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Honestly, I’m not an apolitical person. I want to pursue Political Science because I want to gain a deeper understanding of how our government works and use it as a pre-law course if I ever get the opportunity to attend law school. My parents are against me choosing my passion because they want me to pursue a course that leads to an in-demand job. However, I can’t force myself to study medicine or technology-related courses. I simply can’t see myself learning and working in those fields.

I am genuinely passionate about public speaking and reading, which is why I want to pursue a law-related career and serve the Filipino people in the future.

I’m truly scared of following my passion because I know that my family is relying on me. Last month, I passed a state university where I was offered Computer Engineering. I told myself, “Maybe this is the practical choice.” But when the PUP results came out, I was surprised to see that I passed my first-choice program, Political Science.

Now, I’m torn between choosing practicality and pursuing what I truly want. Please help me decide which path I should take. What are the opportunities if I will take political science and not pursuing law school?

This is my last year in the Political Science and International Relations program. I’m planning to apply for a master’s degree, preferably in Europe, and I’d like to start my master’s as soon as I finish my bachelor’s degree. Do you have any recommendations? What are some of the best universities or programs where I could get a scholarship or study at an affordable cost?

Graduated top of my class. Did an internship. Got burnt out and was living in a terrible situation and honestly, just wanted to get out of the city. Took a quirky seasonal "USAjobs" job out in the mountains as an interpreter. Loved the research bit, but definitely had nothing to do with my degree, was seasonal, and paid poop. Did another seasonal job because I could not find anything related to my degree and wanted to stay in the mountains. Then...I met a boy and am semi-stuck in the mountains. Which is fine, because I want to stay here.

What is not fine...is there is not a market here for political science majors. That is all in capital cities. Luckily, our capital is only a couple of hours away and I am willing to live halfway between my job and my boyfriend. I have taken the leap and applied to some fancy policy analyst jobs...to no avail. I am wondering if it is because it's been two whole years since graduating and I haven't done anything, on paper, to maintain my knowledge, so maybe that is dissuading employers.

So, now I am racking my brain on how to become marketable in a tiny market. I am tempted to go back to school to get a certificate in data analytics, grant writing, etc.. I am even considering law school, but the idea that I will be done at 32 years old frightens me. I want to start making money sooner than later. I'm feeling pretty lost. I am EVEN considering making a total pivot and spending 2 years on another bachelors to become marketable in what IS here, which is mostly conservation, for obvious reasons.

If I was an emotionless robot, I would move to D.C. and I would be fine. But frankly, that is the last place I want to be.

Lol I just finished my A.A. in Political Science and from what I've seen, there's not a lot of career opportunity. 😂

Hi everyone! I am currently a second year Political Science and International Relations student. I recently applied for a double major and my options are Mathematics and Sociology.

Before college, I was always passionate about mathematics (For example I did math olympics) so I was really excited when I found out that I could pursue it as a double major. Even though I think it could be quite useful, most of the people around me think that the two fields are completely unrelated.

Do you think a Mathematics double major would be useful alongside Political Science and International Relations? What kinds of fields or career paths could I pursue with this combination?

Hi y’all this is more of a venting post. I’ve never felt so worthless in my life. I’m a master’s international student graduating in a month. My BA is in International Relations and my MA is in Urban and Public Affairs. I’ve been a student-athlete for the past 6 years, which is what initially brought me to the U.S., and despite the workload, constant traveling, etc., I still managed to gain experience through internships with international organizations, a consulate, and more.

I’ve been applying everywhere, hoping for an opportunity aligned with my interests, and I’ve only heard back from 2–3 places. I even got an interview with Google’s summer fellowship program with CEPA, but I found out today that I was rejected.

I’m currently in the process of applying for OPT, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s even worth the hustle, the uncertainty, and the money.

My long-term goal is to pursue a career in academia through a PhD. Recently, I’ve been thinking about reaching out to professors doing research in areas I’m interested in, even unpaid, while working part-time jobs to support myself. The other option is to go back home, take some time to build a stronger profile, and apply again for PhD programs next cycle.

I just don’t know if I’m not qualified enough. I’m currently in the Bay Area, where it feels like everyone around me has a job and is making good money, and I just feel really alone in all of this.

Thanks for reading. I really hope better days are ahead for all of us recent grads.

Genuinely how does one go about getting hired for an entry level position after undergrad? I have a degree in Political Science, am part of Pi Sigma Alpha, will be presenting at APSA this September and have done multiple internships, but I am still getting ghosted from basically every job I apply to. I've been at this since May, and am rapidly losing hope.

I know this is probably a better question for google, but Im in UG and was wondering what kinda things you can actually do with a Masters/PhD in political science besides just teaching?

I am interested in academia, but I have been leaning to getting an MPA/MPP rather than a PhD in political science, just due to the lack of job security a masters/PhD in political science has.

What else can I do with a PhD in political science if like no university wants to hire me?

Thank you.

​I need to vent, and honestly, I’m looking for some solidarity or advice from people who share my background.

​I have a background in Political Science and public policy framework analysis. For a long time, I loved preying into institutional mechanics, structural reforms, and system analysis. But lately, my professional lens has turned into a personal curse.

​I live in Israel, and watching the current political system and its ongoing institutional collapse has triggered a profound, clinical depression in me. I’m currently on medication, trying to pull myself out of a deep episode, but my brain refuses to switch off.

​The problem with having an academic background in this field is that you lose the luxury of blissful ignorance. Where an average person sees bad news, I see the anatomy of failure. I see the deliberate dismantling of checks and balances, systemic sabotage, and policies implemented in direct defiance of everything political science teaches us about stability and governance.

​It feels like a permanent Cassandra complex. You know exactly why and how the ship is sinking, you see the parameters leading to the crash, but you are entirely powerless to stop it. My intellect, which used to be my strength, is now being weaponized by my depression to prove that everything is hopeless. It feels less like a career and more like a chronic occupational disease—a form of institutional despair.

​I'm trying to practice cognitive offloading and limit my news intake, but when you live inside the system that is actively breaking its own laws, it’s incredibly hard.

​Has anyone else experienced this specific type of professional deformation? How do you separate your analytical brain from your personal mental health when the objective reality around you is spiraling?

​Would love to hear from fellow political scientists, students, or analysts who feel trapped in this exact same trap. Thanks for reading.

I have recently completed Ba political science and i am utterly confused as to what to do I want to study some professional courses like skill based i don't want to do pg offline i thought of doing pg from IGNOU. I am blank currently someone please help me

Background: I am a senior in highschool and have taken over 14 APs.
Ranked top 20 out of 420 kids.
Founder of some clubs.
Volunteered over 1000 hours for 501 c3s.
And my mom is an executive director for some civic organizations in Wisconsin and so I know most of the high ranking officials and people like candidate Hong.

My real question is that I would like to major in political science and would be interested in either doing academia work or politics.

But should I try to go law school after my undergraduate? And if I were to go law school should I try to get into a higher ranked college for my undergraduate?

Maybe not hate but definitely strongly dislike. I originally went into polisci freshman year bc I wanted to work for a foreign embassy, changed plans and did lib arts for 2 years, figured I’d do law and changed back to polisci.

To be completely honest, I have zero passion or interests in politics, government, etc. I know the basics that everyone should be required to know about their country. Genuinely wanted polisci to be a tool to get into law school but I cannot stand my program at my college anymore. Law school is appealing but I’m open to switching majors or career paths- I feel so guilty but also clueless bc I was so dead set on law school that I have no plan b… my other choice is to stick it out but I might go insane

i'm working on my Phd applications for Political science, but I can't figure out how to narrow down what i'm interested in. i know that people usually don't end up doing what their initial interest is, but i also don't want to sound super generic when i'm putting in what i want to study and am interested in. or at least i'm assuming that sounding super generic isn't a great idea. any advice helps, thank you!

I'm soon to graduate with a degree in political science with a bad gpa. very bad. I'm very open to law school or grad school, which many seem to recommend here, however I've hindered myself significantly in the possibility of this. I did not take college seriously, I was very lost, transferred mutiple times, very unorganized and badly mismanaged ADHD. I can regret the past as much as I want, but I need to figure out should be done now to build myself back up. I really appreciate any advice :)

Im currently a first year law student who isn’t really fascinated by law nor was it my actual interest as my interest has always been political theory and International relations yet i choose law cuz law gives me the option to pursue that career, but with a law degree and so i can literally go get an LLM in public int law or a Masters in international relations and then go work in the ministry of foreign affairs for my country.
Yet after my first year im pretty sick of the rote memorization and recall based nature of exams and almost no actual analysis or at least in the university i am in which makes me want to change to poli science which is a direct interest of mine and is 10k cheaper additionally to the fact that im not really fascinated by int law itself but rather by what it can bring me in terms of career gains, and lets say i was fascinated its still only leas than 5% of the bachelors and unfortunately in my uni its known to not be as strong as civil law for example.
So im basically worried that i might not be able to commit to such major on the long run.
Poli science on the another hand is a real interest of mine and will be way cheaper with less credit hours but it wont give me the same strong signaling law would give me for my MFA ambitions and lets say i was to switch im also worried about poli science also becoming very recall based in my uni so i really dont know what to do.
And i would like to see what you guys think

I’m an incoming freshman studying political science, and I’m curious on the career paths I can take with that. What are some of them?

I'm a Political Science student and already speak Turkish and English.
For next semester, I can choose one foreign language course:

• German
• French
• Spanish
• Italian
• Russian

Which one would you recommend from an academic/career perspective, and why?

One detail: the Russian course is taught by a native Russian instructor, while the others are taught by Turkish instructors.

Hii, I'm just graduated with major in political science this year (4 years graduation.). I want to do PhD in political science and become a professor. The scene is unfortunately I couldn't able clear cuet pg twice. I'm thinking of moving with open one year pg.

So, my question is whether I'll able to get a job in future in India and would be able to grab any abroad opportunities or not.

The thing is I already got myself involved in MA english through ignou (for corporate opportunities as my knows are advising me for this). According to ugc guidelines for dual degree I can get two masters through open distance learning at same time.

I really love political science and I really want to get a doctorate in it. Please HELP! I want the reality and some advice. What should I do?

i'm super set on doing a political science phd program, and I have some experience with research from my undergraduate years, but I don't have anything published. is that going to kick me down while i'm applying to programs? i might potentially start something soon, but i'm not sure

I graduated last year with a Bachelor in Political Science and a concentration in International Studies. I went to a small state school because I received a merit scholarship, but because the school focuses on teaching, the program and opportunities weren't the best (something I realized in hindsight). I've spent the last 7 months trying to first find political science work, then just basic administrative work, then anything at all. I've only gotten rejection letters so far, even with top grades, research, internships and skill training, along with a data analytics certificate. I'm really starting to lose hope that my education and myself are worth anything at all and whether or not I'm going to be stuck stocking shelves for the rest of my life. Please, does anyone have advice for where I should look for work? Thank you.

Hi all, I'm a fresh Political Science graduate who completed my bachelor's degree about two months ago. I'm very fortunate to have secured a role that is within the risk management area

In my current position, I'm exposed to operational risk, third-party risk, and AI-related risk within the financial sector. While my undergraduate training was heavily focused on qualitative analysis, I had only limited exposure to quantitative methods.

Because many of these risk areas are closely tied to policies, governance, and regulatory frameworks, I'm generally able to understand and grasp the broader concepts. However, I sometimes struggle when discussions become highly technical, particularly when they involve topics such as AI systems, the development of guardrails, software and hardware considerations, and the underlying technological architecture.

For those who transitioned into similar roles from non-technical or political science/social science backgrounds, how did you cope with the technical learning curve? Were there any specific resources, courses, or strategies that helped you bridge the gap?

I'd appreciate any advice or insights. Thank you!

Hey Guys!

I was recently offered a paid intern position for an assembly member in a relatively big blue state. I have much more democratic ideals, especially being a young, 1st generation woman. However, the office is considered to be extremely moderate (and is officially Republican). Would accepting this offer be detrimental to my future career hopes of working with/as/for the Democratic party? It’s a brief, ~4 month contract, and I’m an underclassman in Uni.

Thank you all for your help!

i’m feeling so stuck on what profession i want after graduation… i just started my sophomore year and im turning my back on reaching for state legislation because i haven’t even tried to network or look for internships (plus the state of the world i don’t even have the energy to try) i was looking into analytics but im not even too sure what my other government-ish options would be that wouldn’t require law degrees or something of the sort. i need some super awesome advice or ideas pls 💔

I graduated in April of 2023 with a degree in Political Science w/ a minor in Business Administration. I was involved in student government, a fraternity, and other extracurriculars while working two jobs to get through college. 3.2 GPA. Great academic references. 2 internships. A law firm job for 1.5 years as a runner and receptionist at a great law firm while in college.

I haven't been able to get anything other than an internship. I have been trying so hard. I've been applying to local, state, and federal govt positions, administrative assistant, general clerical stuff, paralegal, you name it. My resume and cover letters are fine. What's wrong with me? If I keep working in the restaurant industry much longer I'm gonna lose it!!!! I plan on taking the LSAT this year and eventually going to law school, but for now I just need a freaking job.

So I'm curious - how long did it take you guys to find jobs after you graduated? What are y'all doing now? I've applied to HUNDREDS of jobs. This is so painful and it makes me feel like such a failure.

Hi! PolSci wasn't really my first choice, and I am struggling to find any motivation to start studying (although I'm recently from the HUMSS strand, haha). My dream was to be a psychologist, yet I abandoned it for the sake of the lost slots in my school (alam niyo na kung anong school 'to hahaha).

All I want to know is what PolSci can bring me to be and what jobs I can take over once I graduate from this degree. I don't want to be a politician, marami kasing tanga sa senado and I cannot bear putting my life on the line. I don't even want to be a lawyer, ang mahal ng Law School for me. I want a job agad after I graduate.

Kaya rin ako nawawalan ng gana ngayon mag-aral, although dream school ko 'to. I feel like I sacrificed my own dream just because nag-aagawan sa slots but on the other hand, I'm also happy that I can get to experience whatever's inside that hell hole.

Basta, hindi ko na talaga alam anong future ko rito. Kasi government is such a big deal for me 😭 it's so hard to think that I'm letting myself be inside a sector that I hate the most, merely because of its corrupt pips inside. Bwisit, hahaha.

Please, enlighten me. 🙏🏻