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I went the POLS route then topped it off with a Masters in Public Administration. 4 years later I still have nothing to show for it. I regret even going to college at this point. Glad I didn't graduate without any debt.
Think an interview 101, and good technical degree would have been more beneficial.
I was in grad school for one semester (M.A. program in Poli Sci) . I found out I didn't care for the grad school atmosphere(as opposed to my undergrad experience with Poli Sci which I enjoyed a lot) and I wasn't convinced that the degree would advance my career prospects much.Against the advice of some of the other people I knew in the program I dropped out and decided to try the business world. My first job after leaving the grad program was at a brokerage firm and it allowed me to get some good experience and to begin building a decent resume.
Last edited by senecaman; 01-10-2015 at 08:16 AM..
I majored in Political Science (B.A.) and took several history classes. I would major in Poli Sci again but I would take more business classes, particularly marketing. More than anything else I have been involved in some form of marketing since my first job after graduation at a brokerage firm. I know a lot of people will tell you that you need a STEM major these days but my political science classes and my overall liberal arts background helped in the business world. I felt like I had a broader understanding of the economy than someone with a purely business background. The skills that I found most valuable were communication skills ( writing, making presentations) that I picked up in my poli sci and history classes (not to mention classes in English Lit and public speaking).
A little about my overall background. In addition to Poli Sci and History I did take classes in both macro and micro economics, stats and some finance math. Later after college I had training in investment and real estate.
This post is perfect! lol.
I am double majoring in PoliSci and Econ and I feel that both are a good balance and pairing with one another. Not only do they mesh well together regarding real world application, but political science has taught me about american government, general constitutional law, comparative politics, foreign affairs/US foreign policy, history, and statistics that are all useful for anyone interested in politics and government, but economics is useful regarding more insight into the quantitative, finance, and business side of government, corporations, and individuals.
I didn't realize how quantitative and 'math heavy' economics was until my intro class (and yes, my intro econ class was a weeding course!). Statistics, precalculus and calc 1, along with econometrics is needed in economics, and that I had to work harder to refresh my brain of that stuff and even take higher math classes to get the degree than I previously thought when I was only majoring in poli sci (it only required statistics for the quantitative requirement). Its funny, I liked microeconomics more than macro and micro is suppose to be the 'harder' of the two. I'm excited to take the finance and banking courses this summer and fall.
I am double majoring in PoliSci and Econ and I feel that both are a good balance and pairing with one another. Not only do they mesh well together regarding real world application, but political science has taught me about american government, general constitutional law, comparative politics, foreign affairs/US foreign policy, history, and statistics that are all useful for anyone interested in politics and government, but economics is useful regarding more insight into the quantitative, finance, and business side of government, corporations, and individuals.
I didn't realize how quantitative and 'math heavy' economics was until my intro class (and yes, my intro econ class was a weeding course!). Statistics, precalculus and calc 1, along with econometrics is needed in economics, and that I had to work harder to refresh my brain of that stuff and even take higher math classes to get the degree than I previously thought when I was only majoring in poli sci (it only required statistics for the quantitative requirement). Its funny, I liked microeconomics more than macro and micro is suppose to be the 'harder' of the two. I'm excited to take the finance and banking courses this summer and fall.
Wow I envy your math skills ! I think you will do great no matter whether you land in the public or private sector.I have a feeling too you won't be living an hour from NYC much longer. I think you are on your way ! I was reading one of your older threads from 2012 and was glad you didn't let anyone dissuade you from majoring in Poli Sci.
Math is not one of my strengths but I did well in the math that was required for my degree (with help from a great tutor).I was tempted to take more math but I really needed to get on to my foreign language requirement which turned out to be a bear for me! My econ classes (macro and micro) had some math but were more theory based and descriptive. I have the textbooks from those classes sitting on my desk now and the instructor definitely could have made the classes more math centric had he chosen too. I took the econ classes at a junior college and I think the instructors took it a little easy on us realizing that some of us (myself lol) were not quite ready for "prime time" college material although many at this college went on to transfer to some very good universities (Clemson , UNC , Duke).
During my time in college I only had one internship (I would definitely have more than one these days) which was a political internship in DC. Later after I graduated I really wished I would have had a business internship as well.So I graduated with basically no business experience (good thing it was the mid 90s and there were lots of jobs).After a short time in grad school (also Poli Sci) I was lucky to get a job at a brokerage firm and I was able to get experience in marketing and investment.
BTW I was curious what your favorite areas were in Poli Sci. My favorite areas were American Gov and Comparative Politics and I wished I had taken more Con Law.
Last edited by senecaman; 01-10-2015 at 11:28 AM..
Wow I envy your math skills ! I think you will do great no matter whether you land in the public or private sector.I have a feeling too you won't be living an hour from NYC much longer. I think you are on your way ! I was reading one of your older threads from 2012 and was glad you didn't let anyone dissuade you from majoring in Poli Sci.
Math is not one of my strengths but I did well in the math that was required for my degree (with a lot of help from a great tutor).I was tempted to take more math but I really needed to get on to my foreign language requirement which turned out to be a bear for me! My econ classes (macro and micro) had some math but were more theory based and descriptive. I have the textbooks from those classes sitting on my desk now and the instructor definitely could have made the classes more math centric had he chosen too.This was at a junior college and I think the instructors took it a little easy on us realizing that some of us (myself lol) were not quite ready for "prime time" college material although many at this college went on to transfer to some very good universities (Clemson , UNC , Duke).
During my time in college I only had one internship (I would definitely have more than one these days) which was a political internship in DC. Later after I graduated I really wished I would have had a business internship.So I graduated with basically no business experience (good thing it was the mid 90s and there were lots of jobs).After a short time in grad school (also Poli Sci) I was lucky to get a job at a brokerage firm and I was able to get good experience in marketing and investment.
BTW I was curious what your favorite areas were in Poli Sci. My favorite areas were American Gov and Comparative Politics and I wished I had taken more Con Law.
Thanks! I'm not a math person either, and had lots of help from both the TAs and instructor office hours. I'm proud to still be persistent and learn the material. Before I transferred to where i'm at now, I didn't know how STEM and quantitative everything was. Even the social sciences require more math classes than other universities that are in the area. My econ courses lean more to the quant side with theory being in the background, while my political science classes are mainly theory, comparative, historical, policy, and essay based.
I think a lot of CCs have more theory related courses to help students get a general understanding of the subject, while at a 4 year institution they go heavier into the subject matter and add in applied analytical topics. I regret not taking precalc while at my old junior college before transferring tho. Regardless of what people think of CC, I think everyone should go to them before completing undergrad to save money and get your basic and entry level courses out of the way. A lot end up transferring to great colleges like what you mentioned.
I had a few internships that weren't directly within my majors, but I did gain more experience that I emphasize on my resume and cover letter. Now I am looking for lots of entry level econ internships and finance work for this last year and summer. I got a call from a Brokerage firm a week ago and had a phone interview with them about a possible internship/job opportunity and a sponsorship offer to take the series 7. I am researching more about the firm and services as well as the series 7 test. I did, funnily enough, had plans to work in a investment firm or a bank when I graduate anyways. I will probably take a year or two off to work once I graduate then start applying to grad school.
To answer your question about my favorite area, I love International Relations! I'm planning on going to grad school for International affairs for development or policy. I thought I would like law, but after taking US constitutional law last semester, I think I'll pass on any prospective law career, lol. Most of my Polisci peers at school are studying for the LSAT and have plans for law school, leaving me one of the few that don't want to go into law.
Thanks! I'm not a math person either, and had lots of help from both the TAs and instructor office hours. I'm proud to still be persistent and learn the material. Before I transferred to where i'm at now, I didn't know how STEM and quantitative everything was. Even the social sciences require more math classes than other universities that are in the area. My econ courses lean more to the quant side with theory being in the background, while my political science classes are mainly theory, comparative, historical, policy, and essay based.
I think a lot of CCs have more theory related courses to help students get a general understanding of the subject, while at a 4 year institution they go heavier into the subject matter and add in applied analytical topics. I regret not taking precalc while at my old junior college before transferring tho. Regardless of what people think of CC, I think everyone should go to them before completing undergrad to save money and get your basic and entry level courses out of the way. A lot end up transferring to great colleges like what you mentioned.
I had a few internships that weren't directly within my majors, but I did gain more experience that I emphasize on my resume and cover letter. Now I am looking for lots of entry level econ internships and finance work for this last year and summer. I got a call from a Brokerage firm a week ago and had a phone interview with them about a possible internship/job opportunity and a sponsorship offer to take the series 7. I am researching more about the firm and services as well as the series 7 test. I did, funnily enough, had plans to work in a investment firm or a bank when I graduate anyways. I will probably take a year or two off to work once I graduate then start applying to grad school.
To answer your question about my favorite area, I love International Relations! I'm planning on going to grad school for International affairs for development or policy. I thought I would like law, but after taking US constitutional law last semester, I think I'll pass on any prospective law career, lol. Most of my Polisci peers at school are studying for the LSAT and have plans for law school, leaving me one of the few that don't want to go into law.
Congrats on your career plans! No doubt you are wayyyyyyyy ahead of where I was at the same age ! I always knew I wanted to go to college but I had no long term plan as to what I was going to do afterwards.I knew in high school that History was my best subject and I had planned on being a History major but in my 2nd year of college after a great class in American Gov I decided to be a Poli Sci major.
The summer after that year I had an internship in DC( I spent a little of my free time walking around the campus at Georgetown U and talking to the students there-what an awesome place! ) and I had an informal interview at the State Department.I thought a career in International Affairs was something to look into but there was a lot of violence at the time targeting US diplomatic outposts so I decided to look at other careers.
Basically though I had no solid plan other than graduating and I ended up with a degree but with very little practical experience . I lucked out and was able to get some business experience. Most of the work I have done has involved some sort of marketing. As for math you are more of math person that I am. LOL The math I had in college was college algebra , some business math and stats.
It sounds like a career in International Affairs/Development/Finance is yours for the taking. In addition to business I have worked on several political campaigns on the East Coast and was able to get experience in political fundraising. It's a very competitive field though and good paying positions are hard to come by.
Post college one area that I have enjoyed studying on my own is Political Economy.Much more than when I was in college I realize how interdisciplinary Economics is.
Last edited by senecaman; 01-10-2015 at 01:55 PM..
Congrats on your career plans! No doubt you are wayyyyyyyy ahead of where I was at the same age ! I always knew I wanted to go to college but I had no long term plan as to what I was going to do afterwards.I knew in high school that History was my best subject and I had planned on being a History major but in my 2nd year of college after a great class in American Gov I decided to be a Poli Sci major.
The summer after that year I had an internship in DC( I spent a little of my free time walking around the campus at Georgetown U and talking to the students there-what an awesome place! ) and I had an informal interview at the State Department.I thought a career in International Affairs was something to look into but there was a lot of violence at the time targeting US diplomatic outposts so I decided to look at other careers.
Basically though I had no solid plan other than graduating and I ended up with a degree but with very little practical experience . I lucked out and was able to get some business experience. Most of the work I have done has involved some sort of marketing. As for math you are more of math person that I am. LOL The math I had in college was college algebra , some business math and stats.
It sounds like a career in International Affairs/Development/Finance is yours for the taking. In addition to business I have worked on several political campaigns on the East Coast and was able to get experience in political fundraising. It's a very competitive field though and good paying positions are hard to come by.
Post college one area that I have enjoyed studying on my own is Political Economy.Much more than when I was in college I realize how interdisciplinary Economics is.
Sounds like everything worked out regardless of not being sure on what you were going to do post graduation. I worked briefly for a campaign, and it was good while it lasted. lol. Political economy is a good subject to learn. I wish political science would go more into economics as well as economics going more into political science for undergrad students instead of them being separate. They really do go well together.
This is probably not so relevant to the title but how would a major in Political Science (and a minor in Commerce) appear to prospective employers?
to me it would appear that the prospective employee in question had no idea what they wanted to do with their lives when they were in college. nothing wrong with that
I was in grad school for one semester (M.A. program in Poli Sci) . I found out I didn't care for the grad school atmosphere(as opposed to my undergrad experience with Poli Sci which I enjoyed a lot) and I wasn't convinced that the degree would advance my career prospects much.Against the advice of some of the other people I knew in the program I dropped out and decided to try the business world. My first job after leaving the grad program was at a brokerage firm and it allowed me to get some good experience and to begin building a decent resume.
I thought about going back to school for possibly either a M.A. or a Phd in Poli Sci, but my issue is what can you do with a Phd besides teach? And the masters, I don't even know what to do with that. I have my masters in Public Administration which is the practical side of political science.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zara Ray
Thanks! I'm not a math person either, and had lots of help from both the TAs and instructor office hours. I'm proud to still be persistent and learn the material. Before I transferred to where i'm at now, I didn't know how STEM and quantitative everything was. Even the social sciences require more math classes than other universities that are in the area. My econ courses lean more to the quant side with theory being in the background, while my political science classes are mainly theory, comparative, historical, policy, and essay based.
I think a lot of CCs have more theory related courses to help students get a general understanding of the subject, while at a 4 year institution they go heavier into the subject matter and add in applied analytical topics. I regret not taking precalc while at my old junior college before transferring tho. Regardless of what people think of CC, I think everyone should go to them before completing undergrad to save money and get your basic and entry level courses out of the way. A lot end up transferring to great colleges like what you mentioned.
I had a few internships that weren't directly within my majors, but I did gain more experience that I emphasize on my resume and cover letter. Now I am looking for lots of entry level econ internships and finance work for this last year and summer. I got a call from a Brokerage firm a week ago and had a phone interview with them about a possible internship/job opportunity and a sponsorship offer to take the series 7. I am researching more about the firm and services as well as the series 7 test. I did, funnily enough, had plans to work in a investment firm or a bank when I graduate anyways. I will probably take a year or two off to work once I graduate then start applying to grad school.
To answer your question about my favorite area, I love International Relations! I'm planning on going to grad school for International affairs for development or policy. I thought I would like law, but after taking US constitutional law last semester, I think I'll pass on any prospective law career, lol. Most of my Polisci peers at school are studying for the LSAT and have plans for law school, leaving me one of the few that don't want to go into law.
I like international relations as well. That and Comparative politics. As for the lawyer bit, I too wanted to be a lawyer, but I just didn't have the support from family to do it and I felt that if I didn't make it for some reason that I would be on the hook for it. People say that I do debate/argue well, but I think it takes more than that. I've never been to lawschool, but I know it's long hours and while I didn't mind reading my Political Science stuff, I think studying for 5 hours over court docs and briefs would get very boring really quickly.
I thought about going back to school for possibly either a M.A. or a Phd in Poli Sci, but my issue is what can you do with a Phd besides teach? And the masters, I don't even know what to do with that. I have my masters in Public Administration which is the practical side of political science.
I like international relations as well. That and Comparative politics. As for the lawyer bit, I too wanted to be a lawyer, but I just didn't have the support from family to do it and I felt that if I didn't make it for some reason that I would be on the hook for it. People say that I do debate/argue well, but I think it takes more than that. I've never been to lawschool, but I know it's long hours and while I didn't mind reading my Political Science stuff, I think studying for 5 hours over court docs and briefs would get very boring really quickly.
It sounds to me like your education is as good as anyone's. After reading more of your posts I am not sure exactly what you are worried about. I think you will do fine.
Very good article, especially for those still in college in Poli Sci and History. It profiles the career choices of 7 people who majored in Poli Sci and History.
Hall’s primary major was history, and she’s always loved the arts. At Notre Dame she sang in the choir, worked on plays, and played trombone in the marching band. Now she asks companies for donations to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. For example, she might ask a law firm to sponsor a concert or series of concerts in return for tickets. Her job requires a lot of skills she learned in political science classes, like research, thinking short term and long term, writing, and persuasion. “Political science majors end up learning to argue very well,” Hall says. “In fundraising, I’m constantly making my case.”
Last edited by senecaman; 01-16-2015 at 04:27 PM..
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I'm excited to take the finance and banking courses this summer and fall.
