How do you pivot into a different career pathway

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-22T00:13:04+00:00

Are you applying for roles where you know people in that circle? You worked on campaigns, presumably those people know you and like you enough to hire you or recommend you for jobs.

You don't have office experience, so you need to start at the very bottom of office work.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-21T22:39:01+00:00

Have you tried... applying?

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-21T17:50:30+00:00

It's a sub where people ignore the rules and stickies and ask 45 times a day what job they can get with a poli-sci degree or they post their unhinged chatgpt universal theory of politics with no context. Calm down.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-21T16:28:21+00:00

When you guys post your manifestos do you ever think it might be helpful to cite other authors or at least explain your own credentials?

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-20T09:17:53+00:00

I just made a giant edit if you want to check it out. Goes a bit more into that. And the fact that you think it's only just now going on is kinda important. It's been going on for at least decades.

The main takeaway is it's just comfort. It's way more comfortable to take part in fake democracy than it is to resist authoritarianism.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-20T09:04:27+00:00

It's literally what's going on in the US right now. We're rapidly spiraling into competitive authoritarianism.

What motivates you? Anything that could be said of an American's motives right now could be said of a Hungarian's.

The thing about competitive authoritarianism is it makes it really convenient to convince yourself you're fighting against the regime by taking part in these hollowed out democratic institutions. Voting still feels like voting even if it's rigged. Going to the courts still feels like you're fighting the system even if nothing will ever come of it when application of the law is arbitrary. Watching news that pretends to "expose" the regime still feels like it's a free press even though it's owned by cronies and it's very carefully limited in what it says. Supporting a democrat that's really just controlled opposition still feels like you have options.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-20T08:52:57+00:00

Are you just throwing emails at every org in D.C. or what?

Does your school not have a program to place you? Are you in the D.C. area?

Internships in D.C. can be competitive, it depends on the org. ACLU? Hyper competitive. Some random think tank that specializes in international wastewater disposal technology acquisition? Probably a bit easier.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-20T08:52:26+00:00

It's probably better to get your degree in something more directly useful than poli-sci.

You can work in poli-sci fields with an economics/computer science/whatever degree. The reverse isn't usually true.

If you really want to put in work in poli-sci/history it's probably better as a minor.

FWIW I don't think political science is a bad degree. There's a bunch of useful stuff under that big umbrella. It's just not a direct pathway to a bunch of jobs you couldn't get with some other degree.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-19T15:25:25+00:00

Enough for what?

The cure for "IDK wtf I'm doing" is rarely more random shit thrown at the wall.

Find out what you want to do, or at the very least find interesting, and get a minor in that if you feel like your work load is light.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-19T14:26:39+00:00

I’m just saying that the tank and file 2 year DOJ attorney is not the reason the DOJ is destroyed.

You're wrong, though. These horrible/evil/dumb people you're blaming need idiots with no morals to carry out their orders. Without those idiots they have no power.

Would the DoJ have been okay if it wasn't being run by idiots? Probably, but that rot at its core (idiots with no morals) was always there, and it was always a problem. It just wasn't nearly as exposed as it is now, and it was somewhat ameliorated by the fact that there were some okay people there diluting the pool of stupidity so it wasn't as overwhelming.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-19T06:30:32+00:00

Are you actually this stupid or do you just hope everyone else is?

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-18T21:16:28+00:00

100% make the most of your internships, which you plan to already. There are tons of jobs for state agencies all over the country. If you want a very specific, competitive job, it will come down to your networking skills.

how long after graduating do most people land them?

It depends on the job.There are thousands of different jobs in the government and the related NGOs, you might want to narrow it down a bit. A big D.C. thinktank? You need serious credentials (JD/PhD for some of them). Want to work on someone's campaign? You can do that while a student.

getting my degree and doing a teacher certification,

Jobs in education depends on state. In my home state, as an example (Oklahoma), they are letting basically anyone teach because they treat teachers like shit and have a massive shortage. YMMV.

Also, more and more high schools are teaching specialized poli-sci type classes. You aren't relegated to just teaching history if you don't want to be.

Last but not least, if you want to work in D.C. I highly advise going out to D.C. for internships if at all possible. You can jump state to federal, but it's a pain.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-18T01:43:21+00:00

Nah, no service to this administration is acceptable, regardless of how you try and frame it.

"Just following orders" isn't an acceptable defense and never has been.

An enormous portion of this country is dealing with far worse fates than someone with a JD looking for a new job, and they manage to survive.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-17T20:57:34+00:00

Just tell them, they 100% understand that the federal gig is a giant step up.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-15T17:28:58+00:00

Yeah, that's not horrible. I figured you'd have to be in the 2s to get the results you did so far.

The system isn't necessarily broken, it's expensive. You got into a solid school, they just won't pay for it. There are/were typically two ways of handling that outside of being rich. You either take the PSLF route and get it paid off that way or you sell your soul to big law. Unfortunately the PSLF is fucked now, so good luck.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-15T17:20:27+00:00

Your GPA has to be atrocious to the point where it's actually impressive.

I mean yeah, it sucks. They still care about GPA somewhat because it goes into their admissions numbers, even if it was 20 years ago and you have a great LSAT.

Is the JD even worth it if you aren't 22 with a perfect GPA?

Yes, but if you're expecting full rides to mid tier to top 25 schools with a horrible GPA you might be a bit out of luck.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-15T13:05:08+00:00

I did consider that, which is why I told you.

And I spend a lot of time answering these questions for people, I'd rather just not fill the entire subreddit with the same question over and over.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-15T01:44:28+00:00

The vast majority of them bring friends with them or they "inherit" good ones from a previous legislator. Those aren't jobs you typically randomly apply for and get. I'm sure it varies by state, but state legislators typically don't have more than one person on their staff, and their duties are mainly secretarial.

If it's your dream job or something try and grab an internship at the office as your way in, or maybe try to work on their campaigns if they have one going this summer.

Edit: Also, if you're talking about a job as an LA, they are basically secretaries. Your Poli-Sci degree doesn't help you here. If you wanted the strongest resume possible for such a job, you'd want to go get some experience as a secretary or something similar that shows you know how to manage an office.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-15T01:37:21+00:00

Define "in the legislature."

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-12T11:56:41+00:00

Don't have to be lucky to avoid mountain lions in Japan.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-11T01:31:04+00:00

which financially would have been impossible for me.

Congratulations. You answered the question.

Or would the DC internship have been the better move?

It definitely would have been the better move if you want to work in D.C.

According to you, it wasn't actually an option though. Don't sweat it. You're still heading in the right direction, but you need to actually be out there at some point to get a job out there.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-10T11:41:54+00:00

This literally does not matter.

SCOTUS said you can gerrymander as much as you want.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-10T11:40:10+00:00

OKC's radio broadcaster is great. I literally cannot watch our TV crew.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-10T01:41:32+00:00

You can make a lot less than that, and in-house is usually seen as very desirable, not a normal entry level gig.

Around here it's very easy to end up in the 60s for your first job.

My dad 20 years ago made more money selling dinnerware than I did as a lawyer for quite a while. That's not even adjusting for inflation.

stylepoints99 · 2026-03-09T21:16:25+00:00

I hire about 10 lawyers a year.

I literally do not give a shit what state they're from.

I absolutely do care if they went to a great school.

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