If you are looking to make great social change in this world, you may be interested in pursuing a political career. Most political figures set their mark for presidency when they first enter into the political arena.
However, there are a multitude of positions that are just as effective at keeping the wheels of politics running.
While you may be wondering what can you do with a political science degree, here are 10 jobs in the political arena you can enter into.
Intern/ Volunteer
While you may not receive great pay working as an intern or volunteer, this entry level political job is a great way to get your foot in the door.
There are tons of intern and volunteer positions within the political arena. For example, you can volunteer on a campaign or for a non-profit organization.
Whichever you choose, you can make a great impact within the political arena. Interning will also allow you to develop a variety of skills through invaluable experience.
Bottom Line: as an intern you can grasp a better idea of what role you want to serve in the political community and understand how to navigate the field.
Legislative Aide
Another great entry-level position for individuals interested in pursuing a political career is a legislative aide or assistant.
Serving as a liaison, individuals get to work with congressional members and their constituents directly.
Legislative aides are tasked with providing information and answering questions related to their area of expertise.
For example, most aides focus on one topic area, like gun control or immigration.
Although an aide is considered an entry-level position, it has a very significant role within the political arena.
As the gatekeepers, legislative aides maintain the schedule and communication line to their congressional members.
Furthermore, these aides ensure their boss is well informed on issues and policies.
Bottom Line: if you are looking for an invaluable entry-level position, you may want to consider applying as a legislative aide.
Lobbyist
Although most lobbyists are retired politicians, there are many career paths that can lead and stem from this position.
A lobbying job entails contacting elected officials to convince them to vote favorably on your issue of choice.
Bottom Line: this position is perfect for individuals with strong communication and persuasive skills. Furthermore, lobbyists have a lot of options when it comes to where they want to work.
While lobbyists can perform their work independently, they can also find a position within a lobbying firm or within an organization.
If you are looking for a political position where you can influence policies, you may want to consider applying to become a lobbyist.
Campaign Manager
With elections right around the corner, there are an abundance of campaign manager positions on the market.
Whether you are looking to work on a small local campaign, or a presidential one, you can be the big shot on the campaign trail.
Bottom Line: individuals occupying this election job are tasked with overseeing all the details involved in managing a successful campaign.
Their responsibilities can range from hiring and managing campaign staff to budgeting and getting out the vote.
If you are looking for political campaign jobs that can utilize your organization and management skills, you may want to consider applying as a campaign manager.
Media Strategist
If you are good with social media and developing creative marketing strategies then you may want to consider applying to a media strategist position.
These political jobs help candidates promote themselves and maintain a positive public image when issues arise.
Bottom Line: therefore, they are an essential component of a successful campaign for an elected office. These individuals act as a liaison between the candidate and the news and media.
In this capacity, media strategists are responsible for planning and presenting in-person, print, radio, online, and social media campaigns that seek to promote the candidate.
Speechwriter
As one of the highest paying political jobs in the industry, a full-time speechwriter position may be hard to come by.
Furthermore, these positions are only typically used for high-level campaigns, like presidential or senior level campaigns.
However, difficult to acquire, these positions are great for individuals with proficient writing skills. If you are looking for interesting political jobs, you may want to consider a position as a speechwriter.
Policy Analyst
Another one of the political jobs you may want to consider is a policy analyst. This is the perfect gig for individuals who enjoy researching, thinking hard, and making social change.
Bottom Line: policy analysts work to identify, create, and implement policies and programs for government agencies, legislators, or candidates.
In other words, these individuals collect data and review government policies to suggest new approaches based on their analyses.
If you are detail-oriented and have strong writing and analyzation skills, this may be the perfect position for you.
Pollster
A political pollster is an individual who measures the effectiveness of a campaign and what voters think in regard to candidate issues.
Bottom Line: this position requires reliable data analytical skills. Within this position, pollsters are tasked with collecting information, evaluating responses, analyzing and organizing information, and presenting it in a comprehensible format.
Another reason you may want to consider applying to a pollster position is the variety of work environments these positions are offered in.
As a pollster, individuals can choose to work directly for a candidate or legislator, or work as a self-employed freelancer.
Public Relations Manager
If you are looking for the perfect jobs for political science majors, consider applying to a position as a public relations manager.
Within this capacity, individuals are tasked with managing a candidate or legislator’s public image. Therefore, this position provides politically-motivated individuals with the opportunity to shape and influence public opinion.
Political science majors are perfect for this position as they have an understanding of how opinions are formed and the role of media.
Communications Coordinator
If you are interested in political jobs, you may want to consider applying for a communications coordinator position.
This position entails managing political and legislative communications for candidates, legislators, and other organizations.
Bottom Line: therefore, occupants of the position maintain all verbal and written communications, while also implementing communication strategies.
If you have strong communication skills, you may be the perfect fit for a communications coordinator position.
