so if it’s hard now, it’s going to be ridiculous in a couple years. So, if you have any suggestions about that or any ways to get into government, I’d appreciate it.
Also, what do you think would be a good minor to make my major more marketable or help me get a job in politics? I really want to minor in history because I’m very passionate about European and American history but I know that it may not be the wisest decision.
Getting a job in politics… this is a bit vague. What exactly do you want to be doing? The amount of polisci involved in jobs vary. Do you want immersion? Do you want to run someday?
I would say having a minor in philosophy would be the best route, however, most jobs don’t give huge weight to minors. If you’re going to be working something congressional or the like, a philosophy minor should fare well, as the subject ‘teaches you think’ (kind of).
You should be looking at programs with a lot of classroom discussion, as this will improve your public speaking skills if they’re not up to par. Apply to some small LACs too and see what aid you get? Mind, I would imagine you’d need post-grad education to be taken seriously… but take that with a grain of salt. That’s just what my intuition says.
If you can’t get an internship, become a volunteer, work hard and you’re likely to advance. I’ve known many Obama volunteers from 2007/8 who parlayed their volunteerships into paying positions on the local/state level. Continue to volunteer while you’re in college: commitment and time served are crucial to getting political jobs. After graduation, consider law school. The reality is that many (if not most) politicians and their aides have at least a background in law.
I also agree that useful work experiences are out there just waiting for you this year, but they are not paid opportunities.
Also, read your local weekly paper about local government meetings (or do this in your future college town.) Lots of opportunities to get involved in local government issues. Again, these are volunteer opportunities that could lead to better things.
I’m still not sure exactly what I’d like to do but I’ve done things like debate and mock trial all through high school and I’ve been told by a lot of my coaches that I would be great at lobbying. I’m pretty interested in that as well as campaign managing or city council type things. Not sure if I’d ever run for a major office but it’s definitely possible. Which CSUs do you think are best suited for these careers?
I’ve heard that something like half the members of congress (or maybe it was just the Senate) have law degrees. I’ve already been doing mock trial for about 4 years and I’ve worked closely with a lot of attorneys so I think law school would be doable for me, but do you think that I would actually have to work as an attorney after I get the degree, or could I use it for something else? I have little to no interest in actually working as an attorney.
But other than that, you should try to major in philosophy with a minor in polisci I think. political science is important but with the core curriculum + the minor you will be educated enough in how our government works and different political schools of thought, not to mention how much you’ll focus on it in law school. Philosophy is probably the best route to focus on because it does teach you how to think, if you have the capacity for it to begin with. Lots of pre laws do philosophy. Political philosophy is also very important. you should consider filling your electives with psychology and anthropology courses.
The thing about working in government is you have to balance innovation with interpersonal skills. Market your ideas well, and you can get support. Philosophy will teach you how to break down things and analyze them in this way, then build on that through your other courses. It will teach you innovation, basically. Go for what will make you happiest, but consider studying philosophy. Read Plato or other Greek philosophers to get a taste of the material and reasoning you’ll be working with.
Volunteer for a political campaign. This is an election year–lots of candidates running for office at all levels. Find a candidate you like and go to the campaign office near your home and volunteer. Campaigns love volunteers, especially enthusiastic young people. You won’t get paid, but you’ll learn quite a bit. It’s not likely that you can get a paid position in a campaign because you don’t have any experience. Another idea–see if your local Congressperson would take on a volunteer in his/her office.
If you’re interested in lobbying, you might be able to volunteer for the local office or a national group that does political advocacy at the state or national level. Look for groups like Common Cause, Greenpeace, ACLU, NOW–all try to influence public policy in various ways. Check with the local office of one of these groups and see if could use a volunteer.
History is a good major or minor for politics. A couple US presidents majored in it. Don’t be afraid to go for your passions and apply them as you can.
No, you don’t have to be a practicing attorney. But to work with/for lawmakers, you need to understand how law works, how it’s manipulated, worked around and imposed.
All politics is local, as the saying goes. You should start by volunteering. Clearly this is a great time for a student to volunteer because it is a year in which a new president, several members of congress, and myriad local legislators will be elected (or re-elected). Most of them want and need workers. Paid staffers are relatively few in number. Young people get their start in politics by volunteering. That’s how they get known and get a reputation for being reliable. Who knows, a non-paid job may become a paid-staff job during the campaign.
As for education, essentially it doesn’t matter where you get your B.A./B.S. from, although some schools have greater intern connections than others. Your major is not critically important, but you should have excellent writing and critical reasoning skills. You do not have to be a Sacramento State student to win an internship at the Capitol. Like I said EVERY POLITICIAN loves volunteers, especially during election season. Keep in mind that an elected official’s office staff and her campaign staff are two different and largely separate animals (by law).
Start your political career by visiting the local headquarters of the political party you identify with. It’s a bit late now but you might end up as a an aide at one of the political conventions. Heck, if you were paying your own way I am certain that they would find a place for your at the RNC in Cleveland or the DNC in Philadelphia. Ask you parents for a cheap flight, LOL.
I’ll echo the advice you’ve already been given. Volunteer! I know someone who did this in HS, volunteering in a campaign for a city councilman. That person won, and the staff was so impressed by his effort that they offered him a part-time paid job during the school year (he went to a local college). Which was the start of a career in gov’t, lobbyist, and PR.
Also remember that working in politics and working in government are two separate things. There are some jobs in the government that have nothing to do with politics at all, and there are many political jobs that are not in government agencies. Many many political positions are in private organizations, think tanks, nonprofits, and NGOs like the World Health Organization or Doctors Without Borders.
Think creatively - remember that large companies that stand to benefit or be disadvantaged by policy hire lobbyists, too! For example, I’m in tech and many of the tech giants (Microsoft, Google, Apple, etc.) have lobbyists in DC. Take a look, for example, at Google’s [url=<a href=“https://www.google.com/about/careers/search#t=sq&q=j&li=10&jc=LEGAL&%5Djobs”>https://www.google.com/about/careers/search#t=sq&q=j&li=10&jc=LEGAL&]jobs in legal & government relations/url. There are jobs like that in many industries - healthcare, pharma, banking and finance, real estate, telecom, entertainment, you name it.