<p>I love politics. I'm a news junky. I love learning about government at work. It's always been in my mind to be a political science major and I still plan on majoring in it. I'm going to a DC-area school where I will have a ton of internship opportunities. All of that being said, I'm nervous. As you all know, the economic climate isn't great. </p>
<p>I realize one doesn't go to college just to get a job. It's not a votech school. I get that. But at the same time, I'm scared. Social science majors aren't in huge demand and I worry about being able to sustain myself after school. I've seen myself as a legislative aid or someone working for campaigns or something like that. I'm still going to pursue that, but those jobs are extremely competitive and there aren't really a ton of backup plans for such majors (that I can think of anyway). Again, I'm just scared.</p>
<p>There isn't really a "point" to this thread, I'm just wondering if any of you or your children are feeling like this.</p>
<p>Edit: Oops, I seem to have accidentally posted this in the cafe. Could a mod move to this to the Parents forum?</p>
<p>Are there other subjects that you are interested in, such as statistics or economics? A second major in such a field may help improve job and career prospects, either by itself or in combination with political science.</p>
<p>you can go to graduate school
think tanks
other government positions</p>
<p>keep in mind as a legislative aid, your job is always on the chopping block every 2 years (or 6 years if you are lucky), and campaigns don’t operate as a stable career by themselves.</p>
<p>a lot of entry level work is not degree specific</p>
<p>Study what you are interested in. The job market is still not based on major as specifically as many kids are being taught. Check out craigslist or a similar resource to see what the job market actually looks like. Internships will also be very helpful in clarifying your goals.</p>
<p>Many students change majors during college. You have some time to explore. It’s way too early to stress over this. And…the job market should improve by the time you graduate, while all of us oldsters are retiring and leaving spots too!</p>
<p>I think the DC internships will be crucial. They will enable you to build a resume, make contacts, and get some practical experience to complement your coursework.</p>
<p>But recognize that many of them are unpaid. If it’s important for you to earn money, you might have to limit yourself to during-the-semester internships so that you can work for pay in the summer.</p>
<p>D1 is a junior political science major, and just came home from a semester internship in DC with a major government agency. She is going back next week to spend the summer interning for a senator. The agency she worked for told her that she should apply for jobs with them for next year, as they would like her to come back and work for them (good sign, I think!). Here are a few tips based on her experience:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>GPA does matter. Her resume has been picked out for several interviews because she has a very high GPA. So work really hard in your classes.</p></li>
<li><p>Try to get an internship at some point that requires security clearance. Once you have that clearance, you are more marketable in DC.</p></li>
<li><p>Although it is fun and interesting to work for politicians and NGOs, my advice is to go where the most money and jobs are. Government agencies and committees are good choices – they are more stable, and the contacts you make are more likely to be in the same place when you are job hunting.</p></li>
<li><p>She now wishes she had taken more statistics coursework. She interviewed for a paid internship for the summer that she didn’t get; she said if she had more stats background, she thinks she would have had it. She is going to squeeze at least one stats course into her schedule senior year because of this. D1 also says knowledge of accounting would help get internships (they are always looking for budget analysts); her BF has used those skills to land two paid internships so far.</p></li>
<li><p>Use LinkedIn. My opinion is that you should start your freshman year, and link to every person you meet who you think would remember your name when they get the invite Lots of college students seem timid about asking people to link with them. This is not Facebook… you are not asking them to be friends, you are asking them to be professional contacts. DC is a transient town, and a lot of people change jobs. It is the best way to stay in touch with the contacts you make.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>You are doing the right thing to be thinking now about how to position yourself for a job after graduation. Good luck, you are going to have a great time in DC!</p>
<p>Do an informal survey and ask people in the workforce what they majored in. You will find that there are many people who are not working in a field related to their major. Study things that interest you.</p>
<p>all good and rosy advice. the reality is, polisci is a hugely popular major. supply and demand. you can make it work, just be mindful that gpa and your school reputation are very important to some DC crowds. way back when i had friends who worked on the hill full time and waited tables on the weekends. the entry level jobs were impressive but the pay was less than adequate. some went to big name law schools after paying their dues. others moved on to bigger and better things</p>
<p>I must admit that besides applying to law school, becoming a bureaucrat or going on Fox/MSNBC and screaming like a rabid banshee, I have no idea what a political science major does. I do agree with the above advice about getting a grounding in Economics and Statistics. I’d throw in a class or two in Finance and Accounting as well. Over the years it has never ceased to amaze me the basic lack of understanding that both sides of the aisle have for how business and the economy really works. I suspect the more familiar you are with numbers (and their manipulation) the more successful an appartachik you will be.</p>
<p>Or to put it another way…</p>
<p>*“Just follow the money.”</p>
<pre><code> -Deep Throat, from All The President’s Men*
</code></pre>
<p>I was considering a minor in economics. I think I will go ahead and do that. I will also be sure to take a couple of accounting classes.</p>
<p>Thank you for such detailed insight, intparent! If you don’t mind me asking, what government agency is she working for? </p>
<p>I perused USAjobs.gov and some other databases with DC jobs and noticed that there are LOTS of openings for people in communications. That’s something I was also interested in (I’ve seriously considered combining my passions–Journalism and Politics–and trying to become some sort of political journalist). Not sure how feasible a double major will be. </p>
<p>There are so many choices that it’s overwhelming.</p>
<p>People get campaign jobs by working on campaigns – not by being poli sci majors. Are you currently volunteering with your local Democratic or Republican party? Are you working for a candidate for the upcoming presidential primaries yet? Are you a member of College Republicans or College Democrats and involved in the organization at the national level? Have you identified a particular political issue as “your” issue, and are you conneccting with the individuals in the PACS and nonprofits that deal with that issue? How many internships have you had? Ideally, your college education should merely be a nice supplement to all the other political things you are doing – and you should be writing as many of your college papers as you can on subjects which are directcly related to your issue.</p>
<p>Very true, momzie. But there are tons of jobs in politics that are not just working for campaigns or legislators (or being the candidate :)). I personally think that if the thrill of the campaign is really something you can’t live without, and you are okay with the instability of constantly finding a new candidate to campaign for/work for, go down that path. But there are a LOT of jobs in DC and state capitols for people who want to work for government agencies, committees, lobbying firms, or NGOs instead.</p>
<p>The OP is just entering college this fall, so likely has not had a lot of internship experiences yet (although certainly some high school students have a lot of campaign experience – my D did her senior volunteer project for her high school by volunteering at several of the district conventions for one of the major parties, since her senior year was an election year). But pretty much all the DC colleges (where OP will be attending) provide some really good internship opportunities, so the OP should be in good shape there.</p>
<p>I studied political science, did political science internships, just graduated and have decided not to do political science-- the govt jobs I am interested in are the ones where there is zero job security because your candidate has term limits, and that is not as appealing now as it was when I was 18 and picked the major. But I just graduated a few weeks ago and have been landing a steady stream of interviews in several different industries that have nothing to do with political science-- and some political science ones too, and it’s not like I’m in DC or anywhere near my state’s capitol to take advantage of that kind of thing. Get good grades and I think you’ll be alright.</p>
<p>I don’t regret majoring in political science one bit, and feel a little silly for being as worried as I had been about it. The skills that I have obtained from my political science education are vast and are applicable to almost anything, and while yes I do have to do a little bit more work to “market” myself, it was worth it to study what I wanted to study and do the things I wanted to do, and my polisci education prepared me to be able to do that.</p>
Lots of college students seem timid about asking people to link with them. This is not Facebook… you are not asking them to be friends, you are asking them to be professional contacts. DC is a transient town, and a lot of people change jobs. It is the best way to stay in touch with the contacts you make.</p></li>