Your path

Possible Careers:

  • Mayor
  • City Council Member
  • Governor
  • Legislative assistant
  • Military member
  • Tax examiner
  • Election supervisor
  • Federal aid coordinator
  • Census clerk
  • Auditor

Degrees and Certs:

  • (Not required): high school students can participate in Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
  • Most first-term enlistments require a commitment to four years of active duty and two years of inactive (Individual Ready Reserve)
  • two-year college degree in public administration, healthcare administration, human services management or political science
  • four-year college degree in political science, public administration, national security, public policy or revenue
  • On-the-job training in an administrative role or as a member of the armed forces
  • Trade School Options:

  • For military positions: combat training or Army boot camp, specialized training in the career field or Officer Candidate School to master leadership skills for the army
    • Top 5 highest Ranking Colleges:

    • Syracuse University
    • Indiana University - Bloomington
    • Harvard University
    • Princeton University
    • University of Chicago

    Career Map Examples:

    Political Science Public Service and Public Policy

    PROS:

    • Variety of career paths in the private and public sector: government office, in a company’s corporate office, or with a non-profit organization
    • The ability to learn about a variety of subjects: financing, legal, environmental, business administration, statistics, economics, international affairs, etc.
    • Work directly with the people
    • Ability to make an impact through policy making

    CONS:

    • Very competitive job market, not easy to move up to higher positions
    • High stress- constantly evaluating effectiveness of policy and thinking about how things can be improved in society
    • Easy to get negative publicity and be involved in scandals, which are often results of misunderstanding

    Overview Video: