Allow me to play college career advisor for a moment. As someone only a year and a few months out of my undergrad, I feel I have some valuable advice for new and returning university students who are looking to make a career out of this game we call politics.
First and foremost, DO NOT major in political science. If you want to actually work in politics at the campaign, lobbying or grassroots level, political science is not the degree for you. If you are interested in studying political theory, doing research and teaching political science concepts, then by all means, go for the political science degree; but if you actually want to do the work as a political communications or strategy professional, there are much better ways to learn the skills you need for the political job market.
With the political communications and strategy world changing rapidly as more and more we rely on technology to communicate and organize, I would argue that now more than ever it is critical to know how to write well. The age of digital technology is undoubtedly changing the modern political campaign, but it is important to recognize that this change does not decrease the value of stellar writers, it increases it vastly.
In the modern political communications cycle we are forced to fit lengthy statements into 140 characters and brief emails that will increase click-through-rates. That kind of communication requires rock-star writers that come out of university public relations, journalism and English programs - typically not political science programs.
This week, I was generating keyword lists for a NetPower client when I had an epiphany which I of course quickly translated into a less-than-140-character tweet:
The day-to-day work of political professionals today does not require a deep understanding of Neo-Gramscianism or Game Theory (though those may help), but it does require the classic learned skill of excellent writing. Whether it be generating keywords and ad text for Google AdWords, drafting a press release or composing a tweet, a good writer is more valuable to a political campaign than ever before.
Obviously, these are just the mere opinions of a recently graduated public relations student (with a minor in political science if you must know) but in my experience, I have found many political professionals who regret getting a degree in political science and few that regret majoring in public relations, journalism or English.
Great writers will always have jobs in politics, so make sure you are honing your writing skills one way or the other. Whether or not you major in a writing focused degree, start your own blog or write for your school or local paper - do something to build on your writing skills today and you will be a much more attractive candidate for your dream political job in the future.
First and foremost, DO NOT major in political science. If you want to actually work in politics at the campaign, lobbying or grassroots level, political science is not the degree for you. If you are interested in studying political theory, doing research and teaching political science concepts, then by all means, go for the political science degree; but if you actually want to do the work as a political communications or strategy professional, there are much better ways to learn the skills you need for the political job market.
With the political communications and strategy world changing rapidly as more and more we rely on technology to communicate and organize, I would argue that now more than ever it is critical to know how to write well. The age of digital technology is undoubtedly changing the modern political campaign, but it is important to recognize that this change does not decrease the value of stellar writers, it increases it vastly.
In the modern political communications cycle we are forced to fit lengthy statements into 140 characters and brief emails that will increase click-through-rates. That kind of communication requires rock-star writers that come out of university public relations, journalism and English programs - typically not political science programs.
This week, I was generating keyword lists for a NetPower client when I had an epiphany which I of course quickly translated into a less-than-140-character tweet:
The day-to-day work of political professionals today does not require a deep understanding of Neo-Gramscianism or Game Theory (though those may help), but it does require the classic learned skill of excellent writing. Whether it be generating keywords and ad text for Google AdWords, drafting a press release or composing a tweet, a good writer is more valuable to a political campaign than ever before.Obviously, these are just the mere opinions of a recently graduated public relations student (with a minor in political science if you must know) but in my experience, I have found many political professionals who regret getting a degree in political science and few that regret majoring in public relations, journalism or English.
Great writers will always have jobs in politics, so make sure you are honing your writing skills one way or the other. Whether or not you major in a writing focused degree, start your own blog or write for your school or local paper - do something to build on your writing skills today and you will be a much more attractive candidate for your dream political job in the future.
