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Fark-o-vision wrote:I'm convinced that a poly sci degree is useless [strike]in this respect[/strike].

ArtVandelay wrote:

Fark-o-vision wrote:I'm convinced that a poly sci degree is useless [strike]in this respect[/strike].

This

WhiskeyGuy wrote:Degrees are only as useless as [strike]you allow them to be[/strike] the jobs you can (can't) get with them.

Anonymous User wrote:I work in politics now as a lobbyist, and am transitioning back to school because I believe it's necessary for my political career. A business background may be en vogue in politics, but the job itself, especially on the legislative side, is to write laws. Thus, the degree is helpful.

That said, for non-politicos looking to work in politics the best avenue is fundraising/contributing. Politicians follow the money, and if you can establish yourself as a funder, you have a great future. That was Rahm Emanuel's in with Bill Clinton, and it has paid off swimingly.

englawyer wrote:i dont think politics has that much to do with academic credentials; nonetheless, lawyer is still better than business for politics. the most likely transition in my opinion is ADA -> DA -> Local Politics. i am not sure what toiling away for a few years in biglaw gets you politically

ArmyVet07 wrote:Military service also looks very good on a political résumé.

pleasetryagain wrote:

ArmyVet07 wrote:Military service also looks very good on a political résumé.

unless you are giving that resume to a liberal.

SlipperyPete wrote:

englawyer wrote:i dont think politics has that much to do with academic credentials; nonetheless, lawyer is still better than business for politics. the most likely transition in my opinion is ADA -> DA -> Local Politics. i am not sure what toiling away for a few years in biglaw gets you politically

It gets you contacts. As a biglaw lawyer, you'll have more money than most others in their 20s. You can get to know politicians by donating to their campaigns yourself and helping to raise money for their campaigns. In the course of this fundraising, you can get to know other big contributors in the area. When you are ready to run for office yourself, you'll have a nice rolodex . . . people whom you can ask for money, and people whom you can ask for political support, etc. And with this, you can start your career by running for a respectable office, like state house or senate, suburban mayor, urban city council, or county council. If you can raise money, and have established good (i.e., mutually friendly, not sycophantic) relationships with a few prominent politicos, you'll be miles ahead of the gadflies, PTA presidents, and labor goons you'll be running against. Also, bide your time wisely . . . if you decide that the state assembly is where you want to start, move into a district that matches your politics and then sit around and wait until the incumbent retires--then run (this last bit applies to every non-political job one would use as a springboard to electoral politics, not just biglaw)

As for "ADA -> DA -> Local Politics," somebody else pointed out that DA=Local Politics. Also, local politics are for chumps, unless you're talking about mayor of a city or a position that pays as a full-time job (e.g., most city councils in "big" cities are full-time, and pay $80k+ whereas city councils in suburbia and hicksville are part-time and pay in the $1k/mo neighborhood . . . same distinction exists between groups of county councils/commissions). If you want to be a "player," don't waste your time on city council of your exurb or school board. your name will be in the paper once a month when you vote on widening the sidewalks downtown or interviewing a new superintendent . . . nobody cares. unless you are on the council for like 20 years before you run for a higher office, nobody is going to care or even know who you are. I think biglaw->politics is a much better path than ADA->politics for the reasons above. but if you start out at ADA, you still don't have to consign yourself to local politics. you just have to figure out a good way, other than from money, to get to know the people whose support you will require.

SlipperyPete wrote:

englawyer wrote:i dont think politics has that much to do with academic credentials; nonetheless, lawyer is still better than business for politics. the most likely transition in my opinion is ADA -> DA -> Local Politics. i am not sure what toiling away for a few years in biglaw gets you politically

It gets you contacts. As a biglaw lawyer, you'll have more money than most others in their 20s. You can get to know politicians by donating to their campaigns yourself and helping to raise money for their campaigns. In the course of this fundraising, you can get to know other big contributors in the area. When you are ready to run for office yourself, you'll have a nice rolodex . . . people whom you can ask for money, and people whom you can ask for political support, etc. And with this, you can start your career by running for a respectable office, like state house or senate, suburban mayor, urban city council, or county council. If you can raise money, and have established good (i.e., mutually friendly, not sycophantic) relationships with a few prominent politicos, you'll be miles ahead of the gadflies, PTA presidents, and labor goons you'll be running against. Also, bide your time wisely . . . if you decide that the state assembly is where you want to start, move into a district that matches your politics and then sit around and wait until the incumbent retires--then run (this last bit applies to every non-political job one would use as a springboard to electoral politics, not just biglaw)

As for "ADA -> DA -> Local Politics," somebody else pointed out that DA=Local Politics. Also, local politics are for chumps, unless you're talking about mayor of a city or a position that pays as a full-time job (e.g., most city councils in "big" cities are full-time, and pay $80k+ whereas city councils in suburbia and hicksville are part-time and pay in the $1k/mo neighborhood . . . same distinction exists between groups of county councils/commissions). If you want to be a "player," don't waste your time on city council of your exurb or school board. your name will be in the paper once a month when you vote on widening the sidewalks downtown or interviewing a new superintendent . . . nobody cares. unless you are on the council for like 20 years before you run for a higher office, nobody is going to care or even know who you are. I think biglaw->politics is a much better path than ADA->politics for the reasons above. but if you start out at ADA, you still don't have to consign yourself to local politics. you just have to figure out a good way, other than from money, to get to know the people whose support you will require.

It gets you contacts. As a biglaw lawyer, you'll have more money than most others in their 20s. You can get to know politicians by donating to their campaigns yourself and helping to raise money for their campaigns. In the course of this fundraising, you can get to know other big contributors in the area. When you are ready to run for office yourself, you'll have a nice rolodex . . . people whom you can ask for money, and people whom you can ask for political support, etc. And with this, you can start your career by running for a respectable office, like state house or senate, suburban mayor, urban city council, or county council. If you can raise money, and have established good (i.e., mutually friendly, not sycophantic) relationships with a few prominent politicos, you'll be miles ahead of the gadflies, PTA presidents, and labor goons you'll be running against. Also, bide your time wisely . . . if you decide that the state assembly is where you want to start, move into a district that matches your politics and then sit around and wait until the incumbent retires--then run (this last bit applies to every non-political job one would use as a springboard to electoral politics, not just BigLaw)