# What Do You Do with a B.A. in Poli Sci? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 15, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878 "2012-04-15T20:51:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/41 "2012-04-18T04:35:31Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > If your son wants to go into politics, he _must_ get involved with his campus Republicans or Democrats … He doesn’t care which? In that case he really ought to stay away from operational politics and stick to academia. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/42 "2012-04-18T04:42:41Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Sorry if this sounds snarky, I promise it’s a genuine question which has been driving me nuts for a while: which are those? The only “PoliSci” course I had was about as scientific as homeopathy; my brother took about half the coursework needed for a degree in PoliSci as a sort of hobby thing, and I can see very little science in any of his notes/books. There seems to be a lot of “disregarding preexisting data”, which is the opposite of science. I have a degree in political science, and I largely agree with you. It’s far more art than science. I think it’s pretty close to getting a Communications degree. I’ve heard and read argue that all human interaction is one form of politics or another, which is pretty much the same as another claim that all human interaction is one form of communication or another. I see it more as the study of negotiations, but not a particularly scientific study because the results aren’t reliably repeatable. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/43 "2012-04-18T13:15:11Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Sorry if this sounds snarky, I promise it’s a genuine question which has been driving me nuts for a while: which are those? The only “PoliSci” course I had was about as scientific as homeopathy; my brother took about half the coursework needed for a degree in PoliSci as a sort of hobby thing, and I can see very little science in any of his notes/books. There seems to be a lot of “disregarding preexisting data”, which is the opposite of science. Conflict and War Theory was my favorite. It pretty scientifically demonstrated why wars happen. **Typo Knig** , you live in DC. You’re son’s good, man. If he gets a security clearance somehow, he’ll make six figures a year or two after graduating. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/44 "2012-04-18T15:17:16Z")
Thanks for the insights! Yes, we’re DC-metro area. I’m a “beltway bandit” myself. My son has been interested in politics since the '08 election. He’s gotten better grades in HS math and science than in history/government. I would not have thought of combining his area of interest with his skills. If he becomes the next Nate Silver I’ll be very proud, very publicly. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![davekhps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/45 "2012-04-18T15:54:23Z")
Second what Ravenman said above, good advice. My background: grew up in the Midwest, didn’t go to a great high school, got good grades but nothing stellar. Always wanted to work in national security, wanted to move to the DC area, applied to all the top schools here, didn’t get into any. Ended up at a “second tier” DC school that will remain nameless. I discovered that when it came to an undergrad in poli sci, LOCATION mattered far more than PEDIGREE. Like with many majors, in poli sci an undergrad degree alone is effectively worthless (true in the 1990s, VERY true today). I knew that I’d almost certainly have to go on to grad school and leverage other opportunities, which is why I made the push to move to D.C. I ended up with a couple of unpaid internships during my undergrad years that not only taught me plenty but also allowed me to network for the future. That paid off when it helped me get into a top-tier graduate school right after college. 15 years later, nobody cares where I got my poli-sci degree from (and only a few care about where I got my _grad_ degree from). But I’ve parlayed that education into an excellent career (so far… knock on wood!). Bottom line: if your son is truly interested in doing something with a poli-sci degree, keeping his eye on the prize is more important than how he gets there, i.e. it’s a multi-year journey, not a sprint. Internships and networking can really suck the life out of you early on, but nobody hands anyone a six-figure job out of undergrad anymore (and they NEVER did with poli-sci… I made bupkus for five+ years out of college, living with roommates off of ramen and beer, but it all worked out in the end). Oh, and I’ll second the others who give advice RE: backup plans-- hard science & math are nice complementary minors. Plus, depending on what your son wants to get into, keeping your record clean for an eventual security clearance is GOLDEN, and will significantly increase one’s earning potential (not to mention the cool factor of possible jobs). That means no drugs, no DUIs, no credit-card-fueled bankruptcies, etc., etc., etc. I got into my fair share of mayhem in college, having crazy fun is normal, but I always knew there was a line I couldn’t cross as if my life depended on it-- which, frankly, it did). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/46 "2012-04-18T16:15:51Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > He doesn’t care which? In that case he really ought to stay away from operational politics and stick to academia. Hah! Well, I assume the kid cares - I was just giving the options. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/47 "2012-04-18T19:28:23Z")
> [@KSO](#): > > The unfortunate reality these days is that by the time your son graduates, a B.A. in a liberal arts subject will be the functional equivalent of a high school diploma. I would strongly recommend he do a double major with a STEM subject, in order to give himself a shot at actually getting a decent-paying job upon graduation. The pay differential between liberal arts majors and STEM majors is significant–even an associates degree in STEM outpays a BA in the liberal arts. > > [Link](http://stemconnector.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/stem-trained-associates-out-earning-liberal-arts-bachelors/) Echoing this. I graduated in 2007 with a History degree because History was what I liked. Went straight to law school. No jobs. Really wish I had skipped the liberal arts stuff and spent the time doing a STEM major so I could have a job right now. Would I have been less happy doing STEM in college? Sure, but that would be outweighed by being happier having a job right now. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/48 "2012-04-18T19:56:11Z")
I have a friend that recently got his B.A. in political science. He will be playing quarterback in the NFL this fall, most likely for the Washington Redskins. His experience is probably slightly different than most poli sci majors. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/49 "2012-04-18T20:19:53Z")
No. That’s pretty much what all the poli sci majors I know did. : ) ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/50 "2012-04-18T20:34:13Z")
> [@Typo\_Knig](#): > > My son will start college in the fall. He wants to major in Political Science. Any advice from Dopers in the know about career paths for people with Poli Sci degrees? Any advice on skills he needs to develop, what should he focus on in college? Any advice at all? I’m a scientist by training, and a computer security guy now. **Mama Zappa** , my wife, is a computer person from the get-go. I feel like Poli Sci is outside my area of experience. Any help or suggestions are welcome! You go to law school (top 20 on at least a half scholarship!) or you work on political campaigns. Or you switch to a business major and go into real estate down the road. He should have a pretty good idea of what he wants to go into. If not, let him travel for a year or take community college classes. In my opinion, everyone’s freshman year is wasted unless they are exceptionally mature or took a year off/did comm college for a year. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/51 "2012-04-18T23:14:32Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > > > > [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > > > > > If your son wants to go into politics, he _must_ get involved with his campus Republicans or Democrats … > > > > He doesn’t care which? In that case he really ought to stay away from operational politics and stick to academia. > > Hah! Well, I assume the kid cares - I was just giving the options. LOL! He does care, but the general advice is good. We don’t have to make this about who’s party is better - we can make this about who’s major is better 😉 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/52 "2012-04-19T01:04:55Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Traditionally the way to law school, but law school doesn’t look so lucrative now. If he takes enough quantitative courses in ecnonomics as part of the program he may well be set for management consulting. One could pick worse careers. But as you say, you best be going to a top school. The thing about STEM jobs. Sure you’re more likely to land a high paying job in science and engineering and tech. But even if you have an aptitude for computer programming or higher level math, do you WANT to do that for a living? Having your head burried in a computer all day writing code? Working odd hours keeping systems running or working late nights and weekends delivering some analyst report? If you aren’t that quanitative, careers in (non IT) consulting, marketing, PR, or business development might be the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![breaking-reality](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a8b319/32.png) [@breaking-reality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breaking-reality)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878/53 "2012-04-19T20:29:26Z")
Does your son know what career path he wants? When I first started college, I started by doing what I was interested in instead of thinking about the career path I wanted to follow. By the time I realized what I wanted to do career-wise and switched majors, I had about a years worth of classes that didn’t count for much of anything. I’d recommend he start with general classes and talk to a counselor/adviser about the different career options in political science before deciding on that for his major. That said, my mother majored in Poli Sci with a minor in econ, and went on to get her law degree and a masters in environmental law and never looked back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-a-b-a-in-poli-sci/618878.md?page=2)