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Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportfan1
^For sure, good points and I applied to Research Associate roles but they always hired those with more experience. Consultants, project developer, monitoring specialist and campaign manager what companies offer these or would you know? Industries? I can go on Indeed.com and type in those titles. Any other insight?
There are tons of consulting groups, tons of NGOs, tons of campaigns out there. They exist in almost every industry. I've never used indeed, so I have no idea. Do some research. What field do you want to work in? Human rights? International development? Environment? Education? A specific location? Do the research, then make a networking plan... you might end up pursuing a gig with The Nature Conservancy, or USAID, or Humans Rights Watch, or development for a University, or whatever... you haven't said (that I've seen) what you're passionate about.
For experience, well, what are your internships in? That's the beginning of experience. I had three internships (a state agency, an aquarium, and a ngo) by the time I finished my undergrad in biology, then did some more volunteering the year after I graduated while I worked nights, before I got my first paying professional job in that field. Some I know in political science did Peace Corp for a couple of years which opened tons of doors.
The thing with Paralegal, consulting, banking, those all require their respective degrees: Paralegal certificate, Accounting/MBA (along with consulting).
^^^^ This is not true. You do NOT need a certificate to be a paralegal. Plenty of law firms hire people who just have a bachelor's degree as paralegals. Consulting firms also do not require any specific degree. You can major in anything and get hired as a consultant. They will train you to do the job. All they want to see is that you are self-motivated and a team player, because consulting projects can be very long hours of working as part of team on complicated projects.
Of the industries you mentioned, banks are probably the only ones that prefer certain undergrad majors, like economics, finance, math, accounting, business, etc. However, that's likely to be in investment banking in a bulge bracket bank. But there are other types of banks like boutique/regional/or commercial banks, where you can start off with other degrees. You can be an industry analyst who doesn't need economics/quantitative skills as much as knowledge of or a willingness to develop expertise in a field, e.g., as computers, beauty industry, pharmaceuticals, luxury goods, real estate, etc. Lots of people go into those areas with majors in subjects like English, history, art history, French, anthropology, political science, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportfan1
What specific titles/roles (not just industry) can you get with a BA in Poli sci?
Stock broker, trader, consultant, industry analyst, insurance agent, insurance appraiser, editor, project manager, public relations specialist, TV & radio show production assistant, HR worker, staff trainer, EEO worker, recruiter, realtor, market research analyst, procurement agent, policeman, firefighter, probation officer, commercial salesperson.
You can get into all of these with just a bachelor's, and perhaps a little more for some, i.e., policeman, firefighter, realtor, trader, stock broker, insurance agent. Those would require you to pass some tests. But certainly, nothing as rigorous, time-consuming, and costly as grad school. Of course, for police work or firefighting, you have to have the physical aptitude. So that may be a limitation.
Did you get a Paralegal certificate? All firms here only want certification for that kind of work, instead of a "bachelors in poli sci" because as you accurately said it's non-specialized.
College grads with non-specialized degrees are capable of working in a variety of fields. I was a paralegal for a very good law firm after undergrad, and all of my co-workers were college grads (plus the lawyers). There were definitely menial tasks. But there was also some interesting work and the pay was solid.
Your job, which you describe as menial and dead-end, is not going to just get better. There are better ways to explore opportunities than posting on this forum. You might start with LinkedIn, friends you graduated with, contacts, etc.
yes, exactly.
Although the OP's seeming inability and/or reluctance to research all of this on his own makes me question whether he has the initiative to succeed in the kinds of positions he might otherwise be qualified for.
OP, a bachelor's degree in PoliSci is not a vocational certificate that qualifies you to hold a specific job. The degree is proof of an education that should have equipped you to do the kind of work you'd find in an entry level position in many fields, several of which have been mentioned in this thread. But your response is mostly some kind of weird rant about "stepping stones."
Figure out what fields interest you. Then research entry level positions in those fields and start applying!
OP as many have said there are a multitude of job areas that you can apply to, be qualified for (obviously you leave out the highly specialized areas like Nurse or Accountant.) However the hardest part is landing the interview in the first place -by far that will be the trickiest part especially if your internship/work experience whilst in school was poor.
First I would hit up connections, family, anyone, anybody that can give you the 'In". In a world where everything is online and you better have enough key words, or whatever to get through taleo or "X" applicant filtering system, knowing someone who give your resume to an ACTUAL person is a huge plus
Hi.
I have a foreign degree in history and political science and i work for city. i used my diploma to apply for all gov jobs that require non specified BA or MA.
^For sure, good points and I applied to Research Associate roles but they always hired those with more experience. Consultants, project developer, monitoring specialist and campaign manager what companies offer these or would you know? Industries? I can go on Indeed.com and type in those titles. Any other insight?
I can't believe that nobody has mentioned sales. One of the most important skills you should develop in college is communications and the ability to sell yourself. Sales jobs are the easiest way for most people to make high incomes. I'm not saying it is easy but many companies are looking for people with strong track records in sales. One of my relatives started off selling tires in a retail store. Another got into medical sales and was making $250K by the time he turned 30. The key is getting the first job and leveraging it into something better.
The other guy earlier said a degree doesn't "offer" you anything, (MLS), and that's largely untrue: engineering, science majors have a very high chance of an "offer" upon graduation. Engineering/stem fields are not stepping stones; they are solid offers in the market. Liberal arts and even biology offer nothing market wise and if so, it is few and far between
What specific titles/roles (not just industry) can you get with a BA in Poli sci?
Yeah about that. Knowing the subject is fine. But keep in mind it doesn't matter what the subject is if you don't know how to deal with bureaucracy. I've met people that can't deal with governmental work simply because they thought it would be like the private sector. There's a huge difference between an engineer in the public vs private sector. I look for engineers and architects all the time. We have very specific rules and timelines of which to work with. The private sector not as much. One contractor tried objecting to sending verified payroll records. Dude it's public money. If someone wants to know how much someone was paid for a job they have the legal right to find out. If you don't like it then go somewhere else.
HR is also totally different in government because *surprise* government is about 30% unionized. Union contracts are much different in the public vs private sector.
Budgeting is also different because there can be tax revenue sources that differ and of course different ways of procurement.
You can have the specific job and that's all well and good but at the end of the day the basics of administration would break down to the following: Budget/finance, procurement, HR, Grants, Legal dept, Planning etc.
Knowing a job is one thing. Knowing bureaucracy is another. I have a friend that was months away from being let go due to the sequester with the federal government..so he left. Every organization has a culture and way of doing things.
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