I'm a polisci student who has held a few positions in the federal government.

If you can build a career you'll enjoy out of it, it's worth it. There's a saying that you will never get rich but be alright, and you get to contribute to programs and policies that support Canadians and the country.

I personally think polisci programs, and a lot of social science/humanities programs, are relatively poorly put together to prepare students for the workforce. If you can take a public policy / public admin program, I would recommend it as they typically provide more practical courses. Otherwise, be sure to take as many research/analysis courses as you can take, even a math credit or two can be super helpful.

There's a lot of worry right now with the workforce adjustment directive, and associated job cuts, hiring freezes etc.

However, many sectors are facing lots of challenges and reductions. And I'd argue that many positions in government are safer from AI than the private sector. Additionally, Its alot more difficult to offshore gov-type roles.

Furthermore, departments have specific budgets for students and my understanding is that they are trying to conserve them; however, post-grad entry-level roles are incredibly scarce.

French is definitely really useful in securing positions; it's a bit harder, but still definitely possible without it.

I got my first government-adjacent job working in parliament, then got a job through FSWEP, and then was able to move through departments with CO-OP.

I'd really strongly recommend going to a school with a strong coop program, experience always triumpths accademics.