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Recent Internship Opportunities
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"Training for Tomorrow," a congressional internship in the office of Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez. This internship is open to high school and college students whow have a minimum 3.0 GPA. Priority will be given to applicants who live, go to school, or work in the 39th District. Apply online at www.lindasanchez.house.gov/interships. Deadline for 2007 internships is FRIDAY AUGUST 24.
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Panetta Institute Congressional Internship • A good opportunity for CSLA students! This internship "begins with an intensive two-week course at California State University, Monterey Bay with Leon Panetta and other seasoned veterans explaining how the legislative process actually works. Then each intern is assigned to a Capitol Hill office of a member of the California congressional delegation to work for two and a half months."
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Pacific Council on International Policy (PCIP) • Interns work directly with a member of the PCIP's staff carrying out research, writing and administrative tasks and participating in the execution and completion of at least one specific project. Must be a college junior in good statnding, a postgraduate student or a recent grad; major in poltical science, business, journalism or related field, demonstrated interest in interational affairs. Internships require a commitment of 280 hours
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The Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Master of Arts (MA) degrees in political science are not "professional degrees"; in other words, they do not prepare you for a specific career, as does a degree in accounting, engineering, law, or medicine. A degree in political science, however, does provide the foundation for critical and analytical thinking that can be applied to wide range of interesting and worthwhile career paths. Consider the following possibilities (adapted from a list compiled by the American Political Science Association, with additional listing from the Career Exploration Center at the University of Texas, and a few other sources). The hyperlinked job titles below are mostly special descriptions provided by the Career Exploration Center, the Princeton Review Colleges and Careers page, and the Majors & Careers page on the CollegeBoard.com site:
Activist, Advocate/Organizer (non-profit sector/non-governmental organization)
Budget Examiner or Analyst (for another description, click here)
Attorney (Government)
Attorney (Public Interest)
Campaign Operative
CIA Analyst or Agent
Congressional Office/Committee Staffer
Coordinator of Federal or State Aid
Communications Director
Corporate Analyst
Corporate Public Affairs Advisor
Corporate Economist
Corporate Lawyer
Corporate Manager
Corporate Information Analyst
Corporate Adviser for Govt'l. Relations
Corporate Executive
Corporation Legislative Issues Manager
Court Appointed Special Advocate
Customs Officer
Editor, Online Political or Current Affairs Journal
Educational Administrator
FBI Agent
Federal Government Analyst
Foreign Service Officer
Free-lance writer
High School Government/Social Science Teacher
Immigration Officer
Information Manager
Intelligence Officer
International Agency Officer
International Research Specialist
Internet Political Strategist
Issues Analyst, Corporate Social Policy Div.
Journalist (see below for some journalism links)
Labor Relations Specialist
Legislative Analyst / Coordinator
Lobbyist
Management Analyst
Mediator
Military Officer
Plans and Review Officer, USIA
Policy Analyst
Political Commentator
Pollster
Public Affairs Research Analyst
Public Opinion Analyst
Public Policy Think Tank Analyst
Research Analyst
State Legislator
Survey Analyst
Systems Analyst
University Administrator
University Professor
Urban Policy Planner
The positions listed above, of course, are only a small sampling of possible career paths. Students interested in exploring other possibilities can read the APSA's Careers and the Study of Political Science: A Guide for Undergraduates, which is available for purchase online. A copy is also available on reserve in our library (check under POLS 150 N. Koch), and the department office may have a limited number of free copies available). There are also a number of meta-sites with descriptions of various jobs and internships. One good one is the Princeton Review College and Careers page. You should also check the "Fastest Growing Occupations" list compiled by the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Keep reading for a very brief discussion--with links--of some career and internship possibilities in the government and private sectors.
Many Political Science graduates interested in world affairs find employment in the US federal government. The Office of Personnel Managment provides a listing of current job openings. The career options in federal service are wide-ranging, including the State Department (e.g., the foreign service), international organizations (as a representative of the United States), government agencies such as the CIA , National Security Agency (NSA), Department of Justice (which includes the Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI) or a position on a Congressional staff. Another new, but very significant potential employer is the Department of Homeland Security, which also provides summer employment opportunities for college students. Coursework in American government is, of course, also good preparation for these jobs; but courses in IR and comparative politics can provide a particularly good foundation for international careers in federal and state government. Another important area of "international jobs" is with international governmental organizations--e.g., the United Nations, International Labor Organization, World Bank. In general, these are extremely competitive positions and require specialized training and advanced degrees--an MA and often a Ph.D.
Most federal government jobs are obtained through the civil service, in which jobs are ranked according to various degrees. Those with B.A. degrees usually are eligible for grades 5 and 7; higher grades typically call for a graduate degree. Many jobs with the Federal government, especially entry-level jobs, are outside of Washington D.C. Some positions are political appointments, the hiring for which is outside regular civil service regulations.
Many federal agencies also provide internships (some paid and some not). If you are interested in pursuing a career in government, you should look into these opportunities at the earliest possible moment. Here is a listing of selected government sites:
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
Congressional Fellowship Program (APSA)
Central Intelligence Agency
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Agency
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Reserve Bank
Government Printing Office
National Security Agency
Peace Corps
US Agency for International Development
US International Trade Commission
US State Department
Voice of America
White House Fellowships
International Organizations
A degree in political science also prepares students for interesting jobs outside government. Majors find work in private interest groups and associations, academia (teaching and non-teaching positions), international organizations (NGOs), non-profit organizations (NPOs), publishing, and business. Government-business relations are important to both the political and business arenas; students with backgrounds in both political science and economics (and/or business) are well positioned for such jobs. Political science also provides a good foundation for a journalism career.
A Special Note on Working in NGOs (reproduced from Yale University's Undergraduate Career Services)
A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is an organization that is independent from governments and their policies. Like social service and advocacy organizations, NGOs are usually dedicated to the work of helping others through direct or indirect action. The major difference between NGOs and NPOs are their tax status and the fact that they may be structured very differently. NGO's usually (though not always) use private and public money to work specifically with developing nations. NGOs are often thought of as synonymous with human rights, however there are also other areas that NGOs work within, including improving the welfare of the disadvantaged or representing a corporate agenda.
Important things to know about careers in NGOs:
• NGOs almost never recruit on campus. This is not because they will not hire college students, but because that is not their focus for hiring.
• NGOs rarely post positions online, most of the positions are found through networking or internships. Because of that, working with an NGO during your undergraduate time is one of the best things you can do.
• NGOs do not pay better or worse than nonprofits, each specific organization sets its own pay structure according to its needs and income.
• Working with an international NGO may require a work permit or visa. This process can be very complex, so it is important to be prepared.
A tiny sampling of NGOs and NPOs (non-profit organizations):
Access Asia
Africa-America Institute (internships)
Alliance for Justice (internships)
American Friends Service Committee
Amnesty International
Arms Control Association (internships)
Asia Society
Association for the Prevention of Torture (internships)
Bank Information Center
CARE
Center for Democracy and Technology
Center for World Indigenous Studies
Earthwatch
East Timor Action Network (internships)
Food for the Hungry
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (internship program)
Global Fund for Women
Global Policy Forum (internships)
InterAction: American Council for Voluntary International Action
International Peace Bureau
Medicins Sans Frontieres
National Democratic Institute
Oxfam
See the following site for list of other foundations and non-profit organizations:
Carnegie Corporation--Online Resources
A small sampling of think tanks and research centers:
Brookings Institute
Cato Institute
Council of Foreign Relations
Center for Defense Information
Center for Security Policy
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Center for International Policy
Economic Policy Institute
RAND Corporation
Public Policy Institute of California (check for internship opportunities, click here)
The World Press Review website also has a listing of think tanks and NGOs.
Journalism
Journalism offers many opportunities for students with a background in Political Science. According to the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), in fact, many newspaper editors are primarily interested in young people who are broadly educated in politics, economics, history, and statistics and who possess strong writing skills. The Department of Political Science at CSLA helps students in all these areas. Getting started on a journalism career also requires you to know something about the basics of journalism, which can be learned through work on high school and college newspapers and through internships. Internships are particularly important. The ASNE site provides a searchable database for newspaper internships and for newspaper jobs. The Associated Press (AP) also has a special 12-week internship progam for aspiring journalists.
It is also important to know that the newspaper industry actively seeks minority applicants. To learn more, you should check the professional associations for the four major minority groups (Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Native American Journalists Association).
Scholarships: www.highschooljournalism.org can provide you with information about scholarships
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