BA 4 years

MA 1-3 years +

PhD 3 years +

Political science is commonly found in the curricula at many universities.

It might sound obvious to major in political science to be qualified to enter politics….but have you considered looking at the backgrounds of people holding elected office?

Off the top of my head…seems that many are either lawyers or business folks. In business, there is acronym GIPGOB (Get into politics or Go out of business). Either way it takes money….money that you either have (see the number of “self-financed” candidates—hmmm, money, businessmen, lawyers, hmmm) or money via people to whom you are well-connected (hmmmm, money, connections, businessmen, lawyers, politicians, hmmm)

And for now, at least, party membership/affiliation helps reinforce the connections of candidates to money.

I think the key point for you to remember is this: it is much better to network than to not work. So, join a party, volunteer as often as you can so folks see your face, know your name, and identify you as a hardworking loyal party member. This may go a longer way than any college degree you can earn.

There is a risky element to this next point…pick a rising star and jump on the bandwagon. Work hard to get results and you will be noticed. The risk is this: should your rising star burn out too soon, or fail to rise…you are associated with it. But the payoff is that a successful rising star is a good association for you.

Once you hitch your wagon to the rising star….you have to find a way to make yourself “indispensable” to them….so perhaps a college major in another field (or at least a minor) that is more technological (GIS for example…geographic information systems…the top data collection, analytical tool of the information age) might be a better choice than political science. [Learn more about GIS by visiting www.esri.com] Incidentally, you might be able to get certified in GIS in 2 years and start working…earning…and once employed within the inner depths of the party…take classes part-time to further develop your expertise in other areas (e.g. political science, etc).

An alternative is to get connected with the party “bosses” using information processing as the major. This ties you more directly to the party and not one particular candidate. All candidates need info processing results…and the party can provide some of it to all of them…so you have ready access to more than one “rising star”…but should any of them “peter out’…the party is still there.

Just some food for thought….hope this helps…best wishes on your endeavors!